38th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2018) |
| 38th Division | |
|---|---|
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Tadayoshi Sano Yoshimitsu Abe Takeo Itō |
The 38th Division (第38師団, Dai sanjūhachi shidan) was an infantry division of the Imperial Japanese Army, activated 30 June 1939 in Nagoya,[1] simultaneously with the 39th, 40th and 41st Divisions. Its call sign was the Swamp Division (沼兵団, Numa Heidan).[citation needed]
Action
The division was initially assigned in October 1939 to the
The division saw heavy action during the Pacific campaign of World War II. Its main combat units were three infantry regiments: the 228th, 229th and 230th. These were supported by the 38th Mountain Artillery Regiment, the 38th Engineer Regiment, the 38th Transport Regiment and a tankette company.[2]
Initially, the division participated in conquest of Hong Kong in 1941.[1] On 4 January 1942, the 38th Division was assigned to the 16th Army and its 230th Infantry Regiment (converted for this occasion into the 3rd Mixed Regiment) took part in the Battle of Java (1942). In November 1942 the 3rd Battalion of the 229th Infantry Regiment was sent to participate in the New Guinea campaign, where by January 1943 it was completely decimated following multiple engagements on the island chain with Australian forces.[citation needed]
The remnants of the division fell back to
The division's soldiers were accused of committing
See also
- List of Japanese Infantry Divisions
References
- This article incorporates material from the Japanese Wikipedia page 第38師団 (日本軍), accessed 18 March 2016
Footnotes
- ^ a b c Rottman 2005, p. 10.
- ^ Rottman 2005, p. 15.
- ^ Budge, Kent. "Takeo Ito". Pacific War Online Encyclopedia.
- ^ Some Noteworthy War Criminals Archived 9 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine Source: History of the United Nations War Crimes Commission and the Development of the Laws of War, United Nations War Crimes Commission (London: HMSO, 1948)
Books
- ISBN 0-394-58875-4.
- Fuller, Richard (1992). Shokan: Hirohito's Samurai. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 1-85409-151-4.
- Griffith, Samuel B. (1963). The Battle for Guadalcanal. Champaign, Illinois, US: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-06891-2.
- Rottman, Gordon L. (2005). Japanese Army in World War II: The South Pacific and New Guinea, 1942-43. Oxford and New York: Osprey. ISBN 1-84176-870-7.
- United States War Department (1991) [reprint of 1944 edition]. Handbook on Japanese Military Forces. David Isby (Introduction) and ISBN 0-8071-2013-8.
Web
- Ammentorp, Steen. "Sano, Tadayoshi, Lieutenant-General".
- Budge, Kent G. "Sano Tadayoshi (1889–1945)".
- Japanese army operations in the South Pacific Area New Britain and Papua campaigns, 1942–43. ISBN 978-0-9751904-8-7. See p. 163 for a breakdown of the division's organization in September 1942.
- Hough, Frank O.; Ludwig, Verle E.; Shaw, Henry I. Jr. "Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal". History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II.
- Miller, John Jr. (1995) [1949]. Guadalcanal: The First Offensive. United States Army In World War II. United States Army Center of Military History. Archived from the original on 25 December 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2006.
- Shaw, Henry I. "First Offensive: The Marine Campaign For Guadalcanal". Marines in World War II Commemorative Series.
- World History Database (1999–2000). "Tadayoshi Sano". Archived from the original on 15 May 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2009.
- Zimmerman, John L. (1949). "The Guadalcanal Campaign". Marines in World War II Historical Monograph.
External links
