Field Road Construction Units

[john whitman]

To all:

I am trying to develop movement data for field road construction units into the Pacific. This is what I have so far.

Field Road Construction Units, 第 野戦道路隊, 第 野戦道路構築隊. I believe that there were three companies and a total of about 900 men in a field road construction unit. Is that correct?

3, North China
4, 10th Army, China
5, 10th Army, China
7, North China
20, 15th Army, then 28th Army Burma
31, 8th Area Army, elements landed at Tuluvu New Guinea on 17 December 1942 from Patrol Boat-39 and destroyer Tachikaze.
34, 4th Army
35, 18th Army, New Guinea
36, 18th Army, New Guinea
37, 18th Army, New Guinea
38, 18th Army, New Guinea
39, 17th Army, Guadalcanal, later Bougainville
40, 18th Army, eastern New Guinea
42, 3rd Area Army, 30th Army
44, 18th Army, New Guinea
45, 1st Area Army, 5th Army
47, 3rd Area Army, 44th Army
48, 18th Army, New Guinea
49, 14th Area Army, Philippines
51, 2nd Army
54, 11th Army
55, 20th Army
56, 23rd Army
57, 14th Area Army, Philippines, 撃第１中隊、第５７野戦道路隊 in Convoy TA-7 to Leyte aboard SS-5, SS-11, and SS-12
58, 14th Area Army, Philippines
101, 28th Army, Burma
103, 37th Army, Burma

Movements into Burma, New Guinea, and the Philippines would be the most useful. Can anyone help?

Thanks.

John

[fontessa]

Good morning John:

I believe that there were three companies and a total of about 900 men in a field road construction unit. Is that correct?

The organization of field road construction units did not seem to be one kind. What I found is that of the 51st and the 52nd Field Road Construction Units. They were organized by Army Regulation "A" No.43 dated September 6, 1940. Their organizations were as follows.
- HQ: 11men
- Four companies: 119men each
Total: 487men

The 51st and the 52nd Field Road Construction Units were assigned to the 2nd Area Army in 1944.

fontessa

[john whitman]

Good evening fontessa:

Thank you for these numbers. So the size and equipment of a road construction unit depended upon the situation, the year, and the location. That makes sense. I would guess that as time passed, less equipment was available to a new unit.

Thanks for the help.

John

[fontessa]

Good morning John:

I found several unit movements in 部隊略歴 (Unit Brief Histories).

The 33rd Field Road Construction Unit (The 15th Area Army)
- Departed Dalian on January 16, 1942
- Landed on Singora on February 6
- Departed Singora on February 14
- Landed on Bangkok on February 24

The 35th Field Road Construction Unit
- Departed Ujina on March 18, 1943
- Landed on Hansa on May 29 with the convoy Hansa No.3

The 36th Field Road Construction Unit
- Departed Ujina on March 20
- Landed on Hansa on May 29 with the convoy Hansa No.3

The 37th Field Road Construction Unit
- Departed Saeki on March 25
- Landed on Hansa in June 27 in the convoy Hansa No.4

The 40th Field Road Construction Unit
- Departed Ujina on March 21
- Landed on Wewak on June 10 with the convoy Wewak No.5

The 44th Field Road Construction Unit
- Departed Pusan on January 1
- Landed on Hansa on March 12 with the convoy Hansa No.1

The 48th Field Road Construction Unit
- Departed Pusan aboard Mayasan Maru on February 4
- Arrved at Palau on March 5
- Departed Palau aboard Indea Mau (5,000-ton) on April 5
- Landed on Hansa on April 12 with the convoy in Hansa No.2

The 1st Company, the 49th Field Road Construction Unit
- Landed on Manila on July 17, 1944

The 51st Field Road Construction Unit
- Departed Shanghai about November 26, 1943
- Arrived at Sarmi on December 28

The 58th Field Road Construction Unit
- Departed Moji in the beginning of July, 1944
- Landed on Manila in the end of July

The 101st Field Road Construction Unit
- Completed the organizaion on September 8, 1944
- Departed Moji on September 16
- Landed on Saigon on October 12
- Departed Saigon on October 29
- Landed on Singapore on November 4
- Departed Singapore on December 5
- Went over the Thai - Burma border on December 12

The 102nd Field Road Construction Unit
- Completed the organization on September 15, 1944
- Departed Moji on September 25
- Landed on Singapore on October 10
- Departed Singapore on November 1
- Went over the Thai - Burma border on November 11

fontessa

[john whitman]

Good morning fontessa:

Thank you for continuing to search for information on field road construction units.

Based on the dates of deployment, the 1st Company, 49th Field Road Construction Unit was in Convoy MOMA-01, 3-15 July 1944.

Because the dates are uncertain with the 58th Field Road Construction Unit, this unit might have sailed with Convoy MOMA-01 or MOMA-02. Ships of MOMA-02 were reorganized at Takao into Convoy TAMA-21C and arrived at Manila on 19 July. The arrival date at Manila at the end of July (Unit Brief Histories) is a problem.

It is interesting to see that the 35th, 36th, 37th, and 40th all departed Ujina/Saeki between 18 and 25 March. It is possible they sailed in the same convoy. But my data on 1943 convoys is bad, and I cannot identify the convoy(s).

Mayasan Maru and the 48th Field Road Construction Company are interesting. Mayasan Maru was an important ship, and she probably carried a lot of men and equipment to Palau. //www.combinedfleet.com gives these movements for Mayasan Maru:

31 January 1943: Departs Moji.

2 February 1943: Arrives at Pusan, probably loads troops.

3 February 1943: Departs Pusan.

5 February 1943: Arrives at Ujina.

7 February 1943: Departs Ujina. Joined by torpedo boat HATO off Saeki and they proceed south [this is a problem in the TROM. Where did Mayasan Maru go? She is back at Saeki before 13 February].

Estimated 8 February 1943: HATO is detached at 29-30N, 132-00E.

13 February 1943: MAYASAN MARU departs Saeki in the "B2" convoy (No. 8 Military Movement) consisting of transport IKOMA and landing craft depot ship TAMATSU MARU escorted by minelayer YURIJIMA and subchaser CH-37. [If this is the 9,589-ton Tamatsu Maru, the TROM is wrong. Tamatsu Maru entered service in February 1944].

E 14 February 1943: The escorts are detached at 28-30N.

22 February 1943: Arrives at Rabaul.

23 February 1943: Departs Rabaul.

8 March 1943: Arrives at Palau and departs that same day.

So the dates you have from Unit Brief Histories for the 48th conflict a little with the Mayasan Maru TROM. As I mentioned, the TROM has some problems.

John