The was an
infantry division of the
Imperial Japanese Army. Its
call sign was the
The ''49th Division'' was formed 6 January 1944 in
Seoul, around a nucleus formed from 64th infantry brigade and the headquarters of 20th division. The headquarters was located in
Nara. About 2% of the soldiers were Korean locals.
In May 1944, the ''49th division'' was subordinated to
Japanese Burma Area Army
The was a field army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.
History
The Japanese Burma Area Army was formed on 27 March 1943, under the control of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group as a garrison force to defend the nominally-ind ...
and ordered to
Burma, reaching the ports of
Singapore and
Saigon
, population_density_km2 = 4,292
, population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2
, population_demonym = Saigonese
, blank_name = GRP (Nominal)
, blank_info = 2019
, blank1_name = – Total
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in June 1944. During the transfer, two vessels were sunk, resulting in about 1600 deaths. On arrival in Burma, the 3rd Battalion of the 49th Mountain Artillery Regiment and the 153rd Infantry Regiment were sent to south-west Burma to protect local oilfields. The 2nd Battalion of the 49th Mountain Artillery Regiment and the 168th Infantry Regiment were assigned to the
33rd army for a delaying action. During the first week of March 1945, this detachment attempted to defend the vital communications centre of
Meiktila against a complete Indian Infantry Division with a brigade of tanks. The detachment was almost wiped out, only remnants of the 168th Regiment surviving. During the second week of March, they joined the HQ of the division, the HQ and 1st Battalion of the 49th Mountain Artillery Regiment and the 106th Infantry Regiment in attempts to recover Meiktila. Their attacks could not be coordinated with those of the other formations of 33rd Army, and were broken off at the end of the month. During the first week in April, the division suffered further losses in attempts to hold a position near
Pyawbwe.
After the survivors made their way to Southern Burma, they were involved in a diversionary attack during the
Battle of the Sittang Bend. The division was still occupying fortified positions on the east bank of
Sittang River when the
surrender of Japan
The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...
took place on 15 August 1945.
See also
*
List of Japanese Infantry Divisions
Reference and further reading
* Madej, W. Victor. ''Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945''
volsAllentown, PA: 1981
{{DEFAULTSORT:48th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
Japanese World War II divisions
Infantry divisions of Japan
Military units and formations established in 1940
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945
1940 establishments in Japan
1945 disestablishments in Japan
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