The was a fleet of the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

(IJN) established during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

as a result of IJN commands being isolated in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

History

The commander in chief of the IJN 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet based in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

was named commander in chief of the newly created Tenth Area Fleet on 1 February 1944. As the Southwest Area Fleet (Imperial Japanese Navy) command staff was isolated in the

, a new command structure was necessary to direct the 1st and 2nd Fleets and the surviving elements of the

IJN 5th Fleet The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy, active during the early portions of the Second Sino-Japanese War, and again in World War II, primarily in the Aleutian campaign, during which it was augmented and designated the Northern Area Force. ...

. It was supported by the IJN 13th Air Fleet. The 10th Area Fleet had responsibility for the defenses of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

and

Indochina 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 an ...

. It lost most of its combat capability at the

Battle of the Malacca Strait The Battle of the Malacca Strait, sometimes called the Sinking of ''Haguro'', and in Japanese sources as the Battle off Penang (ペナン沖海戦), was a naval battle that resulted from the British search-and-destroy operation in May 1945, calle ...

and when ''Ashigara'' was sunk by HMS ''Trenchant'' and was disbanded at the end of the Pacific War. The Tenth Area Fleet was a theatre command and its name was taken sequentially from the numbered fleets rather than from the area in which it was located.

Structure of the 10th Area Fleet

Commanders of the 10th Area Fleet

Commander in chief Wendel, Axis History Database Chief of staff

References

Notes

Books

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External links

* * {{IJN 10 Military units and formations established in 1944 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945