IJA divisions: an overview

[Akira Takizawa]

> I don't understand it why motor type division 's medical units were equipped with 88 horses instead of motor, but all units were motorized already.

I don't know what source Lee used for it, but according to my source, medical unit had 31 motorcars.
Note that motorized divisions had no horse basically.

> I would like to ask 18th division, if this division was authorized to have any motor vehicles in late 1941, I see her 1937 TOE, she only had 5,493 horses. Any truck or car for her in 1941 ?

18th division was not motorized division. When it landed on Malaya, it had only less than 100 motorcars.

Taki

[Kelvin]

Hi, Taki, I see 32-41 divisions were authorized to have 89 Toyota trucks at all. But if like A type division like Nagoya 3rd Division with 8,177 horses, would be more than that number ?

I see Leland Ness book mentions the TOE of motor division but based upon 3 regiments with infantry group. Infantry group had 15 trucks and 7 cars but if on 4-regiments 5th Division which had two Brigades HQ, how many trucks and cars they had ? Do you have some in your data base in this ?

[Akira Takizawa]

> I see 32-41 divisions were authorized to have 89 Toyota trucks at all. But if like A type division like Nagoya 3rd Division with 8,177 horses, would be more than that number ?

I don't know. But, I don't think it was so better than that.

> I see Leland Ness book mentions the TOE of motor division but based upon 3 regiments with infantry group. Infantry group had 15 trucks and 7 cars but if on 4-regiments 5th Division which had two Brigades HQ, how many trucks and cars they had ?

Brigades HQ had 5 motorcars.

Taki

[Kelvin]

> I see 32-41 divisions were authorized to have 89 Toyota trucks at all. But if like A type division like Nagoya 3rd Division with 8,177 horses, would be more than that number ?

I don't know. But, I don't think it was so better than that.

> I see Leland Ness book mentions the TOE of motor division but based upon 3 regiments with infantry group. Infantry group had 15 trucks and 7 cars but if on 4-regiments 5th Division which had two Brigades HQ, how many trucks and cars they had ?

Brigades HQ had 5 motorcars.

Taki

Hello, thank for your information, apart from five cars, no truck in Brigade HQ ?

From a book battle for China, mentions 37th division was authorized to have 89 Toyata cars and 2,400 horses but actual depolyment were no cars, only horses. But I think the divisions of 11th Army were better shape than troops in northern China.

[Akira Takizawa]

> Hello, thank for your information, apart from five cars, no truck in Brigade HQ ?

Motorcar includes truck. But, it is unknown whether there was any truck in Brigade HQ or not.

Taki

[tom!]

Hi.

Which divisions were actually organised as square divisions during their active times? My sources are giving different numbers.

The numbers given mostly are 22 with the 1st to 20th, 110th and 116th being square divisions, of which 5th and 18th were motorised. Is this correct?

From this thread I learned that when they were reformed to triangular divisions 15 regiments of these square divisions were used to form 5 new divisions (23,24,25,28,29). What happened to the other (up to) 7 surplus regiments?

Yours

tom!

[Ifor]

Sorry drift to slightly off the subject, would someone be able tell me which divisions were considered elite please?

[wdgysin]

tom!;

Here are the regiments lost after triangularization and where they went;

Regular Divisions
1st Div lost 3rd Inf Rgt to 28th Div Aug40
2nd Div lost 30th Inf Rgt to 28th Div Aug40
3rd Div lost 18th Inf Rgt to 29th Div Jul42
4th Div lost 70th Inf Rgt to 25th Div Aug40
5th Div lost 41st Inf Rgt to Kawamura Det* Mar42
6th Div lost 47th Inf Rgt to 48th Div Nov40
7th Div lost 25th Inf Rgt to Karafuto Mxd Bde Jul41
8th Div lost 32nd Inf Rgt to 24th Div Oct39
9th Div lost 36th Inf Rgt to 28th Div Jul40
10th Div lost 40th Inf Rgt to 25th Div Jul40
11th Div lost 22nd Inf Rgt to 24th Div Oct39
12th Div lost 14th Inf Rgt to 25th Div Jul41
13th Div lost 58th Inf Rgt to 31st Div Dec42
14th Div lost 50th Inf Rgt to 29th Div Apr41
16th Div lost 38th Inf Rgt to 29th Div Apr41
18th Div lost 124th Inf Rgt to Kawaguchi Det** Nov41
19th Div lost 74th Inf Rgt to 30th Div May43
20th Div lost 77th Inf Rgt to 30th Div Sep43

Reservist Divisions
104th Div lost 170th Inf Rgt to 21st IMB Jan41
110th Div lost 140th Inf Rgt to 71st Div May42
116th Div lost 138th Inf Rgt to 31st Div Mar43

* 41st Inf Rgt with the 9th Inf Bde HQ (and other division units) was formed into the Kawamura Detachment and operated separately
from the Division in the southern Philippines.
** 124th Inf Rgt with the 35th Inf Bde HQ (and other division units) was formed into the Kawaguchi Detachment and operated separately
from the Division in the Dutch East Indies.

You can see in the above list that some of the divisions weren't triangularized until 1943; it seems to have been an ongoing process
that was instituted when it was convenient as the original orders to adopt the triangular structure for the divisions were started in the
mid 1930's! It is also evident that some of the activating divisions took a while to form, since some of the regiments were still in
active theaters and could not be released right away.

Five other Reservist Divisions were brought back from China in late 1939 and their HQ were deactivated. These were 101st, 106th,
108th, 109th, and 114th Divisions; each was a square division with 4 Infantry Regiments. The Infantry Regiments were assigned to new
Independent Infantry Group HQ (61st-67th). These functioned as holding and training formations until used as the basis for forming new
divisions later.

Sources: Rikugun Vol I by Leland Ness, Japanese Wikipedia

[wdgysin]

Ifor;
The Regular Divisions, Imperial Guards, 1st-12th, 14th, 16th, 19th & 20th were all pre 2nd Sino-Japanese War Divisions and were con-
sidered better than the war formed divisions. The 1st, 2nd, 5th & 6th Divisions were considered some of the finest troops in the army.
Of the above, there were exceptions however, as the 4th Division was not considered very good and the Imperial Guards Division was
considered the best but made a poor showing in the Malaya Campaign. Usually, the lower the division number, the better the troops
were as the regular divisions were kept up better than the reservist and wartime ones.

[Kelvin]

Sorry drift to slightly off the subject, would someone be able tell me which divisions were considered elite please?

Units from Kyushu Island were considered the elite units, there are many samurai in this island before Meiji Modernization and tough geograhphical location produced warriors. 6th Infantry division was one of this. One of three Japanese motor division : 48th Infantry division mainly recruited from Kyushu and one of its infantry regiment directly from 6th Infantry division. Another division also from Kyushu is 18th infantry division which was good at jungle warfare and its origin I heard many different sources, one is orphan raised by Royal and another say is coal miners from Kyushu coal mines.

Another one is 5th Division from Hiroshima and Yamachugi area, those areas is under control of Choshu clan who help bring the Meiji Restoration and conmitant reform and this clan was mainly controlled the Army development and also considered a home of Samurai.

Another division was 23rd Division which was most lavishly equipped division in the whole of Japan. She have much more antitank weapon than other divisions, three times in ATR and AT gun and Infantry guns in comparision with other divisions, she had fully motorized Artillery regiment with three battalions of Type 90 75mm long barrelled guns for direct fire support and antitank work and most modern Type 96 150mm heavy howitzer battalion. She had fully motorized transport battalion with six truck companies. Two tankettes companies in Reconn Regiment.

[Ifor]

Thank you very much. Sorry for the late submission
Ifor

[Kelvin]

Hello, Taki, I would like to know exactly Japanese 33rd infantry division was recruited from Sendai area (2nd division area ) or 14th division area ? I see some say it HQ is Sendai but I see its infantry Regiments were came from Miko, Takasaki and Utsunoyima, obviously 14th division recruitment area.

[Akira Takizawa]

33rd Division HQ and support units like artillery regiment, engineer regiment homed at Sendai. But, infantry regiments homed at 14th division recruitment area.

33rd Division was a makeshift division during the Sino-Japanese War. So, it would be such an irregular composition.

Taki

[Kelvin]

33rd Division HQ and support units like artillery regiment, engineer regiment homed at Sendai. But, infantry regiments homed at 14th division recruitment area.

33rd Division was a makeshift division during the Sino-Japanese War. So, it would be such an irregular composition.

Taki

Hi, Taki, thank for your answer. the Situation in 33rd division also applied to those divisions from 32-41 ? All These divisons were organized for China garrison. Or all are organized in regular form.

And did 41st division were completely recruited from 14th division area ? As I see its infantry Regiments were recruited from Gunma, Tochigi and Ibaraki prefectures, obviously 14th divisional area.

[Akira Takizawa]

> the Situation in 33rd division also applied to those divisions from 32-41 ? All These divisons were organized for China garrison. Or all are organized in regular form.

35th Division was also irregular composition. It was formed at Asahikawa, but its infantry regiments came from Kanto. Other divisions were in regular form.

> And did 41st division were completely recruited from 14th division area ? As I see its infantry Regiments were recruited from Gunma, Tochigi and Ibaraki prefectures, obviously 14th divisional area.

41st Division was formed in Korea, but its infantry regiments and other units came from Japan. So, it was completely recruited from 14th divisional area.

Taki