The Japanese landing force Midway?

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Petterson
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The Japanese landing force Midway?

#1

Post by Petterson » 27 Dec 2006, 09:50

This massage is about the Japanese landing plans on Midway islands in 1942. How many landing troops the Japanese were going to sent invade to the islands? What sort of Japanese landing unit was earmarked? Was it a regiment or a whole division?

ChristopherPerrien
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#2

Post by ChristopherPerrien » 27 Dec 2006, 10:31

The actual landing on Midway was to be accomplished by approximately 1,500 Special Naval Landing Force troops who would storm Sand Island; and by 1,000 Army troops of the Ikki Detachment, to land[16] on Eastern Island. Summarizing the enemy landing plan, Captain Toyama stated:\

We were going to approach the south side (of Midway), sending out landing boats as far as the reef. We had many different kinds of landing boats but did not think that many would be able to pass over the reefs. If they got stuck the personnel were supposed to transfer to rubber landing boats. We had plenty of equipment for a three months' occupation without help, but were not sure of our boats.[17]

Assault elements in the landing would be backed up by the 11th and 12th Construction Battalions plus miscellaneous base-development detachments. "The Navy," added an operation plan for the Ikki Detachment, "plans to destroy the sortieing enemy fleet."[18]
[16] USSBS Interrogation Nav. No. 60, Capt. Toyama, Yasumi, IJN, 1 October 1945, p. 250; hereinafter cited as Toyama. Further details as to the plan and the Ikki Detachment are from "Japanese Land Forces No. 2," 20 October 1942, a translation by JICPOA, hereinafter cited as Ikki Report. The Ikki Detachment mentioned here is the same one which was destined to be annihilated by Marines at the Battle of the Tenaru, 21 August 1942, on Guadalcanal. This unit is sometimes referred to as the Ichiki Detachment because the Japanese characters for "ikki" and "ichiki" are identical.

[17] Ibid.

[18] Ibid.


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Peter H
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#3

Post by Peter H » 27 Dec 2006, 13:47

2nd Combined Landing Force
5th Kure SNLF
5th Yokosuka SNLF
Ichiki Detachment(2/28th Regiment)
11th & 12th Construction Battalions
Survey & Weather Group

Approx 5,000 men---included 1,500 SNLF Marine rifles and 1,000 Army rifles

nota
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#4

Post by nota » 06 Jan 2007, 18:36

that looks to be a small force in view of the fleet size used to move them
does that 5000 include the staff of the base and aircraft support people?
or is that just a first day/wave size? with more to follow?
as a reaction by the USA WAS SURE TO COME IN SHORT ORDER
in the event japan was able to take the island
how many aircraft would have been based there if all went well for japan
and were those to be from the sunk fleet units or were aircraft shiped on supply boats

and how big was the USA defence troop on the island?
was not a number added after the decoded warning?
and total people?
numbers of USA aircraft on the base?

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#5

Post by Carl Schwamberger » 07 Jan 2007, 19:42

Here is a link to the one site I found with any usefull mention of the ground defense. Still not very complete. Basicly the Japanese landing force would have been faced with the naval guns, antiaircraft guns, & HMG of the defense battalions, the infantry component of the defense battalions, the Raider battalion, and any remaining armed crew of the air groups that could not fly out.

http://www.users.bigpond.com/pacificwar ... Index.html

"that looks to be a small force in view of the fleet size used to move them
does that 5000 include the staff of the base and aircraft support people?
or is that just a first day/wave size? with more to follow?
as a reaction by the USA WAS SURE TO COME IN SHORT ORDER
in the event japan was able to take the island"

*I dont know if there were other Japanse formations designated for Miday, other than this 5000. I would guess this was the group for taking Midway & preparing it for a large air wing with many more men.

"how many aircraft would have been based there if all went well for japan
and were those to be from the sunk fleet units or were aircraft shiped on supply boats"

*Aircraft to be based on Midway were to primarily be from other than the aircraft carirrers. By "supply boat" as you wrote. For fighting the US aircraft based on Oahu more than twohundered aricraft would be usefull. Likely more

"and how big was the USA defence troop on the island?"

*Most of two base defense battalions, and a Raider battalion.

"was not a number added after the decoded warning?"

*Yes, the Raider battalion & reinforcements to the defense battalion

"and total people?"

*? Perhaps 1500 combat troops. I cant find a number for the air group crews.

"numbers of USA aircraft on the base?"

*Over two hundred, including reconissance & transport aircraft. There were heavy losses of fighters and bombers. The transports were withdrawn as the Japanese approached.

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Peter H
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#6

Post by Peter H » 09 Jan 2007, 12:26

The 12.4 square km bastion of Midway(land 6.2 square km,water 6.2 square km)..."about 9 times the size of the Washington Mall".

Image


http://www.users.bigpond.com/pacificwar ... tions.html
The man responsible for planning the Japanese amphibious landing on Midway Atoll was Commander Yasumi Toyama. Toyama laboured under a number of serious disadvantages. The only maps of Midway Atoll in his possession were old and likely to be unreliable. Toyama had no aerial photographs of the atoll because the pilots of Marine Fighter Squadron VMF-221 had intercepted and shot down a Japanese four-engined Kawanishi 97 "Mavis" patrol flying boat that had been approaching Midway on 10 March 1942. This Japanese flying boat had come from Wake Island and had been assigned to carry out a photographic reconnaissance of Midway to provide intelligence for the Japanese amphibious assault on Midway in June.

Toyama had no intelligence concerning the defences of Midway and the number of defenders. The Navy planners expected to face about 750 US Marines, and that would have been the pre-war strength of the Midway Detachment, Fleet Marine Force. The Army estimate was more realistic; they expected that the Marine strength would be closer to 2,000. It was anticipated that the Marines might have between 50-60 planes on the atoll.

Toyama planned a simultaneous attack on Sand and Eastern Islands from the southern side of the atoll where the two islands were close to the reef. The Japanese landing force would number about 5,000, and would be spearheaded by two elite assault units - Captain Minoru Ota's 2nd Combined Special Naval Landing Force numbering about one thousand five hundred marines, and the Army's Ichiki Detachment which numbered about two thousand men and was commanded by Colonel Kiyonao Ichiki.

Captain Ota's marines would land on Sand Island, and Colonel Ichiki's troops would land on Eastern Island. Both landings would require flat-bottomed landing boats, and the Japanese Navy had none. Toyama would have to swallow his pride and borrow landing boats from the Japanese Army.

http://www.pacificislandtravel.com/micr ... tory3.html
The actual landing on Midway was to be accomplished by approximately 1,500 Special Naval Landing Force troops who would storm Sand Island; and by 1,000 Army troops of the Ikki Detachment, to land on Eastern Island. Summarizing the enemy landing plan, Captain Toyama stated:

"We were going to approach the south side (of Midway), sending out landing boats as far as the reef. We had many different kinds of landing boats but did not think that many would be able to pass over the reefs. If they got stuck the personnel were supposed to transfer to rubber landing boats. We had plenty of equipment for a three months' occupation without help, but were not sure of our boats."

Assault elements in the landing would be backed up by the 11th and 12th Construction Battalions plus miscellaneous base-development detachments. "The Navy," added an operation plan for the Ikki Detachment, "plans to destroy the sortieing enemy fleet."

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