The was a

field army A field army (or numbered army or simply army) is a military formation in many armed forces, composed of two or more corps and may be subordinate to an army group. Likewise, air armies are equivalent formation within some air forces, and with ...

of the

Imperial Japanese 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 ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

History

The 18th Area Army was originally formed on January 4, 1943, as the . It was renamed the Japanese Thirty-ninth Army on December 14, 1944, and became the 18th Area Army on July 7, 1945, shortly before the end of the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

.Madej, ''Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945'' The 18th Area Army was under the control of the

Southern Expeditionary Army The was a general army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. It was responsible for all military operations in South East Asian and South West Pacific campaigns of World War II. Its military symbol was NA. The Southern Expeditio ...

Group as a

military reserve A military reserve, active reserve, reserve formation, or simply reserve, is a group of military personnel or units that is initially not committed to a battle by its commander, so that it remains available to address unforeseen situations or ex ...

and

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

force, ostensibly to help defend the Empire of Japan's nominal ally, the Kingdom of

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 ...

against possible invasion by the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

, but in more practical terms, it was present to ensure that Thailand remained an ally to Japan. It was headquartered in Bangkok. The 18th Area Army was demobilized in Bangkok 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

Commanding officer

Chief of Staff

References

Citation

Books

* *

External links

*{{cite web, last = Wendel, first = Marcus, url = http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=6752, title = Axis History Factbook, work = Japanese 18th Area Army 18 Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945