17th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)

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17th Division
For IJA 17th Division Officer's Club, Okayama
Active13 November 1907 – 1 May 1925
4 April 1938 – 1945
CountryEmpire of Japan
BranchImperial Japanese Army
TypeInfantry
Garrison/HQOkayama, Japan
Nickname(s)Moon Division
EngagementsSecond Sino-Japanese War
World War II

The 17th Division (第17師団, Dai-jūnana Shidan) was an

infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. Its tsūshōgō code name was the Moon Division (月兵団, Tsuki-heidan). The 17th Division was one of two infantry divisions raised by the Imperial Japanese Army immediately after the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905). The division received its colors on 13 November 1907. Its original headquarters was in a suburb of the city of Okayama, and its troops were recruited primarily from communities in the three prefectures of Okayama, Hiroshima, and Shimane. The first commander of the division was Lieutenant General Ichinohe Hyoe
.

Action

The division was raised in 1905.[1] On 4 March 1908, the headquarters of the 17th division was transferred to rural Mitsu District, Okayama (now part of the city of Okayama). On 18 March 1915, the headquarters of the division moved to a more central location in Okayama city. However, on 26 March 1915 it was ordered to Liaoyang in Manchuria as a garrison force, before returning to Okayama 10 May 1917.

However, in 1925, the division was inactivated.

Kato Takaaki administration, together with the 13th, 15th and 18th
divisions.

The 17th Division was resurrected in 1938.[1] At this time, it was formed as a triangular division as part of the general military buildup after the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War. Initially the 17th division was used to replace the transferred 10th division within the China Expeditionary Army, and participated in the Battle of Wuhan. Elements of the division were recalled to Japan in July 1940, while the rest garrisoned the Xuzhou area until relieved by 65th Division.

During the

auxiliary cruiser Awata Maru was sunk. The remains of convoy arrived in Rabaul on 12 November 1943.[5]

Approximately one-third of the 17th Division's forces (the HQ staff and IJA 81st Infantry Regiment) were stationed on neighboring

Battle of New Britain, incorporating the 51st Reconnaissance Regiment in the process. At the end of battle the division was reduced to the couple of the independent mixed regiments guarding hospital areas. The 17th Division survivors surrendered on New Britain to Allied forces with the surrender of Japan
on 15 August 1945.

See also

  • List of Japanese Infantry Divisions

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Rottman 2005, p. 11.
  2. ^ Rottman 2005, p. 15.
  3. ^ IJN KIYOSUMI MARU: Tabular Record of Movement
  4. ^ IJN GOKOKU MARU: Tabular Record of Movement
  5. ^ IJN Auxiliary Submarine Depot Ship HIE MARU: Tabular Record of Movement

References

  • Hough, Frank O.; John A. Crown (1952). "The Campaign on New Britain". USMC Historical Monograph. Historical Division, Division of Public Information, Headquarters U.S. Marine Corps. Archived from the original on 24 December 2006. Retrieved 4 December 2006.
  • Miller, John Jr. (1959). "CARTWHEEL: The Reduction of Rabaul". United States Army in World War II: The War in the Pacific.
    Office of the Chief of Military History
    , U.S. Department of the Army. p. 418. Retrieved 20 October 2006.    * Madej, W. Victor. Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937–1945 [2 vols] Allentown, PA: 1981
  • Rottman, Gordon L. (2005). Duncan Anderson (ed.). Japanese Army in World War II: The South Pacific and New Guinea, 1942–43. Oxford and New York: Osprey.
    ISBN 1-84176-870-7
    .
  • This article incorporates material from the Japanese Wikipedia page 第17師団 (日本軍), accessed 3 March 2016
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