Japanese Fifteenth Army

All you want to know about Japanese Fifteenth Army

Japanese Fifteenth Army

Japanese troops on border of Burma
Active 1941-11-09-1945-08-15
Country Empire of Japan
Branch Imperial Japanese Army
Type Infantry
Role Corps
Garrison/HQ Rangoon
Nickname Hayashi Shudan (林集団 Grove?)
Engagements Burma Campaign

The Japanese 15th Army (第15軍 Dai-jyugo gun?) was a army of the Imperial Japanese Army during the World War II.

Contents

History

The Japanese 15th Army was formed on 9 November 1941 as the Burma Area Army of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group for the specific task of invading the British colony of Burma.

Under Lieutenant General Shōjirō Iida, the IJA 15th Army invaded southern Burmese province of Tenasserim. The 15th Army consisted initially of the highly regarded 33rd Infantry Division and the 55th Infantry Division, which attacked from northern Thailand, which had signed a treaty of friendship with Japan on December 21, 1941. The 15th Army quickly advanced through southern Burma, defeating the British and Indian Burma Army in several engagements, and capturing the capital, Rangoon by 7 March 1942. The Army was reinforced by troops released by the Fall of Singapore and drove northwards into Central Burma, defeating the British Burma Corps and the Chinese forces, ultimately driving the Allies from Burma.

During the following year, the Army remained as a garrison force in Burma, defeating an Allied offensive in Arakan and inflicting heavy casualties on a long-range penetration raid under Orde Wingate.

For 1944, Fifteenth Army became part of the Burma Area Army. Lieutenant General Iida was posted back to Japan and Lieutenant General Renya Mutaguchi took command of Fifteenth Army. He forcefully advocated an offensive against British India. The offensive, Operation U-Go, was launched in March. As a result of poor logistics and Mutaguchi's underestimation of the difficulties, the Army was almost destroyed in the Battle of Imphal and the Battle of Kohima.

Mutaguchi, his Chief of Staff and several other officers were removed in the aftermath. Lieutenant General Shihachi Katamura took command. As the monsoon season ended, the Army attempted to forestall an Allied offensive into Burma by withdrawing behind the Irrawaddy River. They were unable to prevent British and Indian troops securing bridgeheads across the river, and the army was weakened by losses and detachments to other parts of the front. Once Mandalay was captured, the Army could only retreat southwards, badly disorganised.

The remnants of Fifteenth Army were later absorbed as a subsidiary unit within the Japanese 18th Area Army.

The IJA 15th Army was demobilized at Lampang Province, Thailand on the surrender of Japan in 1945.

List of Commanders

Commanding officers

Name From To
1 Lieutenant General Shōjirō Iida 5 November 1941 18 March 1943
2 Lieutenant General Renya Mutaguchi 18 March 1943 30 August 1944
3 Lieutenant General Shihachi Katamura 30 August 1944 15 August 1945

Chief of staff

Name From To
1 Lieutenant General Haruki Isayama 14 November 1941 1 December 1942
2 Lieutenant General Eitaro Naka 1 December 1942 18 March 1943
3 General Hideyoshi Obata 18 March 1943 26 May 1943
4 Lieutenant General Todai Kunomura 26 May 1943 22 September 1944
5 Major General Gonpachi Yoshida 22 September 1944 September 1945

Organization (at the First Arakan Campaign)

15th Army

Organization (at the Imphal Campaign)

15th Army

Organization (at the end of the war)

15th Army

References

  • Latimer, Jon (2004). Burma: The Forgotten War. London: John Murray. ISBN: 978-0719565762. 
  • Madej, Victor (1981). Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945. Game Publishing Company. ASIN: B000L4CYWW. 

External links

Notes

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifteenth_Army_(Japan)"

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