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22-669: The Japanese 14th Army was formed on November 6, 1941, under the Southern Expeditionary Army Group for the specific task of invading and occupying the Philippines . It initially consisted of the IJA 16th Division , 48th Division , 56th Division , and 65th Independent Mixed Infantry Brigade . In January 1942, the 48th Division was detached and reassigned to the Japanese Sixteenth Army for

44-719: 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 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

66-598: A result, Japanese forces were re-organized into three separate overseas operational commands: ( Manchuria , China and Southeast Asia ), with the Japanese home islands forming 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

88-512: 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 ) 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

110-461: The 4th Division came under control of the 14th Army, as did the 30th Division , which was assigned to the defense of Mindanao . As the war situation continued to deteriorate for Japan, and Allied forces prepared to invade the Philippines, the 14th Army restructured its independent infantry brigades and reserves to form the new 100th , 102nd , 103rd , and 105th Divisions . In March 1944

132-702: 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 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

154-672: The South Pacific . Plans for an invasion of the Philippines were finalized on November 13–15, by Lt General Masaharu Homma , Lt General Hideyoshi Obata , Vice Admiral Ibō Takahashi and Vice Admiral Nishizo Tsukahara . These plans called for air attacks against the Philippines, beginning on X-Day , by the 5th Army Air Force Division and the 11th Naval Air Fleet . At this time, Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy units were to land on Batan Island , Luzon (at Aparri, Cagayan , Vigan , and Legazpi City ), and at Davao , Mindanao , and to seize airfields. Following

176-700: The invasion of the Netherlands East Indies , and was replaced with the Fourth Division . As the army was still fighting in the Philippines, its commanding officer, Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma , requested more reinforcements. The 10th Independent Garrison was sent to the Philippines as was the 21st Division Infantry Group, and the First Field Artillery Headquarters to command the field artillery units. The Fourth and Seventh Tank Regiments were part of

198-466: The 14th Area Army were responsible for the Palawan Massacre of December 14, 1944. Southern Expeditionary Army Group [South Seas Western Command] [Burma] [Malaya, Singapore, Sumatra] [Philippines] [Thailand] [New Guinea, Solomon Islands] [Borneo] [Dutch East Indies] [French Indochina] The Southern Expeditionary Army Group ( 南方軍 , Nanpō gun )

220-545: The 14th Army officially reverted to the control of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group. On July 28, 1944, the Japanese 14th Army officially became the Japanese 14th Area Army . Two more divisions (the 8th Division and the 10th Division ) arrived in August 1944 as reinforcements, and also in August the 35th Army came under its control. On October 10, 1944, General Tomoyuki Yamashita assumed

242-717: The 14th Army, as well as the First, Eighth, and 16th Field Artillery Regiments and the 9th Independent Field Artillery Battalion. This army was responsible for the Bataan Death March after the surrender of US and Filipino forces in Bataan, and the 65th Independent Brigade was also accused of the Mariveles Massacre. The 14th Army came under the direct control of Imperial General Headquarters in June, 1942; however,

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264-762: The Kwantung Army, to manage its overseas deployment in the Kwantung Territory and Manchukuo from 1906. Subsequent general armies were created in response to 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

286-697: The Sakaguchi detachment and 2nd Kure Special Naval Landing Force occupied Tarakan . They secured Balikpapan on January 23. On 10 February Bandjermasin , the capital of Dutch Borneo was occupied. The Eastern invasion group included the Sasebo Combined Naval Landing Force and 1st Yokosuka Special Naval Landing Force. They left Davao on January 9 and during the early morning of January 11, arrived at and occupied Menado . The Sasebo Combined Special Naval Landing Force then attacked and occupied Kendari on January 23. Makassar

308-476: The Southern Expeditionary Army Group in Saigon continued to issue orders, at times in conflict with those received from Tokyo, and the 14th's commanding officer was plagued by insubordination from junior officers who used the situation to issue orders without his approval, or to countermand orders with which they did not agree. In August 1942, Homma was replaced by Lieutenant General Shizuichi Tanaka . In July 1942

330-512: The command of the 14th Area Army to defend the Philippines. In the various battles of the Philippines campaign (1944–45) against combined American and Philippine Commonwealth armed forces in Leyte , Mindanao and parts of Luzon , the Japanese 14th Area Army suffered over 350,000 casualties, including virtually all of the 18,000 men of the 16th Infantry Division in the Battle of Leyte . Troops of

352-598: The commander of 16th Army Lt. General Hitoshi Imamura arrived at Takao , Taiwan from his base at Saigon . He received an order to hasten the invasion preparation toward Java . But due to shipping shortages, he had to adjust the plans. On January 21, he arrived at Manila to inspect the Imperial Japanese Army 48th Division and to have discussion with the commander of the Imperial Japanese Navy 3rd Fleet . The Netherlands East Indies

374-553: The elimination of American air support, the main body of the IJA 14th Army was to land at Lingayen Gulf , while another force landed at Lamon Bay . These forces were then to attack Manila in a pincer attack . After this, the islands of Manila Bay were to be taken. In the resulting Battle of the Philippines (1942) , Japanese forces accomplished their primary objectives. On July 22, 1941, Japanese forces, called Indochina Expeditionary Army invaded Vichy French Indochina and occupied its naval and air bases. On January 18, 1942,

396-492: The main force. On February 28 midnight the 230th Infantry Regiment landed on Eretan Wetan on Java. The center group was composed of IJA 48th Division , left for Java on February 8, 1942 from Lingayen Gulf, in the Philippines. On February 25, the convoy arrived at Balikpapan and the Sakaguchi detachment (56th Regiment Group) joined the force. They landed at Kragan on Java by midnight February 28. Earlier on January 11,

418-583: Was a general army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II . It was responsible for all military operations in South East Asian and South West Pacific campaigns of World War II. Its military symbol was NA . The Southern Expeditionary Army Group was formed on November 6, 1941, under the command of Gensui Count Terauchi Hisaichi , with orders to attack and occupy Allied territories and colonies in South East Asia and

440-615: Was captured on 9 February by the Sasebo Combined Special Naval Landing Force. All these are on Celebes island. The 1st Kure Special Naval Landing Force and 228th Infantry Regiment from 38th Army and Airplane Carrier Division 2 from Japan, reached Ambon on January 30. Armies of the Imperial Japanese Army Army ( 軍 , gun ) was a term in the Imperial Japanese Army used in different ways to designate

462-424: Was carried aboard 56 transport ships and left for Java on February 18. By midnight on February 28, the ships landed at Merak and Bantam Bay on Java island. Following the surrender of Hong Kong , the 228th, 229th and 230th Infantry Regiments from the IJA 38th Division were also deployed to Netherlands East Indies separately. On February 13, the 229th and 230th assaulted Palembang on Sumatra and then joined

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484-470: Was invaded in a three-prong attack by using 3 groups: western, center and eastern group. The IJA 2nd Division of the IJA 16th Army , which was assembled in Taiwan , was ordered on January 25 to move in to Cam Ranh Bay and became the main force of western invasion group. At Cam Ranh Bay, the troops were trained for the tropical jungle warfare . On the 30th, the attack order was announced. The western group

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