The was an
army of the
Imperial Japanese Army during
World War II.
History
The Japanese 31st Army was formed on February 18, 1944 under the
Imperial General Headquarters
The was part of the Supreme War Council and was established in 1893 to coordinate efforts between the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy during wartime. In terms of function, it was approximately equivalent to the United States ...
as a garrison force to contest landings by
Allied forces in the Japanese
South Seas Mandate
The South Seas Mandate, officially the Mandate for the German Possessions in the Pacific Ocean Lying North of the Equator, was a League of Nations mandate in the "South Seas" given to the Empire of Japan by the League of Nations following Wo ...
island-by-island, and to inflict such losses in a
war of attrition that it would deter an American invasion of the
Japanese home islands. The South Seas Mandate was divided into three sections (
Northern Mariana Islands, southern Mariana Islands, and
Truk). The 80,000 man Japanese 31st Army was initially headquartered on Truk.
After
Operation Hailstone, the Japanese garrison on Truk was isolated as American forces continued their advance towards Japan by invading other Pacific islands. Cut off, the Japanese forces on Truk and other central Pacific islands ran low on food and faced starvation before Japan surrendered in August 1945. (Stewart, 1986)
The garrisons in the Marianas were largely annihilated at the
Battle of Saipan and
Battle of Guam.
Structure
;Thirty-First Army
*Southern Marianas Force
**
29th Infantry Division
**48th Independent Infantry Brigade
*Northern Marianas Force
**
43rd Infantry Division
**47th Independent Infantry Brigade
*Truk Garrison Force
**
52nd Infantry Division
**50th Independent Infantry Brigade
**51st Independent Infantry Brigade
**52nd Independent Infantry Brigade
List of commanders
Commanding officer
Chief of Staff
References
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External links
*{{cite web
, last = Wendel
, first = Marcus
, url = http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=7682
, title = Axis History Factbook
, work = Japanese Thirty First Army
31
Military units and formations established in 1944
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945