21st Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
| 21st Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 4 April 1938 – August 1945 |
| Country | |
| Nickname(s) | Attack Division |
| Engagements | Second Sino-Japanese War World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Hisakazu Tanaka |
The 21st Division (第21師団, Dai-nijūichi Shidan) was an
Kanazawa, and its troops were recruited primarily from communities in Ishikawa and Toyama Prefectures
.
Action
Initially assigned to the
Japanese Northern China Area Army, it was deployed to the Chinese mainland from 15 July 1938, serving as a garrison force in Xuzhou. In February 1939, it participated in fighting in the Kahoku district of Hebei province. Under the command of Lieutenant Commander Hisakazu Tanaka from 1940 to 1943 as part of the Japanese 12th Army, the division participated in counter-insurgency operations in Northern China as well as the Battle of South Shanxi in May 1941, and the subsequent Hundred Regiments Offensive
.
From November 1941, the division was transferred to the control of the
Pacific war except for a brief period in late 1944 when it crossed back into China to participate in Operation Ichi-Go. The division played a critical role in the Japanese coup d'état in French Indochina of March 1945, which resulted in the proclamation of the Empire of Vietnam independent from French rule. It remained as a garrison force in Hanoi until the surrender of Japan
in August 1945.
A number of its troops refused to return to Japan and defected to join the Viet Minh in their struggle for independence (First Indochina War) against the returning French colonial forces. But in 1954 they were ordered to return to Japan by the Vietnamese government.[1]
See also
- List of Japanese Infantry Divisions
References
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (June 2013) |
- ^ Ian Harvey (6 March 2017). "Japan's Emperor and Empress Meet With Children Abandoned by Japanese Soldiers After WWII". War History Online (The place for military history news and views). Retrieved 6 September 2022.
- Rottman, Gordon (2005). Japanese Army in World War II : Conquest of the Pacific 1941-42. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1841767891.
- Dommen, Arthur J (2001). The Indochinese Experience of the French and the Americans. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0253338549.
- Dunn, Peter M (1985). The First Vietnam War. C Hurst & Company. ISBN 0905838874.
- Madej, W. Victor. Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945 [2 vols] Allentown, PA: 1981
- This article incorporates material from the Japanese Wikipedia page 第21師団 (日本軍), accessed 7 March 2016