Japan guard divison

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K.Kocjancic
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Japan guard divison

#1

Post by K.Kocjancic » 25 Apr 2003, 18:07

Does anybody have any data about this unit? It's manifest, rouster, equipment, weapons, training,...? Wasn't there a ninja in it's ranks; soke Masaaki Hatsumi?

Regards,
Kocjo

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philodraco
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#2

Post by philodraco » 25 Apr 2003, 19:46

Of course no ninja in Japanese guard division. :D


daveh
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#3

Post by daveh » 25 Apr 2003, 21:06

Japanese Guards divisions.

The original Guards division was formed in 1867 with the 1 and 2 Guards Infantry Regiments in the 1 Guards Infantry Brigade and 3 and 4 Guards Infantry Regiments in the guards infantry Brigade.
1920 Guards Cavalry Regiment, Guards Field Artillery Regiment, Guards engineer Battalion, plus servives added.
1937 to 1939 Guards engineer battalion expanded into a regiment as was the Transport battalion.

June 1941 division was re organised. The 1st Guards Infantry Brigade was removed to form the Guard Mixed Brigade.The 2nd Guards Brigade HQ was dropped as was the cavalry regiment. A new Guards regiment was added ( the 5th). This happened in Hainan island.

July 1941 division moved to South Indo China.
December 1941 Thailand, Bangcock, then down the Kra Isthmus into Malaya.

March 1942 moved to Sumatra.

June 1943 the division was re numbered the 2nd Guards division when the 1st Guards division was activated.


Guards Infantry Regiments: 3, 4, 5
Guards recon Regt
2nd Guards Field Artillery regt.
2nd Guards FieldEngineer regt.
Support units.

1st Guards Division

Formed from the Guards Mixed Brigade in June 1943 to which a new Guards regiment (the 6th) was added plus 1 Guards Field Artillery regt., engineer regt and transport regt, support units. Based in Tokyo.

Guards Infantry Regiments: 1, 2, 6.
Guards cavalry Regt
1 Guards Field Artillery regt.
1 Guards FieldEngineer regt.
Support units.

3rd Guards Division

Activated April 1944 in Tokyo area.

Guards Infantry Regiments: 8, 9, 10
3rd Guardscavalry Regt
3rd Guards Field Artillery regt.
3rd Guards Field Engineer regt.
Support units.


Authorized strength

1st and 3rd Guards Division 20350
2nd Guards division 22645

1st Guards division:

Div HQ: 350
Inf Op HQ: 90
3 inf regt each: 3845
cav regt: 950
Field artillery: 2100 with 36 75mm field guns
Engineer regt: 956
Signal unit: 240
Transport regt: 1810
Medical unit: 1110
Support units c 1200


2nd Guards division:

Div HQ: 350
Inf Op HQ: 90
3 inf regt each: 4520
rcn regt: 600
Field artillery: 3100 with 24 75mm field guns, 12 105mm how.
Engineer regt: 956
Signal unit: 240
Transport regt: 1810
Medical unit: 1110
Support units c 1500


3rd Guards division:

Div HQ: 350
Inf Op HQ: 90
3 inf regt each: 3845
cav regt: 950
Field artillery: 2100 with 36 75mm field guns
Engineer regt: 956
Signal unit: 240
Transport regt: 1810
Medical unit: 1110
Support units c 1200


div HQ 350men 160 rifles 1 grenade discharger, 2 lmg, 2 hvy mg, 35 trucks, 60 horses

inf gp HQ 90 men 55 rifles 1 grenade discharger, 1 lmg, 1 hvy mg, 20 horses

3 inf regt each 3845 men 2125 rifles 112 grenade discharger, 108 lmg, 24 hvy mg, 4 37mm AT 6 70mm bn how. 4 75mm inf guns, 700 horses

Field Artillery regt 2100 men20 rifles 4 lmg24 75mm guns, 12 105mm how. 1600 horses

Engineer Regt 956 men 840 rifles 3 lmg10 trucks, 125 horses

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K.Kocjancic
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#4

Post by K.Kocjancic » 25 Apr 2003, 21:36

Of course no ninja in Japanese guard division.
How come, that are you so sure?
Japan has a very long history of ninjas and samurai's, "the way of the warrior".

Daveh,
great piece.

Wasn't there a special elite unit for protecting the Hirohito?

daveh
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#5

Post by daveh » 25 Apr 2003, 23:27

Sorry missed off the source:
Japanese armed forces order of battle ed by V Madej and based on US intelligence reports.
I believe that there is aseries of 3 books by J Underwood on the Japanese Order of Battle published by the Nafziger collection. Although i have not seen them I assume thse are the result of post war research and may provide more details.

Octavianus
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#6

Post by Octavianus » 26 Apr 2003, 00:00

Ave Dave et Kocjo,
I believe that there is aseries of 3 books by J Underwood on the Japanese Order of Battle published by the Nafziger collection.
He, He, yes I was just about to comment that these these excellent information had to originate from Jay Underwood's superb work "Imperial Japanese Order of Battle"! :wink:
Japan has a very long history of ninjas and samurai's, "the way of the warrior".
He, He, He... Kocjo you have watched too many films. There was no "Steven Seagal", "Michael Dudikoff", "Jackie Chen", "Dolph Lundgren" or "Bruce Lee" in the Imperial Japanese Guards Division. :lol: :lol: :lol:

The only distinction, if I recall correctly, was that the soldiers serving in this division aka Emperor's bodyguard division, but with combat duties like this was the case of to you much better known Poglavnik Ante Pavelic whose Bodyguard Corps (Poglavnikova Tjelesni Zbor or PTS) evolved from a "small" bodyguard brigade, originally intended only for personal escort duties of Ante Pavelic in Zagreb, but in 1943/1944 the unit quickly grew into a full scale combat unit! Same is in this case, I believe. The soldiers of Imperial Guards Division, who saw extensive amount of combat in China 1938, French Indochina 1940, Malaya 1941-1942, Dutch East Indies 1941-1942 et cetera, were carefully selected and fit soldiers in addition of being the tallest in the entire Imperial Japanese Army. I believe each soldier had to be tall at least 175 cm...

Gratiam,

Octavianus

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K.Kocjancic
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#7

Post by K.Kocjancic » 26 Apr 2003, 01:16

I read this in one of Slovene marshall-arts magazines "Ninjutsu" about one master of ninja skills (there is only one true ninja left in the world) in Japan army during WWII. But I can't remember in which issue! :oops:

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#8

Post by K.Kocjancic » 26 Apr 2003, 01:22

BTW.
There was no "Steven Seagal", "Michael Dudikoff", "Jackie Chen", "Dolph Lundgren" or "Bruce Lee" in the Imperial Japanese Guards Division.
These are not ninja's.

Ninja or SHINOBI NO MONO means secret warrior, their art is called Ninjutsu (with-in are numerous sub-arts of fighting,...) These so called warriors weren't (aren't) so silent in their fighting.

K-218
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#9

Post by K-218 » 04 Jul 2003, 20:44

Kocjo wrote: These are not ninja's.

Ninja or SHINOBI NO MONO means secret warrior, their art is called Ninjutsu (with-in are numerous sub-arts of fighting,...) These so called warriors weren't (aren't) so silent in their fighting.
Isn't Ninja a sort of assassin? and a Shinobi a spy?? :lol: :lol:

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Andy H
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#10

Post by Andy H » 05 Jul 2003, 12:36

The 1st Guards Division was deployed in the Tokyo area as part of the Tokyo Defence Army in August'45

The 2nd Guards Division was deployed in Sumatra as part of the 25th Army in August'45

The 3rd Guards Division was deployed in Japan as part of the 52nd Army in August'45

Info from P.Jowett' book for the Osprey series.

Andy H

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Marcus
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#11

Post by Marcus » 05 Jul 2003, 14:15

Thanks to daveh & Andy for this interesting info.

/Marcus

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