Chapter 193: The Co-Prosperity Sphere Armies:
At the outbreak of the Second Great War, the basic structure of the Imperial Japanese Army in 1941-1942 was as follows:
- Imperial Army (~230,000-250,000 men) - Commanded by Marshal HIH Prince Kan-in-Kotohito
- General Army (総軍 Sō-gun equivalent to the Army Group) - Commanded by a Marshal or General
- Area Army (方面軍 Hōmen-gun equivalent to the Field Army) - Commanded by a General or Lieutenant-General
- Army (equivalent to the Corps)- Commanded by a Lieutenant-General
- Division (~10,000 men) - Consisted of 2 infantry brigades, 1 cavalry regiment, 1 artillery regiment, 1 engineering battalion and 1 army service corps. Commanded by a Lieutenant-General.
- Brigade (~3600 men) - Consisted of 2 regiments, each of 1800 men. Commanded by a Major-General.
- Regiment (~1800 men) - Consisted of 3 battalions, each of 600 men. Commanded by a Colonel.
- Battalion (~600 men) - Consisted of 3 companies, each of 150 men, and a machine-gun section of about 50 men. Commanded by a Lieutenant-Colonel.
- Company (~150 men) - Consisted of 3 platoons, each of 50 men. Commanded by a Captain.
- Platoon (~50 men) - Consisted of 3 sections, each of 15 men. Commanded by a Lieutenant.
- Section (~12-15 men) - Consisted of 3 teams, each of about 4 men. Led by a Corporal.
- Team (4 men) - Led by a Senior Private.
In the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), the term Gun, literally meaning "army", was used in a different way to the military forces of other countries. A So-Gun, meaning "General Army", was the term used in the IJA for an army group. Of a similar but slightly lower status was a Haken Gun, or "Expeditionary Army". A Homen Gun ("Area Army" or "Theatre Army") was equivalent to the field armies of other nations and a Gun ("Army") was equivalent to a corps in other armies.
As the IJA was an infantry force the most common type of division was the infantry division. Later cavalry, armored Infantry, mechanized Infantry, tank and parachute divisions were formed. The first 18 infantry divisions were originally formed as square divisions, and after 1938, most of the remainder were formed as triangular divisions with the security divisions being binary divisions. During the course of the Second Great Was, the IJA organized Imperial Guard Divisions and over 220 infantry divisions of various types (A/Reinforced, B/Standard, C/Counter-insurgency). On 7 December the IJA had two divisions serving in Japan and 50 serving abroad, most in China. During the war another 117 were raised for foreign service and 56 were raised for national defense. These totaled 223 including the Imperial Guard. Of this total no more than 35, that was one fifth of the IJA infantry division total, fought in the Pacific theatre when the war against the allies started.
Organisation:
The Standard, or Type "B" division was organised as:
- Headquarters (200)
- Infantry brigade (5,000)
- Headquarters
- Three infantry regiments, each of:
- Headquarters
- Three infantry battalions, each of:
- Headquarters and escort
- Four infantry (rifle) companies
- Machine gun company, with 12 x heavy machine guns
- Battalion gun platoon, with 2 x 70mm Type 92 Battalion Guns
- Escort and signal companies
- Regiment gun company, with 4 x Type 41 75 mm Mountain Guns
- Regimental anti-tank gun company, with 6 x Type 94 37 mm Anti-Tank Guns or Type 1 47 mm Anti-Tank Guns
- Field artillery regiment (2,000)
- Headquarters and escort
- Three field artillery battalions, each of:
- Headquarters and transport
- Three field artillery companies, each with 4 x 75mm field guns (Type 38, Type 90 or Tyoe 95)
- Cavalry regiment (battalion) (800)
- Headquarters and escort
- Three mounted companies
- Machine gun company, with 6 x heavy machine guns
- Engineer regiment (battalion) (800)
- Four engineer companies
- Materials company
- Transport regiment (1,800)
- Up to six companies, with either carts, pack horses, or motor transport
- Divisional signals (200)
- Medical Unit (1,000)
- Up to four Field Hospitals, each of 250 personnel (1,000)
- Epidemic Prevention and Water Purification Depatment (100)
- Ordnance unit (50)
- Veterinary unit (50)
- Armored Samurai (200)
Total personnel (12,200)
It was common for a Mountain Artillery regiment, with a total of 3400 men and 36 x Type 94 75 mm Mountain Guns, to be substituted for the Field Artillery regiment, especially for operations in rough terrain. A Reconnaissance regiment, with a mix of mounted, motorized infantry and anti-tank companies, could replace the Cavalry regiment.
The Reinforced or Type "A" division generally substituted medium artillery companies with 4 x Type 91 10 cm Howitzer or long-range Type 92 10 cm Cannon for one or more field artillery companies in the field artillery regiment. It might also have an attached medium artillery battalion with three companies each of 4 x Type 96 15 cm Howitzer or long-range Type 89 15 cm Cannon, and an attached tank regiment (battalion). Conversely, the Type "C" division would lack artillery and other supporting arms.
Brigades and equivalents:
The Japanese Imperial Army had two types of Mixed Brigades.
- The divisional Mixed Brigade was the semi-permanent detachment of a brigade from an Infantry DIvision with various Divisional support units or units attached from its Corps or Army. This provided a combined arms force of infantry, artillery, cavalry and other support units.
- The Independent Mixed Brigade was a detachment composed of various units detached from other units or independent support units formed together in a brigade. The first two Independent Mixed Brigades, formed by the Kwantung Army in the 1930s with the IJA 1st Independent Mixed Brigade and the IJA 11th Independent Mixed Brigade. Each of these brigades were organized in a unique manner and one of them, the 11th, was later formed into the IJA 26th Division. Later a series of Independent Mixed Brigades were formed for the purpose of garrisoning the large territories of China captured in the early phase of the Chinese Civil War. This variety for China was usually organized with five infantry battalions, an artillery unit, and labor troops. Later cavalry, armored Infantry, mechanized Infantry and tank divisions were heavily included in regular armies to modernize against the European Colonial Powers or the Soviet Union. In the Pacific theater they had different and more varied configurations of subordinate units. Towards the end of the Burma Campaign, some were hastily formed from line-of-communication troops, and even naval personnel and conscripted Japanese civilian workers.
- The Independent Infantry Brigade; several of these were raised as garrison units, mostly for China.
- The Amphibious Brigades were formed for use in the Pacific theater. These 5,500 man Sea-Landing Brigades, were used to conduct amphibious assaults on an island but afterwards they stayed to garrison that island.
Regiments:
The IJA maintained two types of Independent Regiments, both were used to provide garrisons in occupied areas.
- Independent Mixed Regiments: contained an infantry regiment with various support elements such as: an artillery, cavalry or tank company, engineers, supply and services, etc.
- Independent Regiments: the basic IJA infantry regiment with any attachments.
Detachments:
Detachments were particular military formations of the Imperial Japanese Army. These detachments were usually a force of infantry, artillery, armor, and other support units which were temporarily assigned for independent action and had a special mission. They were usually named after their commanders or the area in which they were to operate, and could be any size below division.
Cavalry:
Cavalry units were formed in regiments most were either operating attached to infantry divisions or directly under a brigade attached to an army prior to the formation of the IJA Cavalry Group on 21 April 1933.
Motorized and Mechanized Infantry:
To improve the mobility, supply capability and speed of their forces, the Japanese created the IJA Motorized Group with Jeeps and Tucks a regiments. This troops would later be outdated and partly replaced by he more modern IJA Mechanized Infantry regiments.
Unit 483:
Unit 483 were covert medical experiment units which conducted biological warfare research and development through human experimentation during the Second Great War. Unit 483 was responsible for some of the most notorious war crimes. Initially set up as a political and ideological section of the Kempeitai military plie of pre-Pacific War Japan, they were meant to counter the ideological or political influence of Japan's enemies, and to reinforce the ideology of military units.
Recruitment: Conscription:
Conscription of all able-bodied males aged 17 (in practice from the age of 20) to 40 was instituted in 1873 and revised in 1927. Once called up, candidates were given a medical examination and classified as one of the following:
- Class I-A: "fit for active service"
- Class II:
- B-1: "fit for active service with minor reservations"
- B-2: "fit for active service with reservations"
- Class III-C: "unfit for active service, but fit for national service"
- Class IV-D: "physically unfit; exempted from all service" (after two successive examinations) or automatically exempted from all service
- Class V-E: "fitness undetermined; examination postponed to later date"
Upon receiving their classifications, peace-time Class I-A recruits were enlisted by lottery into either the jobi hei-eki (Regular Army and Imperial Navy) category, consisting of the gen-eki (active service) and the yobi-eki (primary reserve service) sub-categories, or into the kobi hei-eki (secondary reserve service) category. Those in the "gen-eki" sub-category would serve for two years in the army or three in the navy. After this period, they would be placed on the primary reserve service list (yobi-eki) for five years and four months in the army or four years in the navy, and would be subsequently placed on the secondary reserve service list after 10 years in the army (five in the navy) before being placed on the national service list (kokumin hei-eki) after 17 years and four months of army service (or 12 years of naval service). A similar but less stringent path was set out for those enlisted into the primary or secondary reserve categories; they would also end their service on the national service list. The least rigorous path was for those enlisted into the hoju hei-eki (replenishment territorial army and naval volunteer reserve), who would end their service on the national service list.
In peace-time, Class II recruits were not recruited, but were assigned to national service. In wartime, Class II B-1 and Class II B-2 recruits were enrolled into the hoju hei-eki category, with II B-1 recruits enlisted into the first supplementary territorial army and naval volunteer reserve and II B-2 recruits enlisted into the second supplementary territorial army and naval volunteer reserve, respectively. II B-1 recruits would serve for two years and four months in the territorial army or one year in the naval volunteer reserve; II B-2 recruits would serve for 12 years and four months in the territorial army or 11 years and four months in the naval volunteer reserve. Upon reaching the age of 40 in peace-time, all soldiers in Classes I and II would be placed on the national service list and released from regular duties.
In practice, total conscription of the available population was only instituted during the Second World War. Before then, only a proportion of the secondary reserve service had been called to active duty, during the Russo-Japanese War. Class III-C recruits were automatically assigned to national service if necessary. Conscripts classified as Class IV-D were reexamined the following year; if they could not be reclassified into any of the first three classes, they were officially exempted from all military service. Sole supporters of families and criminals sentenced to over six years penal servitude were automatically listed as Class IV-D and exempted from all service. Students at certain higher secondary schools were classified as Class V-E until they had finished their studies or upon reaching the age of 27, whichever came first. Japanese students studying abroad were also classed as Class V-E until reaching the age of 37.
From December 1927, conscripts who had completed a course of study with the requisite marks at a government-run Young Men's Training Institute ("Seinen Kunrenshou"), the curriculum of which included 200 hours of military training, could have their period of active service reduced to 18 months. Normal-school graduates with the requisite marks had their active service reduced to five months. Graduates of middle and higher schools who had completed courses in military training with the requisite marks were required to serve one year for middle-school graduates or for 10 months for higher-school graduates.
Salaries, benefits and pensions:
Salaries and pensions for Imperial soldiers and sailors were very low by Western standards. On the eve of the Second World War, the yen had a value of $0.23. Officer cadets were paid a yearly salary of ¥670 ($154.10 in 1941 dollars). Second lieutenants were paid ¥850 yearly ($195.50), lieutenants ¥1020-1130 ($234.60-259.90) and captains ¥1470-1900 ($338.10-437). Majors were paid ¥2330 yearly ($535.90), lieutenant-colonels ¥3220 ($740.60) and colonels ¥4150 ($954.60). Major-generals were paid ¥5000 yearly ($1150), lieutenant-generals ¥5800 ($1334) and full generals ¥6600 ($1518).
Co-Prosperity Sphere Auxiliary units:
Co-Prosperity Sphere Auxiliary units consists of regional ethnic forces in the new member states of the Co-Prosperity Sphere forming their respective armies modeled after he IJA. Most of their trainers, Officers and Commanders remained ethnic Japanese and the locals at first weren't even allowed to rise above the rank of Shocho (Sergeant Major). As many foreign territories fell under the Japanese military occupation during the 1930s and the early 1940s, the Co-Prosperity Sphere recruited a large number of locals in those territories. These Co-Prosperity Sphere forces were used extensively as auxiliaries to police the newly liberated territories in Asia and the Pacific were they formed local militias, police and soldiers.
- Imperial Japanese Army: 1,500,000 men (later quickly rising to over 5,500,000) in 51 active divisions, the rest in training or supporting other areas, including 20 divisions defended the Chosen, Manchurian and Mengjiang northern border, due to concerns about a possible attack by the Soviet Union. The Indochina Liberation Army had 3-4 Divisions, the Philippine Liberation Army included 13 Divisions, the Burma and Malaya Campaign forces had 48 Divisions, while 23 Divisions guarded Siam/Thailand. Borneo was liberated by 12 Divisions that together with the Philippine Liberation Army continued southwards into Indonesia were two Divisions served for training of local forces and garrison only. 68 Divisions guarded the Home Islands or were trained there, including Taiwan, the Bonin Islands and Karafuto. 14 whole Divisions secured the Marshal, Caroline, Marshall and Gilbert Islands. A whole of 12-16 Divisions were used in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, later raised to a total of 24 Divisions. All of this Divisions were organized into local Japanese Armies (the Home Island Army and the regional outer Armies (often named with the Numbers starting by one or their operational area) and their Co-Prosperity Sphere allies and auxiliary forces. They were General Armies commanded by a Marshal or General, including more local Area and Guard Armies and their Divisions.
- Imperial Chosen Army: originally only 300,000 Japanese soldiers, that were soon after the Chosen independence and membership inside the Co-Prosperity Sphere replaced by these Chosens that served inside the Imperial Japanese Army. Because of the close Soviet Union the Imperial Chosen Army was boosted to 2,000,000 soldiers (later 2,400,000 men), equipped with modern Japanese equipment and well trained. They included the Imperial Chosen Border Army with 1,200,000 soldiers stationed in fortifications along the Yalu River, Paektu Mountains and Tumen River as well as in offensive positions and the remaining Imperial Chosen Garrison and Security Army in the Chosen Provinces and the Expeditionary Forces in China.
- Imperial Manchukuo Army: originally 800.000 forces they were soon enlarged to up to 1,400,000 to surpass the original stationed Japanese forces before the northern attack against the Soviet Union Started. These forces were the combined 1st to 5th Imperial Manchukuo Armies at the Soviet Border that were split up into a smaller defensive group and a larger offensive that prepared to strike deep into the Soviet Union's Far Eastern provinces. They were supported by the White Russian Exile Army Forces (WREAF) and the Imperial Manchurian Reserve Army (6th Army) as well as the regional Provincial Armies and Garrisons together with the Expeditionary Forces in China.
- Mengjiang Khanate Army: at first only a small Japanese Garrison Division that numbered 20,000 troops it was quickly expanded and reformed. With the start of the Pacific War the Mengjiang Khanate Army (in it's majority cavalry and motorized infantry) had already fought against Chiang's United Chinese Front and the Mongolian People's Republic. Their main armies included the 1st and 2nd Mengjiang Khanate Army (10 Divisions each) along the Mongolian People's Republic border region (later also the 3rd and 4th Mengjiang Khanate Army there), the Inner Mongolian Army (known as the 3rd and later 5th Mengjiang Khanate Army) at the border towards Chiang's United Chinese Front territory in Central China as well as Mengjiang Khanate provincial guard force.
- Imperial Yankokuo Army: a force that at fist included only Japanese and former local Warlord troops, numbering to 200,000 soldiers (in the Western and Southern Border Armies, or 1st and 2nd Imperial Yankokuo Armies) together with some regional militia, garrisons and province police. Later the Imperial Yankokuo Army was expanded to nearly 1,260,000 soldiers, rivaling the powerful neighboring Imperial Chosen Army and Imperial Manchukuo Army in dominance over former Northeast China and later fighting with them and the Mengjiang Khanate Army in the Hokushin-ron campaign against the Soviet Union.
- Wang Jingwei's Hankoku National Chinese Kuomintang Army: numbered 800,000 to 1,000,000 at first but would later rise up to 4,000,000 soldiers, mostly fighting against the Chinese Untied Front, but some Hankoku National Chinese Armies and Divisions later also fought against the Allies and the Soviet Union. They were organized into 66 and later 320 Divisions with army having at least ten Divisions minimum. Their main operations included the Coastal Defence Armies, the Provincial Defence Armies and the offensive Expedition Armies that supported Wang Jingwei in the Chinese Civil War.
- Imperial Taikoku Army: on of the largest member armies of the Co-Prosperity Sphere at the outbreak of the Asian and Pacific War against the European and American Colonialist Powers with over a million members (1,200,000 in total) serving in the Taikoku Home Army (including the Coastal and Provincial Garrison Armies) as well as several Expeditionary Forces and Armies, supporting the Co-Prosperity Sphere in China, South East Asia (mostly Burma) and even the Pacific (in the Philippines, former Dutch East India and most prominent the New Guinea Campaign).
- Royal Yikoku Army: the 120,000 forces strong former warlord forces of Yunnan that joined the Co-Prosperity Sphere and helped fight the Chinese United Front during the Chinese Civil War with some Expeditionary Divisions, as well as the Allies in Burma.
- Imperial Vietnamese Army: at first only former French Colonial Auxiliaries and Police that the Japanese expanded with militia and regular soldiers to form a Imperial Vietnamese Army that soon numbered 240,000 soldiers or 24 Division. Some of them fought Communist rebels, while other supported the Co-Prosperity Sphere fight in China, Burma or India.
- Royal Cambodian Army: a only small raised Cambodian force of 5,000 soldiers that were even outnumbered by the local Japanese garrisons. But because of the danger of the Red Khmer these numbers were soon expanded to 10,000, 20,000 and later 50,000 including every tenth Cambodian citizen in their forces by then.
- Royal Laotian Army: made up mostly by formal tribal warriors and militia of the Laotian united tribes. Because of the communist danger and nearby Allied forces in Burma, their numbers grew to 13,000 Laotian soldiers inside the Laotian army. Since this was not nearly enough to secure the new Co-Prosperity Sphere member state strong outside allied forces like Japan, Taikokuo, Siam/Thailand and even Vietnamese had to intervene against former French Colonial Forces and their allied Communist Guerillias.
- Imperial Tibetan Army: the newly formed forces of the Tibetan Empire that at first had only 10,000 later 40,000 and 80,000 soldiers. They were heavily supported by Imperial Japanese Mountaineer Divisions and Regiments as well as regular, that managed to secure the Himalaya passes against the Allies. They also more offensively fought against the United Chinese Front and invaded Bhutan, Nepal and British Indian Assam and Kashmir to annex these regions for the Tibetan Empire.
- Republic Philippine Army: parts of the former Philippine Police and Army under the American Colonial Government were the core of this new Japanese equipped and trained army that soon numbered 186,000 soldiers to secure the Philippine Independence from any foreign Allied invasion.
- Royal Burma Army: at first made up from the only 12,000 and later 18,000 members of the Burmese Independence Army and British Burmese forces that switched sided, this Burma Liberation Army quickly grew to 140,000 soldiers that defender their now independent Kingdom against the Allied and Chinese forces at the northern border as well as their own coastal regions in the west and south. With ethnic minorities being supported to take up arms against the new state by the Allies like the Shan these Royal Burmese Army soon was heavily occupied fighting insurgencies as well as the Communist Party of Burma Guerillias behind the front.
- Royal Brunei Army: only 1,3000 militias and Brunei police officers and soldiers at first this force quickly expanded to 40,000 soldiers that guarded the whole island against a enemy invasion.
- Royal Celebes/Sulawesi Army: a Japanese trained force of 32,000 soldiers that guarded one of the newest Co-Prosperity Sphere member states.
- Republic Moluccan Army: the thinly spread 16,800 militias, police men and soldiers of the new state heavily relied on the Imperial Japanese Army and the Imperial Japanese Navy and their ships, fighters and bombers to protect their island nation.
- Royal Bali Army: the small 1,800 soldiers numbering force that was more of a police or a militia then a regular army
- Royal Tenggara Army: the Japanese trained, equipped and supported forces that numbered 15,000 soldiers. Because of former allied soldiers that fought a guerrilla-war in the island of Timor, this small force was heavily supported by well trained Japanese Elite Divisions to secure their islands and bomb northern Australia (Darwin) from here.
- Sumatran Sultanate Army: the partly local militia, partly regular Mohammedan forces that numbered 62,000 or six Divisions. Because of the possibility of Allied invasions and the oil, petroleum and rubber coming from Sumatra, the Imperial Japanese Army and the Imperial Japanese Navy maintained the control of most coastal regions, smaller islands, coastal cities and refineries.
- Republic Javanese Sultanate Army: while labor was Java's most important resource inside the Co-Prosperity Sphere, the same was true for the number of it's soldiers. A army of 364,000 was raised and trained, some still kids and shipped to the front-lines of Burma, India or New-Guinea since none of the liberated island member states of the Co-Prosperity Sphere in former Dutch East India trusted a potential Indonesian Nationalist Army in their territory to truly secure their independence against the Allies or Americans.
- Royal Nuigini Army: created mostly out of tribal warriors and scouts, this native troops often lacked modern weapons and even full uniforms, some often only wearing trousers and hats/ helmets. They lacked a unifying language and professional training, but knew the jungles of New-Guinea like no one else. Their regional knowledge and sheer number rising from 6,800 to later 80,000 made up for the lack of centralization, training and modern equipment. In the dense jungles and mountain regions of New-Guinea and the Solomon Islands they heavily supported the fighting Imperial Japanese and other Co-Prosperity armies and navies. Often thanks to their air superiority because of new airfields and Co-Prosperity Sphere fighters and bombers.