3rd Tank Division (Imperial Japanese Army)

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 3rd Tank Division


caption=Type 95 Ha-Go tank of IJA 8th Armored Regiment, Rabaul
dates= 1942 - 1945
country=Empire of Japan
allegiance=
branch=Imperial Japanese Army
type=Armored division
role=
size=
command_structure=
garrison=Tokyo, Japan
current_commander=
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
notable_commanders=
identification_symbol=
identification_symbol_2=
nickname=滝 = "Taki"
patron=
motto=
colors=
colors_label=
march=
mascot=
battles=Second Sino-Japanese War World War II
anniversaries=
decorations=
battle_honours= command structure
name= Japanese 3rd Tank Division
date=1945
parent=Twelfth Army (Japan)
subordinate=

** 5th Tank Brigade
*** 8th Tank Regiment
**** 1 Light Tank Company
**** 3 Medium Tank Companies
**** 1 Gun Tank Company
*** 12th Tank Regiment
**** 1 Light Tank Company
**** 3 Medium Tank Companies
**** 1 Gun Tank Company
** 6th Tank Brigade
*** 13th Tank Regiment
**** 1 Light Tank Company
**** 3 Medium Tank Companies
**** 1 Gun Tank Company
*** 17th Tank Regiment
**** 1 Light Tank Company
**** 3 Medium Tank Companies
**** 1 Gun Tank Company
* 3rd Tank Division Recon Unit
** 2 Light Tank Companies
** 1 Gun Tank Company
** 1 Motorized Infantry Company
* 3rd Tank Division Mobile Infantry Regiment
* 3rd Tank Division Mobile Artillery Regiment
* 3rd Tank Division Anti-Tank Unit
* 3rd Tank Division Anti-Aircraft Unit
* 3rd Tank Division Engineer Unit

The nihongo|3rd Tank Division|戦車第3師団|Sensha Dai-san Shidan, was one of four armored divisions of the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II

History

The 3rd Tank Division was raised in Mengjiang on June 24 1942 as part of the Japanese Northern China Area Army under the overall aegis of the Mongolia Garrison Army

Initially tasked primarily with border patrol of Manchukuo's western frontier with the Soviet Union, from April 1944, it participated in Operation Ichi-Go in northern China against the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China.

The 3rd Tank Division’s IJA 8th Armored Regiment (formerly based in Mukden) was detached in June 1944, and transferred to the control of the Japanese Eighth Area Army in Rabaul.

The IJA 12th Armored Regiment, formerly based in Taiyuan, was withdrawn to bolster the defenses of Seoul in Korea towards the closing stages of the war and as part of the Japanese Seventeenth Area Army was in combat against the Soviet Red Army’s invasion during Operation August Storm.

The IJA 13th Armored Regiment, normally based in Hankou was withdrawn to Tianjin in 1944, and ended the war in Changsha. The IJA 17th Armored Regiment ended the war in Tianjin.

The 3rd Tank Division was officially demobilized in September 1945 with the rest of the Imperial Japanese Army.

Commanding officer

ee also

* List of Japanese armored divisions

References

*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 = Jowett
first = Bernard
coauthors =
year = 1999
title = The Japanese Army 1931-45 (Volume 2, 1942-45)
publisher = Osprey Publishing
location =
id = ISBN 1841763543
*cite book
last = Madej
first = Victor
coauthors =
year = 1981
title = Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945
publisher = Game Publishing Company
location =
id = ASIN: B000L4CYWW

External links

*cite web
last = Wendel
first = Marcus
url = http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=895
title = Axis History Factbook
work = 3rd Tank Division