Japanese Fifteenth Area Army

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= Japanese Fifteenth Area Army


caption=
dates= 1945-02-01 - 1945-08-15
country= Empire of Japan
allegiance=
branch= Imperial Japanese Army
type= Infantry
role= Field Army
garrison= Osaka
nickname= 楠 (Kusu = “camphor”)
battles=Operation Downfallcommand structure
name= Japanese Fifteenth Area Army
date=1945
parent= Japanese Second General Army
subordinate=

* Japanese 55th Army (Kochi)
* Japanese 59th Army (Hiroshima)
* 114th Infantry Division (Wakayama)
* 225th Infantry Division (Himeji)
* IJA 121st Independent Mixed Brigade ( Gobō)
* IJA 3rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade (Osaka) The nihongo| Japanese Fifteenth Area Army|第15方面軍|Dai jyūgo hōmen gun was a field army of the Imperial Japanese Army during the closing stages of World War II. [Madej, Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945 ]

History

The Japanese 15th Area Army was formed on 1945-02-01 under the General Defense Command as part of the last desperate defense effort by the Empire of Japan to deter possible landings of Allied forces in central Honshū during Operation Downfall (or nihongo|Operation Ketsugō|決号作戦|Ketsugō sakusen in Japanese terminology). It was transferred to the newly formed Japanese Second General Army on 1945-04-08. The Japanese 15th Area Army was responsible for the Kansai and Chugoku regions of Honshū and the island of Shikoku. It was headquartered in Osaka. The 15th Area Army leadership also held equivalent posts in the Central District Army, and had the honor of receiving their appointments personally from Emperor Hirohito rather than the Imperial General Headquarters.

The 15th Area Army consisted mostly of poorly-trained reservists, conscripted students and home guard militia. In addition, the Japanese had organized the Patriotic Citizens Fighting Corps — which included all healthy men aged 15–60 and women 17–40 — to perform combat support, and ultimately combat jobs. Weapons, training, and uniforms were generally lacking: some men were armed with nothing better than muzzle-loading muskets, longbows, or bamboo spears; nevertheless, they were expected to make do with what they had. [Frank, "Downfall", p. 188–9. Bauer and Coox, "OLYMPIC VS KETSU-GO".]

The 15th Area Army was demobilized at the surrender of Japan on 15 August 1945 without having seen combat.

List of Commanders

Commanding officer

Chief of Staff

References

Books

*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 = 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
*cite book
last = Marston
first = Daniel
coauthors =
year = 2005
title = The Pacific War Companion: From Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima
publisher = Osprey Publishing
location =
id = ISBN 1841768820
*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

External links

*cite web
last = Wendel
first = Marcus
url = http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=6749
title = Axis History Factbook
work = Japanese Fifteenth Area Army

Notes