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Fifteenth Army (Japan)
The was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. It was involved in the invasion of Burma in December 1941 and served in that country for most of its war service. History The Japanese 15th Army was formed on November 9, 1941, as a component of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group for the specific task of invading the British colony of Burma. To do this the army, then based in Indo-China, needed to transit through Thailand. On December 8, 1941, the 33rd and 55th Divisions of the army spearheaded by the Imperial Guard invaded Thailand overland from what is now Cambodia. The invasion was supported by landings on the coast to the south of Bangkok by the army's 143rd Infantry Regiment. Fighting lasted only a few hours before the Thai government ceded access. Under Lieutenant General Shōjirō Iida, the IJA 15th Army invaded the southern Burmese province of Tenasserim. The Fifteenth Army consisted initially of the highly regarded 33rd Infantry Division and th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Infantry
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine infantry. Although disused in modern times, heavy infantry also commonly made up the bulk of many historic armies. Infantry, cavalry, and artillery have traditionally made up the core of the combat arms professions of various armies, with the infantry almost always comprising the largest portion of these forces. Etymology and terminology In English, use of the term ''infantry'' began about the 1570s, describing soldiers who march and fight on foot. The word derives from Middle French ''infanterie'', from older Italian (also Spanish) ''infanteria'' (foot soldiers too inexperienced for cavalry), from Latin '' īnfāns'' (without speech, newborn, foolish), from which English also gets '' infant''. The individual-soldier term ''infantry ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indo-China
Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. It includes the countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, with peninsular Malaysia sometimes also being included. The term Indochina (originally Indo-China) was coined in the early nineteenth century, emphasizing the historical cultural influence of Indian and Chinese civilizations on the area. The term was later adopted as the name of the colony of French Indochina (today's Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam). Today, the term, Mainland Southeast Asia, in contrast to Maritime Southeast Asia, is more commonly referenced. Terminology The origins of the name Indo-China are usually attributed jointly to the Danish-French geographer Conrad Malte-Brun, who referred to the area as in 1804, and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Burma Campaign 1942-1943
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explains, the English spellings of both Myanmar and Burma assume a non-rhotic variety of English, in which the letter r before a consonant or finally serves merely to indicate a long vowel: mjænmɑː, ˈbɜːmə So the pronunciation of the last syllable of Myanmar as ɑːror of Burma as ɜːrməby some speakers in the UK and most speakers in North America is in fact a spelling pronunciation based on a misunderstanding of non-rhotic spelling conventions. The final ''r'' in ''Myanmar'' was not intended for pronunciation and is there to ensure that the final a is pronounced with the broad ''ah'' () in "father". If the Burmese name my, မြန်မာ, label=none were spelled "Myanma" in English, this would be pronounced at the end by all ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Allies Of World War II
The Allies, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international military coalition formed during the Second World War (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers, led by Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy. Its principal members by 1941 were the United Kingdom, United States, Soviet Union, and China. Membership in the Allies varied during the course of the war. When the conflict broke out on 1 September 1939, the Allied coalition consisted of the United Kingdom, France, and Poland, as well as their respective dependencies, such as British India. They were soon joined by the independent dominions of the British Commonwealth: Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Consequently, the initial alliance resembled that of the First World War. As Axis forces began invading northern Europe and the Balkans, the Allies added the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Greece, and Yugoslavia. The Soviet Union, which initially had a nonaggression pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinese Expeditionary Force (in Burma)
The Chinese Expeditionary Force () was an expeditionary unit of China's National Revolutionary Army that was dispatched to Burma and India in support of the Allied efforts against the Imperial Japanese Army during the Japanese invasion and occupation of Burma in the South-East Asian theatre of the Second World War. Background In July 1937, the Empire of Japan launched a full-scale invasion of China, and soon isolated the country from the rest of the world. The Chinese resistance led by Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek in Chongqing was heavily dependent on the supply line through the Burma Road, which reopened in October 1940. The United States was shipping materials to support Chinese resistance by late 1941 as part of the Lend-Lease policy. To cut off the Chinese supply line, the Imperial Japanese Army began to plan the invasion of Burma. From 1942-1944, 98 percent of all US lend lease to China went directly to US Army units in China, not the Chinese military.Jay Taylor, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Burma Corps
The Burma Corps ('Burcorps') was an Army Corps of the Indian Army during the Second World War. It was formed in Prome, Burma, on 19 March 1942, took part in the retreat through Burma, and was disbanded on arrival in India in May 1942. History Burcorps was created on 13 March 1942 to take control of the scattered British, Indian and local troops retreating through Burma in the face of a sustained Japanese offensive. The main fighting components of this force were two infantry divisions, 17th Indian Division and 1st Burma Division, but 7th Armoured Brigade Group had recently arrived at Rangoon as reinforcements from the Middle East.Playfair, Vol III, p. 125. Major-General William Slim was brought back from Iraq where he was commanding 10th Indian Infantry Division and promoted to Acting Lieutenant-General to take command of the new corps. He had to improvise a corps staff, including Captain Brian Montgomery, younger brother of General Bernard Montgomery, who filled a number ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of Singapore
The Fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore,; ta, சிங்கப்பூரின் வீழ்ச்சி; ja, シンガポールの戦い took place in the South–East Asian theatre of the Pacific War. The Empire of Japan captured the British stronghold of Singapore, with fighting lasting from 8 to 15 February 1942. Singapore was the foremost British military base and economic port in South–East Asia and had been of great importance to British interwar defence strategy. The capture of Singapore resulted in the largest British surrender in its history. Prior to the battle, Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita had advanced with about 30,000 men down the Malayan Peninsula in the Malayan campaign. The British erroneously considered the jungle terrain impassable, leading to a swift Japanese advance as Allied defences were quickly outflanked. The British Lieutenant-General, Arthur Percival, commanded 85,000 Allied troops at Singapore, although many units ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Myanmar Army
The Myanmar Army ( my, တပ်မတော်(ကြည်း), ) is the largest branch of the Tatmadaw, Armed Forces (''Tatmadaw'') of Myanmar (Burma) and has the primary responsibility of conducting land-based military operations. The Myanmar Army maintains the second largest active force in Southeast Asia after the People's Army of Vietnam, with a troop strength of around 350,000 in 2006. It has clashed against ethnic and political insurgents since its inception in 1948. The force is headed by the Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar Army (), currently Vice-Senior General Soe Win (general), Soe Win, concurrently Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Services (), with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing as the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services (). The highest rank in the Myanmar Army is Senior General, equivalent to field marshal in Western armies and is currently held by Min Aung Hlaing after being promoted from Vice-Senior General. In 2011, following a transition from mi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
IJA 55th Division
The was an infantry division of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Its call sign was the . It was formed on 10 July 1940 at Zentsūji, simultaneously with 51st, 52nd, 54th, 56th, and 57th divisions. The formation nucleus was the headquarters of the 11th Division. Its manpower came primarily from the four prefectures of Shikoku Island. The 55th Division was initially assigned to the Central District Army. In 1941, the division was assigned to the 15th Army and participated in the Japanese conquest of Burma. The division had the 143rd Regiment detached to separately capture Dawei (Tavoy) and Myeik (Mergui), while the main troop had captured Mawlamyine (Moulmein) on 31 January 1942. In March 1942 the division fought for 14 days around the city of Taungoo against the weakened Chinese 200th Division. The fight ended when the Chinese broke through and disengaged. On 18 April 1942, the 55th Division had encircled the Chinese 55th Division, eventually wiping it o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
33rd Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
The was an infantry division of the Imperial Japanese Army. Its call sign was the . The 33rd Division was raised in Utsunomiya, Tochigi prefecture, simultaneously with 32nd, 34th, 35th, 36th and 37th Divisions. Its headquarters were initially in Sendai. It was raised from conscripts largely from the northern Kantō prefectures of Tochigi, Ibaraki and Gunma. Action Initially the ''33rd division'' was assigned to the 11th army in central China and sent to Hubei. It saw combat at the First Battle of Changsha from 14 September 1939. In April 1941, the ''33rd division'' was transferred to Shanxi, and its reconnaissance regiment was disbanded. The ''33rd division'' was transferred to the 15th army on 6 November 1941, and took part in the invasion of British Burma, under Lieutenant General Shozo Sakurai. Initially ''33rd division'' have landed in Bangkok in January 1942 and proceed inland. It lost a battalion at the Battle of Yenangyaung, but completed the conquest of Burma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taninthayi Division
Tanintharyi Region ( my, တနင်္သာရီတိုင်းဒေသကြီး, ; Mon: or ; ms, Tanah Sari; formerly Tenasserim Division and subsequently Tanintharyi Division, th, ตะนาวศรี, RTGS: ''Tanao Si'', ; formerly known as Tanao Si) is an administrative region of Myanmar, covering the long narrow southern part of the country on the upper Malay peninsula, reaching to the Kra Isthmus. It borders the Andaman Sea to the west and the Tenasserim Hills, beyond which lie Thailand, to the east. To the north is the Mon State. There are many islands off the coast, the large Mergui Archipelago in the southern and central coastal areas and the smaller Moscos Islands off the northern shores. The capital of the division is Dawei (Tavoy). Other important cities include Myeik (Mergui) and Kawthaung. The division covers an area of 43,344.9 km², and had a population of 1,406,434 at the 2014 Census. Names Mon: or ; ms, Tanah Sari, part of the Hanth ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shōjirō Iida
was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. Biography Iida was a native of Yamaguchi prefecture and a graduate of the 20th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1908 and the 27th class of the Army Staff College in December 1915. Iida was promoted to captain in December 1918. He participated in the Japanese Expeditionary force for the Siberian Intervention against the forces of the Bolshevik Army, supporting White Russian forces in Russia. After serving in a variety of administrative positions within the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff, including a stint as instructor at the Infantry School from 1932 to 1934, Iida was appointed commander of the 4th Imperial Guards Regiment from 1934 to 1935. He was subsequently Chief of Staff of the IJA 4th Division from 1935 to 1937. With the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Iida became Chief of Staff of the Japanese First Army in China in 1938. Iida was promoted to lieutenant general in August 1939. He was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
