Volunteer Fighting Corps

nihongo|Volunteer Fighting Corps|国民義勇隊|Kokumin Giyūtai were armed civil defense units created in 1945 in the Empire of Japan as a last desperate measure to defend the Japanese home islands against the projected Allied invasion during Operation Downfall ("Ketsugo Sakusen") in the final stages of World War II. They were the Japanese equivalent of the German "Volkssturm".cite book | last = Hasegawa | first = Tsuyoshi | title = The end of the Pacific war: Reappraisals | publisher = Stanford University Press | date = 2007 | pages = 75-77 | url = http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=XjW49VTRhxQC&pg=PA76&dq=%22volunteer+fighting+corps%22&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=00T4l5AHWDKtV-NPxfOO1kTfrTU#PPA76,M1 | isbn = 0804754276] Its Commander-in-Chief was former Prime Minister General Koiso Kuniaki.cite book | last = Shillony | first = Ben-Ami | title = Politics and Culture in Wartime Japan | publisher = Oxford University Press | date = 1981 | location = | pages = 82-83 | url = http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=PN1VOByJjE8C&pg=PA82&dq=%22people%27s+volunteer+fighting+corps%22&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=S_kb4pZsC4faVPeDP11liWaNE0E#PPA82,M1 | isbn = 0198202601]

History

In March 1945, the cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Kuniaki Koiso passed a law establishing the creation of a armed civilian militia to supplement the Imperial Japanese Army in the final defense of the Japanese homeland. With the assistance of the "Taisei Yokusankai" political party, the "tonarigumi" and Great Japan Youth Party, units were created by June 1945. Commanders were appointed from retired military personnel and civilians with weapons experience, and training sessions were held for all male civilians between the ages of 15 to 60 years, and unmarried females of 17 to 40 years. In addition to weapons training, the militia received training on fire fighting techniques, elementary first aid, and was also assigned to tasks associated with food production and rationing.

The "Kokumin Giyūtai" was intended as main reserve along with a "second defense line" for Japanese forces to sustain a war of attrition against invading forces, and to form resistance or guerilla warfare cells in cities, towns or mountains. Although some 2,800,000 men and women were considered “combat capable” by the end of June 1945 [Japanese wikipedia] the lack of modern weaponry and ammunition meant that most were armed with swords or even bamboo spears.

Within Japan proper, the "Kokumin Giyūtai" were never used in combat (the Battle of Okinawa occurred before its formal inception). However, the similar units organized in Japanese exterior provinces were used in battle. The units in Chosen, Kwantung Leased Territory and Manchukuo sustained heavy casualties in combat against the Soviet Union during Operation August Storm during the last days of World War II. [Frank, Downfall, the End of the Japanese Empire]

The "Kokumin Giyūtai" was abolished by order of the American occupation forces after the surrender of Japan.

Equipment

The "Kokumin Giyutai" units were theoretically armed with weapons including:

*Type 94 8 mm Pistol
*Type 38 rifle
*Type 44 Cavalry Rifle
*Type 1 Heavy Machine Gun
*Type 5 Anti-aircraft gun
*Type 4 20 cm Rocket Launcher
*Type 10 Grenade Discharger
*Type 89 Grenade Discharger
*Ceramic hand grenades
* "Lunge AT Mine" (anti-tank Mine on Bamboo Pole)

In actuality, mostly only much less sophisticated arms were available:
*"Molotov Cocktails"
*Simple bamboo or wood spears
*Swords, bayonets, knives
*Antiquated firearms

References

*cite book
last = Drea
first = Edward J.
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 1998
chapter = Japanese Preparations for the Defense of the Homeland & Intelligence Forecasting for the Invasion of Japan
title = In the Service of the Emperor: Essays on the Imperial Japanese Army
publisher = University of Nebraska Press
location =
id = ISBN 0-8032-1708-0
*cite book
last = Frank
first = Richard B
coauthors =
year = 1999
title = Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire
publisher = Random House
location = New York
id = ISBN 0-679-41424-X
*cite book
last = Skates
first = John Ray
coauthors =
year = 1994
title = The Invasion of Japan: Alternative to the Bomb Downfall
publisher = University of South Carolina Press
location = New York
id = ISBN 0-87249-972-3

Notes