16th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
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IJA Sixteenth Division (第16師団 Ju-roku Shidan?) was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. Its call sign was the Wall Division (垣兵団 Kaki Heidan?).
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[edit] History
The 16th Division was one of the four divisions raised in the closing stages of the Russo-Japanese War. With Japan's resources strained to the breaking point towards the end of that conflict, the entire force of the Imperial Japanese Army was committed to combat in Manchuria, leaving not a single division left to guard the Japanese main islands in case of attack. The 16th division was raised from men in the Kyoto area and immediately dispatched to Manchuria. However, the Treaty of Portsmouth was concluded before it could see combat, and remained in Manchuria as a garrison force.
With the outbreak of hostilities against China in the Second Sino-Japanese War, the 16th Division came under control of the Japanese 2nd Army in the north China theater. It participated in the Battle of Nanjing, Battle of Xuzhou and Battle of Wuhan before being withdrawn from China and returned to Japan.
With the outbreak of the Pacific War, the 16th Division was sent to the Philippines and based in Manila as part of the Japanese 35th Army under the Japanese 14th Area Army. However, as the war situation deteriorated, Japanese Imperial General Headquarters ordered the 16th Division to Leyte island for a final decisive stand against the United States. Of the approximately 13,000 men in the division, only 620 survived the Battle of Leyte, including only one of its regimental commanders (who later killed himself).
Noteworthy commanders in the history of the 16th Division have included: HIH Prince Nashimoto (Morimasa), Minami Jiro, and Kanji Ishiwara.
[edit] Organization
The order of battle for the 16th Division included:
- 9th Infantry Regiment
- 20th Infantry Regiment
- 33rd Infantry Regiment
- 22nd Field Artillery Regiment
- 16th Construction Regiment
- 16th Transport Regiment.
[edit] See also
[edit] Reference and further reading
- Madej, W. Victor. Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945 [2 vols]
Allentown, PA: 1981
