Manchukuo Imperial Army

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The Manchukuo Imperial Army was the armed force of Manchukuo.

Contents 1 History 2 Organisation 2.1 1932 organization 2.2 1932 organization notes: 2.3 Manchukuo force in Operation Nekka 1933 2.4 1934 organization 2.5 1944 organization 2.6 1945 organization 3 Equipment 4 See also 5 References 6 Sources: 7 External links

[edit] History

Imperial Japan initially had Manchukuo allied forces formed from the forces of Marshal Zhang Xueliang's Northeastern Army generals that had gone over to the Japanese after the Mukden Incident. Of the estimated 160,000 troops of the Northeastern Army at the beginning of the Mukden Incident about 60,000 went over to the Japanese, including the forces of:

• Lt. General Hsi Hsia of the Kirin Army.
• General Chang Hai-peng of the Hsingan Reclamation Army.
• General Chang Ching-hui of the Special District in Harbin

The Chinese turncoats included many Chinese troops and isolated units the Japanese captured and interned in their rapid invasion of Manchuria along the railroad lines. They were often persuaded to join the puppet armies for money or drugs (many being opium addicts). They were armed from the captured equipment and arsenals of the Northeastern Army.

The Manchukuo Imperial Army was formed from these forces after the establishment of the state of Manchukuo in March 1932. In its first form it was organized in five Guard Armies, with a total of over 111,000 men. In the following year, during the Manchukuoan Anti Bandit Operations, captured soldiers of the Anti-Japanese Volunteer Armies and captured bandits joined the ranks. However many were killed, wounded or lost to desertion to the Volunteer Armies or bandit gangs, along with their arms and ammunition. The most notable desertion was that of Ma Zhanshan from the Heilongjiang Guard Army with several thousand troops along with many artillery peices and ammunition and equipment.

[edit] Organisation

[edit] 1932 organization

The early Manchukuoan Army organization is listed below. Manchukuoan units mentioned in various accounts in the 1932-33 Anti Bandit Operations against the volunteer armies are indicated with an *. ^[1] Units troop strengths in parenthesis from ^[2]

Fengtien Guard Army - ? (20,541 men)

• Headquarters (678)
• Teaching unit (2,718)
• 1st Mixed Brigade (2,467) *[1]
• 2nd Mixed Brigade (2,104)
• 3rd Mixed Brigade (2,467)
• 4th Mixed Brigade (1,755)
• 5th Mixed Brigade (1,291)
• 6th Mixed Brigade (2,238)
• 7th Mixed Brigade (2,014) *[1]
• 1st Cavalry Brigade (1,098)
  • 2nd Cavalry Regiment (?) *[1]
• 2nd Cavalry Brigade (1,625)

Kirin Guard Army - General Hsi Hsia (34,287 men)

• Headquarters (1,447)
• 2nd Teaching Unit (2,718)
• Infantry Detachment (1,163)
• Cavalry Detachment (1,295) *[1]
• 1st Infantry Brigade (2,301) *[1] Feng Zhanhai Subjugation
• 2nd Infantry Brigade (2,343)
• 3rd Infantry Brigade (2,496)
• 4th Infantry Brigade (3,548)
• 5th Infantry Brigade (3,244)
• 7th Infantry Brigade (2,343)*[1]Subjugation of Anit Kirin Army
• 8th Infantry Brigade (2,301)*[1]Subjugation of Anit Kirin Army
• 1st Cavalry Brigade(1,867)
• 2nd Cavalry Brigade(1,598)*[1]Subjugation of Anit Kirin Army
• 3rd Cavalry Brigade(1,598)*[1]Subjugation of Anit Kirin Army
• 4th Cavalry Brigade(2,037)
• Yilan Unit (706)
• Kirin Railway Guards (North Manchuria Railway Guard Force)
  • HQ (151)
  • Sanrin Unit (1,452)

River Defense Fleet (640 men)

• Lisui *[1] Subjugation of Anti Kirin Army
• Litsai *[1] Subjugation of Anti Kirin Army
• Kiangping *[1] Subjugation of Anti Kirin Army
• Kiangching *[1] Subjugation of Anti Kirin Army
• Kiangtung *[1] Subjugation of Anti Kirin Army

Heilongjiang Guard Army - Ma Zhanshan 25,162 men

• Headquarters (1,016)
• 3rd Teaching Unit (2,718)
• 1st Mixed Brigade (3,085) *
• 2nd Mixed Brigade (3,085)
• 3rd Mixed Brigade (3,085)
• 4th Mixed Brigade (3,085)
• 5th Mixed Brigade (1,934)
• 1st Cavalry Brigade (2,244)*[1] Li Hai-ching Subjugation 5/1932
• 2nd Cavalry Brigade (2,244)
• 3rd Cavalry Brigade (2,666)

Hsingan Army (4,374)

• South Hsingan Garrison(1,682)
  • 3rd and 4th Cavalry Regiments
• Eastern Hsingan Garrison (1,818)
  • 5th and 6th Cavalry Regiments
• Northern Hsingan Garrison(874)
  • 7th and 8th Cavalry Regiments

Taoliao Army - Chang Hai-peng 17,945 men

• 1st Detachment *[1] Li Hai-ching Subjugation 5/1932
• 2nd Detachment
• 3rd Detachment
• 4th Detachment *[1] Li Hai-ching Subjugation 5/1932
• 5th Detachment *
• 6th Detachment
• 7th Detachment *[1] Li Hai-ching Subjugation 5/1932
• 8th Detachment *

Total strength of the Manchukuoan Army at its foundation was 111,044 men.

[edit] 1932 organization notes:

• Fengtien Guard Army units not listed mentioned in various accounts in the 1932-33 Anti Bandit Operations:
  • 1st Detachment (possibly 1st Mixed Brigade), was in the First Tungpientao Clearance 3-5/1932.
  • 2nd Detachment (possibly 2nd Mixed Brigade), was in the First Tungpientao Clearance 3-5/1932.

• Kirin Guard Army units not listed mentioned in various accounts in the 1932-33 Anti Bandit Operations:
  • Liu Brigade (possibly one of the Infantry Brigades, presumably named after its commander) was in the 1st Feng Zhanhai Subjugation.
  • Cavalry Corps (Possibly the combined force of all the Cavalry Brigades of the Kirin Army) was in the Feng Zhanhai Subjugation.

• Heilongjiang Guard Army units not listed mentioned in various accounts in the 1932-33 Anti Bandit Operations:
  • 1st Detachment (1st Mixed Brigade?) was in the Ma Zhanshan Subjugation 5-7/1932, Li Hai-ching Subjugation 5/1932
  • 2nd Detachment (2nd Mixed Brigade?) was in the Ma Zhanshan Subjugation 5-7/1932
  • 3rd Detachment (3rd Mixed Brigade?)*

• Ma Zhanshan revolted in April 1932 and was said to have had about 6,000 men much of it cavalry with some artillery. Possibly these were the 2nd and 3rd Cavalry Brigades.

• Taoliao Army, was the former Hsingan Reclamation Army, was involved in Operation Nekka that captured Rehe. Following which in 1933 it became the Rehe Guard Army. It had the same commander throughout, Chang Hai-peng.

• Chinganyuchitui Guard Corps formed after the foundation of the army in Fengtien and was involved in Ki Feng-lung District Subjugation in November 1932.

• Other units formed in 1933:
  • Chingan Army Artillery Corps
  • Hsinching Independent Cavalry Detachment

[edit] Manchukuo force in Operation Nekka 1933

Manchukuoan Force - Chang Hai-peng

• Taoliao Army - Chang Hai-peng (concurrent)
  • 7 Detachments
• National Foundation Army - ?
  • 3 Detachments
• National Protection Army - ?
• National Salvation Army - Li Chi-chun
• 1st Brigade of the Guard Corps

Total 42,000 men

Following the Japanese occupation of Rehe, it was annexed to Manchukuo and a Rehe Guard Army for the province was established.

[edit] 1934 organization

In an attempt to get reliable and well trained soldiers the Japanese began to remove the soldiers and officers of the old Northeastern Army who were found to unreliable during the war against the volunteer armies and many of the soldiers who were drug addicts. Eventually civilians were systematically recruited to the army, and officers only allowed to serve if they had gone through a Japanese training school.

In August of 1934 the Japanese reorganized the Manchukuoan Army into five district armies, each divided into two or three zones. Each zone was to have one or two Mixed Brigades assigned to it. Each of these District Armies had a teaching unit.

New standardized unit organizations were also created.

• Mixed Brigades were formed of one or two Infantry Regiments, a Cavalry Regiment and an Artillery or Mortar Company, with a strength of 2,414 men, 817 horses (in 2 Infantry Regiment units) or 1515 men, 700 horses (in 1 Infantry Regiment units).
• Cavalry Brigades were formed of three Cavalry Regiments and an Artillery or Mortar Company, with a strength of 1,500 men, 1,500 horses.

In 1935 the Manchukuon Army was organized this way:

• 1st District Army "Fengtien" - General Yu Chih-shan
  • 6 Mixed Brigades

• 2nd District Army "Kirin" - General Chi Hsing
  • 4 Mixed Brigades, 3 Cavalry Brigades

• 3rd District Army "Qiqihar" - General Chang Wen-tao
  • 5 Mixed Brigades, 1 Cavalry Brigade

• 4th District Army "Harbin" - General Yu Cheng-shen
  • 8 Mixed Brigades, 1 Cavalry Brigade

• 5th District Army "Chengde" - General Chang Hai-peng
  • 3 Mixed Brigades, 1 Cavalry Brigade

In Hsingan there were four Guard Armies:

• East Hingganling Guard Army
• West Hingganling Guard Army
• North Hingganling Guard Army
• South Hingganling Guard Army

Other units of the army were:

• Seian Guard Army
• 1st Xingjing Cavalry Brigade
• River Fleet

The Manchukuoan Army at this time had a total strength of 72,329 men.

[edit] 1944 organization

By 1944 the manpower of the Manchukuoan Army had increased to over 200,000 men according to Soviet intelligence sources. They reported the army had the following units:.

• 1 Pacification Division or 1st Division (3 Infantry Regiments, 1 artillery regiment)
• 1 Guards Brigade, (2 infantry regiments of 2 battalions, 1 mortar company)
• 1 Cavalry Division, (2 cavalry brigades, 1 battalion of horse artillery)
• 10 Infantry Brigades, (2 infantry regiments of 2 battalions, 1 mortar company)
• 6 Cavalry Brigades, (2 cavalry regiments, 1 battery of horse artillery)
• 21 Mixed Brigades, (1 infantry regiment, 1 cavalry regiment, 1 battery of mountain artillery)
• 2 Independent Brigades
• 7 Independent Cavalry Regiments
• 11 Artillery Units (one per District)
• 5 Anti Aircraft Regiments

[edit] 1945 organization

Army of Manchukuo ^[3]

• 8 Infantry divisions
• 7 Cavalry divisions
• 14 Infantry and cavalry brigades

[edit] Equipment

• List of weapons of the Manchukuo Imperial forces

[edit] See also

• Manchukuo Imperial Navy Forces
• Manchukuo Imperial Guards

[edit] References

[edit] Sources:

• Jowett, Phillip J., Rays of the Rising Sun Vol 1., Helion & Co. Ltd. 2004.

[edit] External links

• Manchukuo Imperial Army March 1, 1932
• The Mighty Forces of Manchukuo
• August Storm: The Soviet Invasion of Manchukuo