12-665: The First General Army ( 第1総軍 (日本軍) , Dai-ichi Sōgun ) was a general army ( army group equivalent) of the Imperial Japanese Army , established for the defense of eastern and northern Honshū (including the Tōkai and Kantō regions ) during the final stage of the Pacific War . The First General Army was established on April 8, 1945, with the dissolution of the General Defense Command into
24-726: A fourth. Towards the end of World War II, the home island command (i.e. the General Defense Command ) was restructured geographically into the First General Army in the east, Second General Army in the west, and the Air General Army in charge of military aviation . With the official Japanese surrender in September 1945, all of the general armies were dissolved, except for the First General Army, which continued to exist until November 30, 1945, as
36-708: A temporary command structure to coordinate the efforts of several Japanese armies in the campaign against Imperial Russia . In terms of a permanent standing organization, the Japanese Army created the Kantōgun , usually known in English as the Kwantung Army, to manage its overseas deployment in the Kwantung Territory and Manchukuo from 1906. Subsequent general armies were created in response to
48-472: The 1st Demobilization Headquarters . Area Armies ( 方面軍 , Hōmen-gun ) in Japanese military terminology were equivalent to field armies in western militaries. Area Armies were normally commanded by a general or lieutenant general . There is much confusion between the similarly numbered Area Armies and Armies in historical records, as many writers often did not make a clear distinction when describing
60-456: The Tōkai and Kantō regions ) during the final stage of the Pacific War . The First General Army was established on April 8, 1945, with the dissolution of the General Defense Command into the First and Second General Army . It was essentially a home guard and garrison , responsible for civil defense , anti-aircraft defenses, and for organizing guerilla warfare cells in anticipation of
72-577: The First and Second General Army . It was essentially a home guard and garrison , responsible for civil defense , anti-aircraft defenses, and for organizing guerilla warfare cells in anticipation of the projected Allied invasion of the Japanese home islands in Operation Downfall (or Operation Ketsugō ( 決号作戦 , Ketsugō sakusen ) in Japanese terminology). Although its territory encompassed all of northern Japan, its primary mission
84-566: The final demobilization and dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Army. Armies of the Imperial Japanese Army Army ( 軍 , gun ) was a term in the Imperial Japanese Army used in different ways to designate a variety of large military formations that corresponded to the army group , field army , and corps in the militaries of Western nations . The General Army ( 総軍 , Sō-gun )
96-648: The needs of the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II , in which increased overseas deployment called for an organizational structure that could respond quickly and autonomously from the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff in Tokyo . As a result, Japanese forces were re-organized into three separate overseas operational commands: ( Manchuria , China and Southeast Asia ), with the Japanese home islands forming
108-527: The projected Allied invasion of the Japanese home islands in Operation Downfall (or Operation Ketsugō ( 決号作戦 , Ketsugō sakusen ) in Japanese terminology). Although its territory encompassed all of northern Japan, its primary mission was to ensure the security of the heavily populated Kantō region , which included Tokyo. Its forces consisted mostly of poorly trained and poorly armed reservists , conscripted students and home guard militia . The First General Army remained active for several months after
120-487: The units involved. The Japanese Army ( 軍 , gun ) corresponded to an army corps in American or British military terminology. It was usually commanded by a lieutenant general . First General Army The First General Army ( 第1総軍 (日本軍) , Dai-ichi Sōgun ) was a general army ( army group equivalent) of the Imperial Japanese Army , established for the defense of eastern and northern Honshū (including
132-558: Was the highest level in the organizational structure of the Imperial Japanese Army. It corresponded to the army group in western military terminology. Intended to be self-sufficient for indefinite periods, the general armies were commanded by either a field marshal or a full general . The initial General Army was the Japanese Manchurian Army , formed from 1904 to 1905 during the Russo-Japanese War as
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#1732776658109144-461: Was to ensure the security of the heavily populated Kantō region , which included Tokyo. Its forces consisted mostly of poorly trained and poorly armed reservists , conscripted students and home guard militia . The First General Army remained active for several months after the surrender of Japan to help maintain public order until the arrival of the American occupation forces , and to oversee
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