The was a fleet of the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

organized after the

Battle of Shanghai The Battle of Shanghai () was the first of the twenty-two major engagements fought between the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of the Republic of China (ROC) and the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) of the Empire of Japan at the beginning of the ...

. It reported directly to 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 ...

and had the same organizational level as the

Combined Fleet The was the main sea-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Until 1933, the Combined Fleet was not a permanent organization, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units norm ...

. This article handles their predecessor fleet the , and also.

Organizations of the China Area Fleet and Subordinate Units

China Area Fleet

Structure (extract)

Commanders of the China Area Fleet

*Chief of staff

1st China Expeditionary Fleet

The was reorganized from the 3rd Fleet on 15 November 1939. Their role was the guard of the coast in China at first, however, it changed for the guard in the down stream area of the

Yangtze River The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flows ...

. Describe 3rd Fleet, 1st China Expeditionary Fleet and successor unit the in this section. *Structure (extract) Commanders of the 3rd Fleet Commander in chief 1st China Expeditionary Fleet and commander (Yangtze River Area Base Force) *Chief of staff (3rd Fleet and 1st China Expeditionary Fleet)

2nd China Expeditionary Fleet

The was reorganized from the 5th Fleet on 15 November 1939. The 5th Fleet was reinforcements for 3rd Fleet and 4th Fleet. Their role was the guard and invasion of South China. The 2nd China Expeditionary Fleet kept appearance of a fleet until the end of war. *Structure (extract)

Commanders of the 5th Fleet

Commanders of the 2nd China Expeditionary Fleet

*Chief of staff

3rd China Expeditionary Fleet

The was reorganized from the 4th Fleet on 15 November 1939. The 4th Fleet was reinforcements for 3rd Fleet. Their role was the guard in

Bohai Sea The Bohai Sea () is a marginal sea approximately in area on the east coast of Mainland China. It is the northwestern and innermost extension of the Yellow Sea, to which it connects to the east via the Bohai Strait. It has a mean depth of ...

. Describe 4th Fleet and 3rd China Expeditionary Fleet in this section. The 3rd China Expeditionary Fleet was specialization to guard unit for

Qingdao Qingdao (, also spelled Tsingtao; , Mandarin: ) is a major city in eastern Shandong Province. The city's name in Chinese characters literally means " azure island". Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, it is a major nodal city of the One Belt ...

and become extinct. *Structure (extract) Commanders of the 4th Fleet Commanders of the 3rd China Expeditionary Fleet *Chief of staff

Organizations of pre-China Area Fleet

Describe about pre-China Area Fleet in this section. The Southern Qing Fleet, China Expeditionary Fleet, 1st Expeditionary Fleet and 2nd Expeditionary Fleet were ancestor of China Area Fleet.

Southern Qing Fleet

The was organized after the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

. They were reinforced by

Xinhai Revolution The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China. The revolution was the culmination of ...

in 1911, however,

Beiyang Government The Beiyang government (), officially the Republic of China (), sometimes spelled Peiyang Government, refers to the government of the Republic of China which sat in its capital Peking (Beijing) between 1912 and 1928. It was internationally ...

declared neutrality in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. All gunboats were detained, and Southern Qing Fleet became extinct before long. *Structure (extract) *Commander *Chief of staff

China Expeditionary Fleet/1st Expeditionary Fleet

The was reorganized on 9 August 1919 from . Their ancestor was under

. They became 11th Division only for gunboats and became extinct. *Structure (extract) *Commander

2nd Expeditionary Fleet

The was organized on 16 May 1927 for reinforcements for 1st Expeditionary Fleet. Their role was the guard of Northern China. *Structure (extract) *Commander

Bibliography

*Naval Minister's Secretariat/Ministry of the Navy (keep by , National Archives of Japan) **''Monograph: Year of 1900 - Extract of naval war history of Qing Incident'', each volume **''Fleet boat division organization and warship torpedo boat deployment'', each volume **''Vessels boat service list'', each volume *

Senshi Sōsho The , also called the , is the official military history of Imperial Japan's involvement in the Pacific War from 1937 to 1945. The task of compiling the official account of the Japanese involvement in World War II began in October 1955 with the ope ...

each volume, Asagumo Simbun (Japan) *Rekishi Dokuhon, Special issue No. 33 ''Overview of admirals of the Imperial Japanese Navy'', Shin-Jinbutsuōraisha, 1999 *The Japanese Modern Historical Manuscripts Association, ''Organizations, structures and personnel affairs of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy'', University of Tokyo Press, 1971 *''The Maru Special series'' each volume, (Japan) *''Ships of the World series'' each volume, , (Japan) {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Fleets of the Imperial Japanese Navy Military units and formations established in 1937 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945