Osprey battle orders 009 japanese army in world war ii, conquest of the pacific 1941 1942

I Battle Ord Japanese Army in World War I1 Acknowledgements hrrt publqshed m Great hein In 2M)S by Orprry Publashtng.Elmr Caue C b p e l Way h d e y W o r d OX2 qLP Umred Kingdom Em-r~l~nfo@orprQypubllsh~~ corn Special thanks are due ro Akin Takizam,William Howard and Shigeyuki Mimno Q 2005 O s p r PublqshlngLed All nmm e w e d Apan 1- any taw d d n g br Ihe ptrpu! or pmmre nuby m r c h cmlclrm or review ar permaned undrr h a C o ~ n b tDergn and R r e n u ACL 1')88 no part e l ths publicawn may be mprcduced nored In a men1 win or w r r s m m e d bn any farm nr by my means e l m m n c elemtul, chemrul, mechanqcal opucal phowpybnk, rerordtn~or mhem6erw~rhoutIhe prlor wrrrreo pmntsslon of the copynghr uimer.Enqulnec r h e ~ l d bc d d n s ~ a dro the Publlrherr ISBN 8.1 176 789 Edltor~atby 1110sPublirhrnp Oxford UK lw.ilKlspublnhmg.com) D a q n Bounhd corn Royrwn UK Maps by bunlord corn R w o n UK lndcx Allson W o h r n p Ongmaosd by Grurnert Wlptal Imagtn& LLtcd UK Rlmred and beud bl L-Rex Pnntlng Cemplny M A CIP camtag mwd for &IS book IS awmlabk Imm the Bnorh Ubnry FOR A CATACOGUE OF A U BOOKS RlBLRHED BY OSPRFT REASE COWACT NORTH AMERICA Ospw D~lrec247.7 h d Trrper U n l v e n v hrk IC € W E & MA E.rnall ln~o@wp@~ydlrecrwrom ,, , , , , , , , , , Key to military symbols ,xxxx, I x x 1 I *m?y Corps Division Bnpde Regiment Bamlron -* Platoon Secrron Squad Infantry Cavzlry Artillery "r.-x Alrborne Anti-tank Armorlank Atr Force Anti-aircrafi Engineer I n < $ctachment from thr: 56th IJiivitie lrlands in tllr Jlar~hallsconlmericcd air a t t a c h on \Take I ~ l ; ~ n i dt ~D~ccntherX l a t i n ~tIlro~rghthe IL)th.The 4th Flcct attcmptcci a landin!: r)n t l ~ c1 Ith, but was wpulred before 45tl Staizuru 2d SNI.I: t r o o p wsrc dchnrhrd Carrier attacks lasted from llecernlrcr 71 to 23 rvlien 1,000 Maizum 2J 5SL't: t r t l q i r from I;rk.ajalein Inndcd on tile south \ I ~ c ) r ~ sTIIC~ -150 hlarine and A) Xaq rlckndcrs killcd a l ~ n o r t400 of tlic landing fnrce hcforc capi h ~ I a t i n ~ Tlie 4th I,lrct IKIF solely re5pnndl)le for initial opcrationq in thc Gilberts and SoTr)n~ons.'rl~cGilbert I ~ l a n dpart ~ , of the Gilbert and Ellicc Crorcn C o l o ~ ~werc y, Incd tcd only 311) inilcr to the southeact of the japancsc hl;lr\hallc Clthcr than n fcrv coastwatul~cr~ thcrc were no I5riti5t1 military fnrccr in t lie C;illwrtr and no airfields Thelnl)nnere desired the (;illlrrtr to dcti!' the Allies t~asesrrithin ear)' alr range of the Xlarrliall~and trr wrve as an out guard fc~rthe Xiandatc I)n December a cnmpanv of thc 51st ciuarrl 1:nrce 1.51 Kiihiriri! occupiccl \Fakin Irland in Uutartiari Atoll in the northern Gilbeltr :\ small seaplallr t>arc atlrl radio \tation I r a cstablishcd Ik4arines raided thir facility i n \ujiurt 1942 r\.itIi partin! success Slakin and Taralva wcrc strenfllicncd nr n result., PIC same unit thcn landed on Dclio lrlnnif in Tamlcn It011 nn the 10th They rounded up a few Lurcjpcans and departetl hut returnetl on the 24th and collccred seven coarhvatrhcrs Returning on Se~>tcmber 3, 16-12 they picket1 up annther 17 roashvntcherr and five other Eurrqlcan?, who were murdered Tlie I'nlm~uka6th SSLF occupied Tarawn in force at thir, time and placcd a tictachn~enta n Milkin Iapnnese turayF into the SoIolnons did not cornrncnce ilntil rannit? 22, 1942 whcn the IIN bombed T u l a ~ i ,Ihr Solnrnclns' administrative center, as Rabnl~ltsas s e i ~ c d Cln ,ZI;trch 30-3 SKLF troop? occupied Buka Island on t l ~ c north end of Rougainrvilleand Shnrtland Island on the south This arra ~vould serve as an out hward for Rahnul and a rtaging area tor Future operations into t11e s o u t h t m Solomon\ To provide a forrcard rtnaing area to rupport opesatlorl? nn Rpua and future operation5 further tn tlie \ot~tlleart,a detachment of the Kure 33 SSI.!: seized T u l a ~ l ~ dI;at'uttl nn Mas In mid-June tlie lapaucsc began conrtntction of an nirficlti (In Guadatcanal, which was di\co~crc.clby ttic US in earlv July l'hc lunc 4-5 IVattlc of Midrv;ly proved lo be tlie turning point of t hc war with thc losr of threra carrier\ Tllc intended landing fcmc Ira\ thr 7cl Combined Landing Force tllith 1,250 troops from the Yokoruka 5th SNLF and 1,200 troops c ~ fthe lchiki Force 128th I n f a n t y I-],7th Division) plus tilt UN 11th and 12th I:on5tr11ction Units 'The planncrl August operations to sci?c Fiji, Sew Calcdonia, a n d Satnoa were cancdlcd on ~ L I I11, ~ 1942 '1-11e 9.000-m~n Karcagucbi Dctachmcnt rra5 to occupy Fiji, the 5.500-man S o t ~ t h Scar I'lctnchrn~ntw ~ ~ rciztl I d NCWC:rrlcdonia, ;lnd n I ,200-man hnttalic~nnt the : \ h a Dctach~nentwould land on Santna 'l'liesc wvrc hnckcd Iry t h c 1'azarv;i Force ( ~ e c 17th Army helow) In light of thc lllird rtcfcnrc force5 nn thmc islands, thew forces were in ad qua:^ after July I I 1Y-12 4m3n condt~ctedno furtt~cradvancer of ~i~r~ificance New Guinea -1 hc l n p a ~ l c s r1nrpc.l~~enarcrlDutch Sew tiuinca until rlpril 1942 when 5malI Slt'LI.' elcmentr r,icuprcd a ffc~cqitcs 011 ttir north toa.it Airfield5 and barge- s t a ~ i bases n ~ wcrc ectal3lirhcd to support upcratiuns in nortl~castNcrv Guinca A fcw small islands rrff the 9011th and routli~rcrtcoasts wcrr also ocuupicd 'I'he Japanere tvcrc more intrn.%tcd in t hc Huron Ciulf nrca on tI?c north codst of ntjrthca3t \.'err- C;uinen and the island's east end, Pa pua Planning hy the 4th Fleet had bck.y,.unin I.'cl>ruar!* tn Tecute the I-luron Gulf arcn for a~rfields and itr mineral rert)urces On blarcE~ R, 11114-1 Infantry of the South Scnc Detachment landcd nt 5alamntla while the kfaituru Zd SS3.F seized Lea On the l t h an SN1.F clcmenl took F~schhat'en.These units had ~tagec!out of Rabaul 111143 tvas rcllcvrd by the I ,.ears [tor any ncw weapons to bc dcveiopcd nnri produced in quantity Japan could ill-afford clownlime as iactoric5 wcrc retoolcd for new rrcalmrls l'hc tahricntion of existing rvcapnnr was increased, hut production coulrl not kccp tip with t h e dcmandr elf equipping ncw t ~ nt is and rrplncinr: comhat 3ossc5 Recaltqe of ~ r l ~ t l i r~i I~llo r t a g e ~ , much that was avi~ifahler\.d\ ct~mmittcdto aircraft and \hip producfio~l Chronology 1939 February May 25 September 17 September I94 1 April 27 May 26 July November Nwember 27-28 Nwember December December 10 December I December December I b December 10 22 23 24 2': December December December December December Japan occupier Hainan lsland off the South China coast Japan inlr~atesa long-running offensive against Soviet fortes on che Manchuria-Siberia border, but Is defeared in September Due to reverses in China,]apan rnobllites 1,000,000 men The US enacts export control law restricting the supply o f fuel and other war materials to Japan Japan pressurizes the government of Indochina co accept Japanese occupation after the tall of France Japanese forces occupy Hanoi in Indochina Japan forms the Tripart~teMilitary Alliance with Germany and Italy The JapanesctSovier Non-Aggression Pact is concluded, The US President declares a smte of "full emergency," authoriz~ngarmed forces to readiness levels to repel a threat in; the Western Hemisphere The US freezes Japanese assees Japan commits to war wrth the Western Powers The Southern Army is activated and units assigned 4th US Mar~nerdepart Chlna for rhe Philippines "X-Day" is set for the commencement of hostilities, japan attacks Malaya Pearl Harbor and the Ph~llppines japan assaults Guam, and US forces surrender there.Japanesc land o n northern Luzon HMS Prince ofwales and HMS Repulse are sunk Japanese forces land on sourheast Luzon Thailand declares an alliance wirh japan The Japanese land In Bricish Borneo Japanese forces land on Mindanam Japanese forces land in Llgayen Gulf Luzon Japan assaults Wake Island, and US forces s ~ r r e n d e ~ A second japanese landing on southeast Luzon takes place Hong Kong falls t o Japanese forces 1942 January I I January 15 January 23 January February 14 February 15 February 19 February 20 February 26 February Manila, capital of the Philippines, falls Japanese troops land on Dutch Borneo (Tarakan Isfand) and Celebes Japanese forces cross Into Burma from Thailand Japanese rroops land on New Britain and sene Rabaul Japanese forces suspend offensive operatrons on Baraan Japanese forces land on southern Sumacra The fall of Singapore, japanese forces land on Bati Iapanese forces land on Dutch and PortugueseTirnor Japanese forces land on Mlndoro I March 12 March 12 March April April l a April 16 April 24 April 4 May lib May 20 May Spring 4-5 June 13-2 I June June I I Juty 22 July August 24 September Japanese troops land en West and East Java Japanese forces land on northern Sumatra The Japanese resume the Baraan offensive after reinforcement Japanese troops land in the Admiraly Islands YS-F~lipinoforces surrender on the Banan Peninsula Japanese forces land on Cebu Japanese troops land on Panay The Doolittle ra~d1s conducted onTokyo The Battle of the Coral 5ea.The Japanese Port Moresby invasion force withdraws Japanese assault Corregidor and US-Filipino forces surrender Comm~nwealrhforces withdraw from Burma into India Japan acrivares eight new infantry divisions The Battle for M~dwy Japan seizes Anu and Kiska,Aleurian Islands Last US-Fillpine forees surrender in the Philippines Japan cancels the invasions of Fiji, N m Caledonia,and Samoa Japaneseforces land a t Buna-Gona and attempt to seize Port Moresby from ~nland,TheBattle for the KokodoTmil continues until September US Mar~nesassault Guadalcwal-Tulagh The Japanese defense of Buna-Gona begins Bibliography Cook, Taya and Theodore F fopnn nt IVoc An Ornl Histon (New York, NY, The Ncw P r e s l 1092) Daugherty, Lea J., 111 Fi,rIrtir~~f Ttvll~~iqfres of n Japnrt~srAlfntthy?mn, 1941-1 945: Tmirti~lg,Tccl~rrirfrter,rtttd H'e~~porix ( S t Paul, M N MRI Publishing, 2002) Drea, Edward J 111 tlrc Smici>oftE~eE~nprror:Essnys ort tltp hnperin! Inpfltirr~ A m y (Lincoln,5.4,University of Nebraska Press, 1998) Forty, George jnpnne~eilnnr Hnndbook, 1939-1945 (Stroud, UK, Suttnn Publishing, 1999) Fu Her, Richard Sliokarl-Hirthlito'r Snrr~trrni:Lrndrrs of ihr ]nl~lrrles?Anrini Forcrls 1924-1945 (London, UK, Arms and Armour Press, 1992) Harris, Meirion and Susie Soldiers of tlre Srrtf: tlrc R i w nllif Fi111 of the l??rpirinl J~ptrrr~se Arrlzy (New York, NY, Random House, 1991 ) Hayarhi, Saburo and Coox, Alvin D.X ~ , ~ I ITile I : Inpn~~cse Anrry irr tllr Pnciflc I,JIFr (Quantico, VA, Marine Corps Association, 1959) Published in Japan in 195 as T~ihciyoScrrso Rik~rsmGoishi Henshali, Kenneth G A H i f t o v uf]npntr: fio~tlStorir ASP to Sr~pwpow~r {New York, NY St Martin's Press, 1999) Hough, LtCol Frank 0.; Ludwig, Maj VerIe E.; and Shaw, Henry F Jr Histor)! of US ,Mnri~leGorp Qprrntior~riri \\brkf Wnr 11 I4lt I: Pearl H n r h r To G~tntlflkt-nrml [Warhinflon, DC,US Government Printing Office, 1958) Humphrevq, Leonard A She Wny of the H P ~ I J P I 511~orrf: I ! ! the J n p n ~ i eAnny ~ e itr the 1920s (Stanford, CA, 19951 lenaga, Saburo The I'ncific Wnr, 1931- E 945: n Cn'ticnl l)rrspefli\r r$lnpnrr!s Rule i l l IVorIrl Wnr II (New York, NY, Random House, 19783 Long, Gavin IvI Tile Six Yrarr Wnr: n Co~lciseH i r t o y ofrlr~stmlini?rtl?r 19.39-1945 W ~ F{Canberra, T Australia, The Australian War Memoria1 and the AustraEIan Gnvcrnment Publishing Senrice, 1973) Morison, Samuel E Ifistor), of US ,4hvy Oprmtiu~ai ~ iI.i'nrld lYor I! Vol IlI: the Risirg Srrtr irr tlie PnciFc, 1931-April 1942 (Boston, MA, Little Rrown and Co.,1948) Morton, Louis Utrited Stntrs Arm!* irt 12rorld 14br 11: tthc FnII o f the Philippiner (Washington, DC,US Government Printing Office,1953) Rotman, Gordon L LrS ,Mnri)le 13orp1 OrrJ1.r of Rnttk: G m ~ t nnd ~ d Air U11itr iri the PncifFc Ilmr, I9: