General Defense Command

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= General Defense Command
image
caption=
dates= 1941-07-05 - 1945-04-08
country= Empire of Japan
allegiance=
branch= Imperial Japanese Army
type= Infantry
role= Army Group
garrison=Tokyo
nickname=
battles=The nihongo|General Defense Command|防衛総司令部|Bōei Soshireibu" was a headquarters organization equivalent to an army group within the Imperial Japanese Army established to control all land and air units stationed within Japan proper, Korea and Taiwan during the Pacific War.

History

The General Defense Command was established on 1941-07-05 under the direct command of the Emperor via the Imperial General Headquarters. For administrative, recruiting and accounting purposes, Japan was divided into six army districts, each with a garrison force equivalent to an army corps:

* Eastern District Army - HQ in Tokyo and responsible for the Kantō region and northern Honshū
*Western District Army - HQ in Fukuoka and responsible for southwestern Honshū, Shikoku and the Ryukyu Islands.
*Northern District Army - HQ in Sapporo and responsible for Hokkaidō and Karafuto.
*Central District Army - HQ in Osaka and responsible for central Honshū.
*Chosen Army - HQ in Keijo and responsible for Korea
*Taiwan Army - HQ in Taihoku and responsible for Taiwan.

The General Defense Command was also responsible for anti-aircraft defenses, and for organizing civil defense training.

On 1945-04-08, in preparation for Operation Downfall (or nihongo|Operation Ketsugō|決号作戦|Ketsugō sakusen in Japanese terminology), the General Defense Command was dissolved, and its duties assumed by the new First General Army and Second General Army.

List of Commanders

Commanding officer

=Chief of Staff=

ee also

*Armies of the Imperial Japanese Army

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=6754
title = Axis History Factbook
work = General Defense Command