The was an
army of the
Imperial Japanese Army during the final days of
World War II.
History
The Japanese 55th Army was formed on April 8, 1945, under the
Japanese 15th Area Army as part of the last desperate defense effort by the
Empire of Japan to deter possible landings of
Allied forces in
Shikoku during
Operation Downfall
Operation Downfall was the proposed Allied plan for the invasion of the Japanese home islands near the end of World War II. The planned operation was canceled when Japan surrendered following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, th ...
. From June 15, the commander of the 55th Army was also commander in chief of all Japanese forces on Shikoku, and received his appointment directly from
Emperor Hirohito.
The Japanese 55th Army was based in
Kōchi city,
Kōchi Prefecture. Despite its prestigious status of reporting directly to the emperor, as with other emergency army corps raised during this time, it consisted mostly of poorly trained and poorly armed
reservists,
conscripted students and
Volunteer Fighting Corps home guard militia. It was
demobilized at 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 ...
on August 15, 1945, without having seen combat.
List of commanders
References
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External links
*{{cite web
, last = Wendel
, first = Marcus
, url = http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=7700
, title = Axis History Factbook
, work = Japanese Fifty-Fifth Army
55
Military units and formations established in 1945
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945