fontessa wrote:I would like to introduce a JACAR document. Pages 5 and 6 of JACAR C14010674000 show the table of soldier’s specialty for type “C” infantry regiment.
Small correction - that table gives specialty types not for all soldiers, but for infantrymen (both line service and horse conductors). For example, for rifle company also had 4 medics.
As a whole, IJA TO&E consists of three different documents (unless I'm mistaken and there are more of them, of course). In case of type "C" infantry regiment they are:
C14010672300 (pp. 5-6) - gives overall number of men and horses in the unit, ranks and appointments of officers and NCO, number of specialists;
C14010674000 (pp. 5-6) - gives breakdown of specialities among "line" soldiers; <
My theory is, that it was introduced later on, as those "line soldiers" become more and more specialized.
C14010674200 (can't find exact page) - gives breakdown of armament and equipment.
My reconstruction is based on all three, plus other sources.
hisashi wrote:As fontessa explained, JACAR C14010674000 shows smiths, tailors, shoemakers and stretcher bearers 'shall be concurrently assigned', so they served as ranks in any position of the company. For example, those who finished stretcher bearer course in the company in reserve for battalion were sometimes gathered by the battalion leader at the disposal of battalion surgeon, to gather wounded soldiers to him and take heavily wounded ones rearward, where regimental/divisional medical staffs were working.
Of course. I've tried to recreate only typical (from my point of view) organization. In real live losses and shortages of personnel will lead for some inevitable changes.
Some assumptions are pretty straightforward. For example, 33 grenade discharger-men include 6 chemical defence soldiers = 2 per GD squad.
Some are less so straightforward - but I doubt, for example, that tailors or shoemakers were assigned to rifle squads with their menial labour, while having a lot of clothes/shoes repairs to do.
And, of course, Soviet intel data on IJA infantry company (which, BTW, corresponds to a man with 1944 US estimates of standard infantry company) was a great help too. Details of organization are different, but general organizational guidelines can be established with the help of this document.
fontessa wrote:China Expeditionary Army classified their divisions into 3 categories by the mission when war with the Soviet Union broke out.
- 甲師団 category “A” division: thrown into the battle with Soviet Union as primary force
- 乙師団 category “B” division: thrown as secondary force or used as mobile force in China
- 丙師団 category “C” division: used as security force
Many type “C” divisions were assigned as categories “A” and “B” divisions.
I see. So being type “C” division doesn't automatically mean, that division will be used only on security duty?
fontessa wrote:But I think 21 ranks were broken down as follows.
- 10 瓦斯手 (Gas men ?)
- 4 喇叭手 Buglers
- 7 伝令 Runners
It's possible. But I have doubts about it, because:
1. Soviet 1938 intel document says, that each rifle squad had 1 chemical defence soldier, while each GD squad had 2. In 1944 TO&E there are 2 chemical defence soldiers for each GD squad - so each rifle squad had to have 1 chemical defence soldier too.
2. I doubt, that tailors or shoemakers were assigned to rifle squads with their menial labour, while having a lot of clothes/shoes repairs to do.
