The
Japanese Imperial 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 ...
landed the 25th Army under the command of General
Tomoyuki Yamashita
was a Japanese officer and convicted war criminal, who was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Yamashita led Japanese forces during the invasion of Malaya and Battle of Singapore, with his accomplishment of conquering ...
on the east coasts of Malaya and Thailand on the night of 7 December 1941.
History
The
Japanese Imperial 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 ...
invaded
Malaya
Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia:
Political entities
* British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...
and
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
on 7 December 1941. The conquest of Malaya was completed in less than three months when
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, borde ...
surrendered on 15 February 1942. The Japanese Twenty-Fifth Army under General Tomoyuki Yamashita was given the task of conquering Malaya.
Order of Battle Japanese 25th Army on 8 December 1941
*Commanding Officer – Lieutenant-General
Tomoyuki Yamashita
was a Japanese officer and convicted war criminal, who was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Yamashita led Japanese forces during the invasion of Malaya and Battle of Singapore, with his accomplishment of conquering ...
Imperial Guards Division
*Lt-Gen
Takuma Nishimura
was a Japanese army general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, active in the invasion and occupation of British Malaya. After the Japanese surrender, he was tried and convicted in British Singapore as a war criminal for his rol ...
The Imperial Guards Division made its first appearance in the
Malayan campaign
The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the , was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. It was dominated by land battles between ...
during the
Battle of Muar
The Battle of Muar was the last major battle of the Malayan Campaign during the Second World War. It took place from 14–22 January 1942 around Gemensah Bridge and on the Muar River. After the British defeat at Slim River, General Archibald Wa ...
where it destroyed the 45th Indian Brigade and inflicted heavy casualties on the two supporting Australian infantry battalions. The Imperial Guards took part in the
Battle of Singapore
The Fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore,; ta, சிங்கப்பூரின் வீழ்ச்சி; ja, シンガポールの戦い took place in the South–East Asian theatre of the Pacific War. The Empire of ...
.
*3rd Konoye Regt.
*4th Konoye Regt. – Colonel Kentaro Kunishi
*5th Konoye Regt. – Colonel Takeo Iwaguro
**(each regiment was 2,600 strong . Total strength 12,600)
5th Infantry Division
*Lt-Gen
Takuro Matsui
Takurō Matsui (松井 太久郎; Fukuoka Prefecture, 3 December 1887 – 10 June 1969) was a Lieutenant General in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II.
Matsui commanded the Western District Army between 15 July 1938 and 9 March 1940.
He ...
*(motor transport)
The 5th Division faced the brunt of British defences throughout the
Battle of Malaya
The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the , was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. It was dominated by land battles between ...
and participated in the
invasion of Singapore. The 5th Division landed at Patani and Singora in
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
on 7 December 1941 and then proceeded to attack down the west coast of Malaya. The 41st Regiment of 5th Division suffered heavy casualties at the
Battle of Kampar
The Battle of Kampar (30 December 1941 – 2 January 1942) was an engagement of the Malayan Campaign during World War II, involving British and Indian troops from the 11th Indian Infantry Division and the Japanese 5th Division.
On 27 Decem ...
when the
11th Indian Division
The 11th Indian Division was an infantry Division (military), division of the British Indian Army during World War I. It was formed in December 1914 with two infantry brigades already in Egypt and a third formed in January 1915. After taking p ...
set up an artillery and infantry ambush, but a few days later the 5th Division managed to destroy the 12th Indian and 28th Gurkha Brigades of the 11th Indian Division at the
Battle of Slim River
The Battle of Slim River occurred during the Malayan campaign in January 1942 between the Imperial Japanese Army and the British Indian Army on the west coast of Malaya.
Background
Japanese forces had invaded north-west Malaya from southern ...
between 6 and 8 January 1942. The 11th and 41st Regiments of 5th Division suffered heavy casualties at the hands of the
Australian 8th Division
The 8th Division was an infantry division of the Australian Army, formed during World War II as part of the all-volunteer Second Australian Imperial Force. The 8th Division was raised from volunteers for overseas service from July 1940 onwards. ...
at the
ambush at Gemencheh Bridge.
*9th Infantry Brigade – Maj. Gen. Saburo Kawamura
**11th Regiment – Colonel Tsunahiko Watanabe
**41st Regiment – Colonel Kanichi Okabe
*21st Infantry Brigade – Major-General Eikichi Sugiura
**21st Regiment – Colonel Noriyoshi Harada
**42nd Regiment – Colonel Tadao Ando
**(each regiment 2,600 strong. Total strength 15,300.)
18th Infantry Division
*Lt-Gen
Renya Mutaguchi
was a Japanese military officer, lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II and field commander of the IJA forces during the Battle of Imphal.
Biography
Mutaguchi was a native of Saga Prefecture. He graduated from the 2 ...
*(horse transport)
This division supplied the troops used in the
invasion of Malaya
The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the , was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. It was dominated by land battles betwee ...
at Kota Bharu. The 18th Division attacked down the east coast of
Malaya
Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia:
Political entities
* British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...
and participated in the
Battle of Singapore
The Fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore,; ta, சிங்கப்பூரின் வீழ்ச்சி; ja, シンガポールの戦い took place in the South–East Asian theatre of the Pacific War. The Empire of ...
especially at
Bukit Timah
Bukit Timah, often abbreviated as Bt Timah, is a planning area and residential estate located in the westernmost part of the Central Region of Singapore. Bukit Timah lies roughly from the Central Business District, bordering the Central Wa ...
.
*23rd Infantry Brigade – Maj. Gen. Hiroshi Takumi
**55th Regiment – Colonel Hiroshi Koba
**56th Regiment – Col. Yoshio Nasu
*35th Infantry Brigade – Major-General
Kiyotake Kawaguchi
was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.
Biography
A native of Kōchi Prefecture, Kiyotake graduated from the 26th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1914, and from the 34th class of the Army War College (Japan ...
**114th Regiment – Colonel Hitashi Kohisa
**124th Regiment -
*(each regiment was 3,500 strong. Total strength 22,200 .)
*1st Independent Anti-Tank Battalion.
*Eight independent anti-tank companies.
*3rd Tank Group, consisting of four tank regiments-
*1st (Medium), 2nd (Medium) (arrived 29th Jan. ’42) and 6th (Medium) and 14th (Light) Regts.
Auxiliary units
Artillery
*3rd Independent Mountain Artillery Regiment
*3rd Heavy Field Artillery Regiment
*18th Heavy Field Artillery Regiment – Lt.Col. Katsutoshi Takasu
*21st Heavy Field Artillery Battalion .
*Two trench mortar battalions (3rd and 5th Mortar Battalions) horsed.
*14th Independent Mortar Battalion.
*17th Field Air Defence Unit (consisting of four field anti-aircraft battalions) .
*Three independent field anti-aircraft companies .
*1st Balloon Company.
Engineers
*Three independent engineer regiments:
**4th Engineer Regiment
**12th Engineer Regiment – Lt.Col. Ichie Fuji
**15th Engineer Regiment – Lt.Col. Yosuke Yokoyama
**23rd Engineer Regiment
*5th Independent Heavy Bridging Company (two horsed, one mechanised).
*Three bridging material companies (21st, 22nd and 27th).
*Two river crossing material companies (10th and 15th), one horsed, one mechanised.
*21st River Crossing Company (horsed).
*2nd Field Military Police Unit.
*2nd Railway Unit (consisting of two railway regiments, one railway material depot, two
*Railway station offices and two special railway operating units) .
*25th Army Signal Unit (consisting of one telegraph regiment (horsed), one independent wire company (mechanised), three independent wireless platoons (two mechanized, one horsed )and five stationary wireless units.)
Line of communication (headquarters and units)
*These included four L. of C. sector units, eight independent motor transport battalions, twelve independent motor transport companies, two horse transport units, ten land service companies, five construction service companies, also survey, water, road, construction, ordnance and medical units.
Armoured Units
3rd Tank Group
*At the beginning of operations the 3rd Tank Group comprised four tank regiments (three medium, one light) and ancillary units . The 2nd (Medium) Tank Regiment was transferred to 26th Army on 29 January 1942. The group then had 79 medium tanks, 100 light tanks, and 238 other vehicles. The medium tanks, weighing 16 tons, each carried one 57-mm gun and Two 7.7-mm machine-guns; the light tanks (8 tons) one 37-mm gun and one 7 .7-mm machine-gun.
*1st Tank Regiment – Colonel Mukaida
*2nd Tank Regiment
*6th Tank Regiment – Colonel Kawamura / Colonel Tadao Komoto
*14th (Light) Tank Regiment- Colonel Kita
Air Units
Army 3rd Air Corps (飛行集団, Hikō Shudan)
*3rd Hikodan (飛行団) – based in Kampong Trach
:*59th Hiko Sentai (飛行戦隊) – Ki 27's and 43's moved to
Thammarat, Thailand
:*27th Hiko Sentai – Ki 51's
:*75th Hiko Sentai – Ki 48's
:*90th Hiko Sentai – Ki 48's
*7th Hikodan
:*64th Hiko Sentai – Ki 27's and 43's – based in
Krakor Indo-China
:*12th Hiko Sentai – Ki 21's – based in
Siem Reap
Siem Reap ( km, សៀមរាប, ) is the second-largest city of Cambodia, as well as the capital and largest city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia.
Siem Reap has French colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old F ...
, Indo-China, these three units bombed
Alor Star
Alor Setar ( Jawi: الور ستار, Kedahan: ''Loqstaq'') is the state capital of Kedah, Malaysia. It is the second-largest city in the state after Sungai Petani and one of the most-important cities on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia ...
,
Sungai Patani
Sungai Petani ( abbr. Sg. Petani or SP; Jawi: سوڠاي ڤتاني) is a city in Kuala Muda District, Kedah, Malaysia. Sungai Petani is Kedah's largest city and is located about 55 km south of Alor Setar, the capital of Kedah, and 33&nb ...
, and
Butterworth Butterworth may refer to:
Places
* Butterworth (ancient township), a former township centred on Milnrow, in the then Parish of Rochdale, England, United Kingdom
* Butterworth, Eastern Cape, now also known as Gcuwa, a town located in South Africa
...
:*60th Hiko Sentai – Ki 21's – based in Krakor – see above
:*98th Hiko Sentai – Ki 21's – based in Krakor – see above
*12th Hikodan
:*
1st Hiko Sentai – Ki 27's – based in Krakor Cambodia and moved to Singora, Thailand
*11th Hikodan
:*
11th Hiko Sentai – Ki 27's – based in Duong Dong, Indo-China and moved to Singora, Thailand
*15th Dakuritsu Hokotai
:*50th Dokuritsu Dai Shijugo Chutai – Ki 15's
:*51st Dokuritsu Dai Shijugo Chutai – Ki 46's
*81st Hiko Sentai – Ki 15's and Ki 46's
*21st Dakuritsu Hokotai
:*82nd Dokuritsu Dai Shijugo Chutai – Ki 30's
:*84th Dokoritsu Dai Shijugo Chutai – Ki 27's
Navy 11th Koku Kantai
Based at Saigon, these units also served in the Philippines Campaign
*21st Koku Sentai
:*1st Kokutai – G4M's
:*
Kanoya Kokutai – G4M's – - attacked
Z force
:*
Toko Kokutai – H6K's
*22nd Koku Sentai
:*
22nd (Genzen) Kokutai – G3M's – attacked
Z force
:*
Mihoro Kokutai – G3M's, A6M's and C5M's – - attacked
Z force
*23rd Koku Sentai
:*3rd Kokutai – A6M's and C5M's
:*
Tainan Kokutai – A6M's and C5M's – attacked the Philippines
:*
Takao Kokutai – G3M's
Ship board units
*''Mizuho'' seaplanes
*''Chitose'' seaplanes
*''Shina Homen Kantai'' B5N's and seaplanes
See also
*
Malaya Command – Order of Battle
External links
*
*
*{{cite web
, last = Rothwell
, first = Steve
, url = http://homepages.force9.net/rothwell/burmaweb/Jap15Army0142.htm
, title = Order of Battle of the Japanese 15th Army, January 1942
, work = British & Commonwealth Orders of Battle Website
Malayan Campaign
The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the , was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. It was dominated by land battles between ...
Malayan Campaign
The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the , was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. It was dominated by land battles between ...
Malayan Campaign
The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the , was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. It was dominated by land battles between ...
Malayan Campaign, Japanese order
Malayan Campaign, Japanese order
Malayan Campaign, Japanese order
Malayan Campaign, Japanese order
Malayan Campaign, Japanese order
Malayan Campaign, Japanese order
Malayan Campaign, Japanese order