The was an
army of the
Imperial Japanese Army during
World War II.
History
The army was formed on May 18, 1942 under the
Japanese Eighth Area Army of the
Southern Expeditionary Army Group for the specific task of opposing landings by
Allied forces in Japanese-occupied
Solomon Islands. It was initially headquartered on
Rabaul
Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about 600 kilometres to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in ...
and participated in the
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...
and
New Guinea campaign
The New Guinea campaign of the Pacific War lasted from January 1942 until the end of the war in August 1945. During the initial phase in early 1942, the Empire of Japan invaded the Australian-administered Mandated Territory of New Guinea (23 Jan ...
s of the
South West Pacific theatre of World War II.
After
General Hitoshi Imamura took over command of the
Japanese Eighth Area Army the 17th Army was responsible primarily for the defense of
Bougainville. It was trapped and cut off from reinforcements and re-supply during the
Bougainville campaign (1943–45), and was forced to live off the land, hiding in jungle caves for most of the rest of the war.
[Gailey, ''Bougainville''.]
List of commanders
Commanding officer
Chief of Staff
Notes
References
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External links
*{{cite web
, last = Wendel
, first = Marcus
, url = http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=6928
, title = Axis History Factbook
, work = Japanese Seventeenth Army
17
Military units and formations established in 1942
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945