IJN Special Naval Landing Forces

Discussions on all aspects of the Japanese Empire, from the capture of Taiwan until the end of the Second World War.
User avatar
Wellgunde
Member
Posts: 1050
Joined: 24 Feb 2013, 09:02
Location: Poway, CA, USA

IJN Special Naval Landing Forces

#1

Post by Wellgunde » 02 Feb 2016, 05:23

Special Naval Landing Forces (Tokubetsu Rikusentai)
The following is a list of SNLF units known to US intelligence through September 1945 based on Ultra reporting.
----------------------------------
Key: unit-location/comments
Chinkai 1st-Chinkai Area
Chinkai 2nd-Chinkai Area
Kure 1st –Destroyed Timor?
Kure 2nd –Destroyed?
Kure 3rd –Destroyed Solomons? New Guinea?
Kure 4th-Unlocated mandates?
Kure 5th new guinea destroyed?
Kure 6th -became 88th Guard Force
Kure 7th-Buin
Kure 8th -Became either 14th Guard Unit or 14th Base Force
Kure 11th-Kure Area
Kure 12th-Kure Area
Kure 13th-Kure Area
Kure 101st-Tateyama
Maizuru 1st-Hainan
Maizuru 2nd –Destroyed New Guinea?
Maizuru 3rd -inactivated?
Maizuru 4th –Destroyed ?
Maizuru 5th-Maizuru Area
Maizuru 6th-Maizuru Area
Ominato 1st-Ominato Area
Ominato 2nd-Ominato Area
Ominato 3rd-Ominato Area
Sasebo 1st –Destroyed Philippines?
Sasebo 2nd –Destroyed Mandates?
Sasebo 3rd -Unlocarted?
Sasebo 4th- Unlocated
Sasebo 5th –Destroyed New Guinea?
Sasebo 6th-Buin
Sasebo 7th -DestroyedTarawa
Sasebo 8th-Hainan
Sasebo 11th-Sasebo Area
Sasebo 12th-Sasebo Area
Sasebo 13th-Sasebo Area
Sasebo 14th-Sasebo Area
Sasebo 101st-Truk
Sasebo 102nd- Tateyama
Shanghai-Shanghai
Yokosuka 1st -Destroyed Saipan
Yokosuka 2nd-Nauru
Yokosuka 3rd -Destroyed Rabaul?
Yokosuka 4th-Hainan
Yokosuka 5th -Destroyed New Guinea? New Britain?
Yokosuka 6th -Destroyed Gilberts?
Yokosuka 7th -Became 89th guard unit
Yokosuka 8th-Unlocated
Waihaiwei-Waihaiwei
Sasebo 1st Combined-Kyushu
Sasebo 2nd Combined-Kyushu
Sasebo 3rd Combined-Kyushu
Chinkai Combined-Chinkai
Kure Combined-Kure
Maizuru Combined-Maizuru
Ominato Combined-Ominato
Sasebo 1st Composite-Kyushu
Sasebo 2nd Composite-Kyushu
----------------------------------------------
I would appreciate it if anyone can shed light on the entries with questions marks. Also, the names, if known, of any final commanding officers. Finally, did any of these units have an armored component/
γνώθι σαυτόν

User avatar
Akira Takizawa
Member
Posts: 3348
Joined: 26 Feb 2006, 18:37
Location: Japan
Contact:

Re: IJN Special Naval Landing Forces

#2

Post by Akira Takizawa » 02 Feb 2016, 06:34

I advise you to refer to the following book. Many answers are written in it.
http://amzn.com/1909982008

As for commander names, there is no good source and they are only known fragmentally. And in many cases, only first commanders are known and the last commanders are unknown.

Taki


User avatar
Wellgunde
Member
Posts: 1050
Joined: 24 Feb 2013, 09:02
Location: Poway, CA, USA

Re: IJN Special Naval Landing Forces

#3

Post by Wellgunde » 02 Feb 2016, 07:45

Thank you, Taki. I had completely forgotten about this exceptional book on Japanese unit organization which I very highly recommend to anyone interested in the subject. Also, of note is CINCPAC-CINCPOA Special Translation No. 10, Data on Special Naval Landing Forces, dated 9 December 1944 (provides data on only a representative sample of SNLF units).
γνώθι σαυτόν

User avatar
ijnfleetadmiral
Member
Posts: 3186
Joined: 19 Feb 2012, 20:37
Location: Corinth, MS
Contact:

Re: IJN Special Naval Landing Forces

#4

Post by ijnfleetadmiral » 02 Feb 2016, 08:28

I have a listing of SNLF units for the entire war, but it is far from complete.
MSG, MS State Guard (Ret.) - First Always!

User avatar
Wellgunde
Member
Posts: 1050
Joined: 24 Feb 2013, 09:02
Location: Poway, CA, USA

Re: IJN Special Naval Landing Forces

#5

Post by Wellgunde » 02 Feb 2016, 13:33

ijnfleetadmiral wrote:I have a listing of SNLF units for the entire war, but it is far from complete.
Does your list have any units not on mine? Do you have any CO's besides those given us by Fontessa last year? TIA
γνώθι σαυτόν

shidan
Member
Posts: 376
Joined: 11 Aug 2010, 01:19
Location: North Macedonia

Re: IJN Special Naval Landing Forces

#6

Post by shidan » 03 Feb 2016, 05:40

6th Yokosuka SNLF became 3rd Special Base Force (Feb. 15, 1943). Correct, destroyed in Gilberts (divided between Tarawa and Makin). Also, there was a tank detachment for the 3rd SBF on Makin.

I also have a small amount of information about two named SNLF shipboard units that took part in Davao landings:
Amatsukaze SNLF
Bandasan SNLF
(source: Underwood; Japanese OOB in WWII, Vol. 1, page 122)

Tom

User avatar
Wellgunde
Member
Posts: 1050
Joined: 24 Feb 2013, 09:02
Location: Poway, CA, USA

Re: IJN Special Naval Landing Forces

#7

Post by Wellgunde » 03 Feb 2016, 15:32

Shidan, Thank you very much.
γνώθι σαυτόν

Eugen Pinak
Member
Posts: 1234
Joined: 16 Jun 2004, 17:09
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine
Contact:

Re: IJN Special Naval Landing Forces

#8

Post by Eugen Pinak » 04 Feb 2016, 11:56

Courtesy of good doctor Leo Niehorster:
Hankow SNLF,
Yangtze SNLF,
Ikaiei SNLF-??? (Hainan)
I also have a small amount of information about two named SNLF shipboard units that took part in Davao landings:
Amatsukaze SNLF
Bandasan SNLF
Those are not SNLF Wellgunde was looking for - those are ships' landing detachments, that were formed ad hoc from the ship crew.
Also I have doubt about existence of Bandasan SNLF - never heard about IJN warship with such a name.

Berend
Member
Posts: 112
Joined: 21 Dec 2015, 16:41
Location: The Netherlands

Re: IJN Special Naval Landing Forces

#9

Post by Berend » 04 Feb 2016, 13:50

The Bandasan SNLF was composed of crew members from light cruiser JINTSU and destroyer KUROSHIO.

Regards

Berend

Eugen Pinak
Member
Posts: 1234
Joined: 16 Jun 2004, 17:09
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine
Contact:

Re: IJN Special Naval Landing Forces

#10

Post by Eugen Pinak » 04 Feb 2016, 14:05

Berend wrote:The Bandasan SNLF was composed of crew members from light cruiser JINTSU and destroyer KUROSHIO.
Not possible.
1. Ship NLF had no "special" in their titles.
2. NLF from "Jintsu" and "Kuroshio" were named "Jintsu NLF" and "Kuroshio NLF" respectively.

User avatar
Akira Takizawa
Member
Posts: 3348
Joined: 26 Feb 2006, 18:37
Location: Japan
Contact:

Re: IJN Special Naval Landing Forces

#11

Post by Akira Takizawa » 04 Feb 2016, 17:19

Eugen Pinak wrote:Yangtze SNLF
It is not SNLF, but Special Base Force.
Eugen Pinak wrote:Ikaiei SNLF-??? (Hainan)
Ikaiei is 威海衛(Weihaiwei) on Shandong Peninsula. But, I have never heard of such a SNLF.


Taki

User avatar
Wellgunde
Member
Posts: 1050
Joined: 24 Feb 2013, 09:02
Location: Poway, CA, USA

Re: IJN Special Naval Landing Forces

#12

Post by Wellgunde » 04 Feb 2016, 21:11

Akira Takizawa wrote:Ikaiei is 威海衛(Weihaiwei) on Shandong Peninsula. But, I have never heard of such a SNLF.
Taki
The Weihaiwei SNLF was identified from decoded radio traffic by CINCPAC. The last known mention was April 1945. On the other hand, I have not been able to find a mention of this SNLF in either nairei, nairei teiyou, or the Navy postal administrative handbook.
Last edited by Wellgunde on 04 Feb 2016, 21:18, edited 1 time in total.
γνώθι σαυτόν

User avatar
Wellgunde
Member
Posts: 1050
Joined: 24 Feb 2013, 09:02
Location: Poway, CA, USA

Re: IJN Special Naval Landing Forces

#13

Post by Wellgunde » 04 Feb 2016, 21:16

Eugen Pinak wrote:Courtesy of good doctor Leo Niehorster:
Hankow SNLF,
Yangtze SNLF,
Ikaiei SNLF-??? (Hainan)
Thanks, Eugen
γνώθι σαυτόν

User avatar
Wellgunde
Member
Posts: 1050
Joined: 24 Feb 2013, 09:02
Location: Poway, CA, USA

Re: IJN Special Naval Landing Forces

#14

Post by Wellgunde » 05 Feb 2016, 05:51

I have looked through Senshi Sosho and some other resources and cannot find any mention of either a Hankow SNLF or a Yangtze SNLF. Shanghai is located at the mouth of the Yangtze. It is possible that someone has mistakenly referred to the Shanghai SNLF as the Yangtze SNLF. Hankow is upstream of Shanghai. A small landing force from local ships was dropped off there in 1936. The SNFL designation may be the result of confusion between an LF and an SNLF. A small base force was established at Hankow much later possibly structured around a guard unit (keibitai). Guard units have on occasion been confused with some SNLF units.
γνώθι σαυτόν

User avatar
Akira Takizawa
Member
Posts: 3348
Joined: 26 Feb 2006, 18:37
Location: Japan
Contact:

Re: IJN Special Naval Landing Forces

#15

Post by Akira Takizawa » 05 Feb 2016, 06:12

Hankow SNLF(漢口特別陸戦隊) is the detachment of Shanghai SNLF. See the following document at JACAR. Hankow SNLF lasted until the war ended.
C05022391100

Taki

Post Reply

Return to “Japan at War 1895-1945”