The was an
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 mar ...
division
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
of the
Imperial Japanese Army
The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...
. Its
call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assign ...
was the . It was formed 10 July 1945 in
Qiqihar
Qiqihar () is the second-largest city in the Heilongjiang province of China, in the west central part of the province. The built-up (or metro) area made up of Longsha, Tiefeng and Jianhua districts had 959,787 inhabitants, while the total populat ...
as a
triangular division A triangular division is a designation given to the way military divisions are organized. In a triangular organization, the division's main body is composed of three regimental maneuver elements. These regiments may be controlled by a brigade hea ...
. It was a part of the 8 simultaneously created divisions batch comprising
134th 134th may refer to:
*134th (2/1st Hampshire) Brigade, formation of the Territorial Force of the British Army
*134th (Loyal Limerick) Regiment of Foot, infantry regiment of the British Army, created in 1794 and disbanded in 1796
*134th Air Refueling ...
,
135th,
136th,
137th,
138th,
139th,
148th and 149th divisions. The nucleus for the formation was the 274th infantry regiment taken from the
125th division.
Action
Initially, the ''149th division'' was mostly garrisoning
Qiqihar
Qiqihar () is the second-largest city in the Heilongjiang province of China, in the west central part of the province. The built-up (or metro) area made up of Longsha, Tiefeng and Jianhua districts had 959,787 inhabitants, while the total populat ...
. One battalion of the 386th infantry regiment was in
Yi'an County
Yi'an County () is a county in the west of Heilongjiang province, China. It is under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city
A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the People's Republic of Chi ...
, two other battalions of the 386th infantry regiment - in
Bei'an
Bei'an () is a county-level city in west-central Heilongjiang province in the People's Republic of China. It is under the jurisdiction of Heihe.
Bei'an was the provincial capital of Bei'an province of Manchukuo, a puppet state set up by Japan durin ...
. Also, one platoon of the 274th infantry regiment was deployed in
Nehe
Nehe () is a county-level city of western Heilongjiang in Northeast China, It is located near the border with Inner Mongolia to the west and is under the administration of Qiqihar City, to the north-northeast.
Administrative divisions
Nehe C ...
.
During the
Soviet invasion of Manchuria
The Soviet invasion of Manchuria, formally known as the Manchurian strategic offensive operation (russian: Манчжурская стратегическая наступательная операция, Manchzhurskaya Strategicheskaya Nastu ...
, the ''149th division'' was ordered to
Harbin 11 August 1945, arriving in parts 12–15 August 1945. The fortifications of
Qiqihar
Qiqihar () is the second-largest city in the Heilongjiang province of China, in the west central part of the province. The built-up (or metro) area made up of Longsha, Tiefeng and Jianhua districts had 959,787 inhabitants, while the total populat ...
were then taken over by the
136th Independent Mixed Brigade.
Although the division was relatively well equipped by rifles, the heavy weapons were deficient. In particular, it had absolutely no artillery.
Kwantung Army
''Kantō-gun''
, image = Kwantung Army Headquarters.JPG
, image_size = 300px
, caption = Kwantung Army headquarters in Hsinking, Manchukuo
, dates = April ...
has estimated combat efficiency of the ''149th division'' to be 15% of the nominal.
The ''149th division'' was disarmed 23 August 1945 without seeing any action during
Soviet invasion of Manchuria
The Soviet invasion of Manchuria, formally known as the Manchurian strategic offensive operation (russian: Манчжурская стратегическая наступательная операция, Manchzhurskaya Strategicheskaya Nastu ...
.
149th Division (Fugyo)
/ref> Majority of soldiers have then deserted or were hastily discharged before remainder of 4480 were taken prisoner in Hailin
Hailin () is a county-level city, under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Mudanjiang, in the southeast of Heilongjiang province, China, bordering Jilin province to the southwest. It has an area of , and a population of 422,000 (as ...
27 August 1945 and sent to Siberian labour camp
A labor camp (or labour camp, see spelling differences) or work camp is a detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor as a form of punishment. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons (especi ...
s. Some officers have returned to Japan in 1947.
See also
* List of Japanese Infantry Divisions
Notes and references
*This article incorporates material from Japanese Wikipedia page 第149師団 (日本軍), accessed 11 July 2016
* Madej, W. Victor, ''Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle'', 1937–1945 vols Allentown, PA: 1981.
Japanese World War II divisions
Infantry divisions of Japan
Military units and formations established in 1945
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945
1945 establishments in Japan
1945 disestablishments in Japan
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