The much travelled Japanese 2nd(Sendai) Division

[Peter H]

Eric Hammel's Munda Trail mentions that the mauled Japanese 2nd Division,after Guadalcanal,was transferred to the Philippines "to recuperate".

Does anyone have details of this Division's service in WW2?

From what I gather--Java 1942,Guadalcanal 1942,Philippines 1943,Burma 1944,Indochina 1945,Burma 1945.

Thanks,
Peter

[VJK]

Hi Peter!

This is what I have for the 2nd Division:

2nd Division:
Formed 14 May 1888 in Sendai.

Assigned to Kwantung Army: 10 February 1937: China
Assigned to 3rd Army: 21 July 1938:China
Assigned to Eastern Army: 27 September 1940:Japan
Assigned to 16th Army: 6 November 1941: Java
Assigned to 17th Army: August 1942: Solomon Islands
Assigned to 28th Army: January 1944: South Burma
Assigned to 38th Army: February 1945: Indochina

Regards,

VJK

[Peter H]

Hi VJK,

Thanks.

The 2nd Division at Guadalcanal consisted of:

4th Inf Regiment
16th Inf Regiment
29th Inf Regiment
2nd Field Artl Regiment
2nd Engineer Regiment

One source I have suggests it fielded only 8,400 men on Guadalcanal,so it must have been operating with the barest support service.

Hammel also mentions that a Mixed Brigade evacuated from Guadalcanal was also shipped to Burma--I take this was the 35th Mixed Brigade(18th Division?).

I'm hesitant to suggest that these Guadalcanal formations were in any good shape after the battle.With around 25,000 Japanese dead in the campaign(14,800 killed in battle,9,000 dead from disease) and only 13,000 Japanese evacuated,the Sendai Division might have been down to only 2-3,000 effectives,most sick.

Regards,
Peter

[Larry D.]

Peter -

FWIW, Richard B. Frank's magnum opis Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle (New York: Penguin Books, 1990) has 30 to 35 pages just on this one division, virtually all of which comes from Senshi Sosho, so it's good, solid stuff. It might be worth a read.

--Larry

[asiaticus]

2nd Division was with 3rd Army in Manchukuo not China. 3rd Army was facing the southern half of the border of the Maritime province of the Soviet Union from Korea northward. 4th Army held the northern half.

The Katayama Detachment from 2nd Division (consiting of 15th Inf. Brigade of 16th and 30th Inf. Regiment, and a feild artillery battalion) fought small actions near Akiyama heights, or Heights 997on 6th-10th of September 1939. 2nd Divison (and the 4th Divison) was attached to 6th Army in the Nomonhan/Khalkhin Gol Campaign as reinforcement for a projected counterattack that was canceled when a cease fire was signed.