Borneo Campaign (1945) order of battle

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An Allied estimate of Japanese units in Borneo at the end of April 1945
An Allied estimate of Japanese units in Borneo at the end of April 1945
A map showing the progress of the Borneo Campaign
A map showing the progress of the Borneo Campaign

This is the complete order of battle of Allied and Japanese forces during the Borneo Campaign of 1945. As the campaign was fought in three geographically separate areas and the same air and naval units supported more than one of these battles the order of battle is split into the three areas.

Contents

[edit] Summary order of battle

[edit] Allied forces

[edit] Japanese forces

  • Southern Army (Saigon)
    • Japanese Seventh Area Army
      • Japanese 37th Army
        • 56th Independent Mixed Brigade (Brunei)
        • 71st Independent Mixed Brigade (Kuching)
        • 25th Independent Mixed Regiment (North Borneo)
        • 455th Independent Infantry Battalion (Balikpapan)
        • 553rd Independent Infantry Battalion (Miri)
        • 554th Independent Infantry Battalion (Sandakan)
        • 774th Independent Infantry Battalion (Tenom)
        • Army-Navy Headquarters Tarakan
        • 22nd Special Naval Base Force (Balikpapan)
  • Japanese 3rd Air Army (Singapore)
    • Japanese 10th Independent Flying Brigade
      • 83rd Flying Regiment

[edit] Battle of Tarakan (1945)

[edit] Allied units ("Oboe One Force")

[edit] Ground forces

Royal Netherlands East Indies Army

  • 2nd Company, 1st Battalion Netherlands East Indies Army[1]

United States Army

  • Composite Company, 727th Amphibian Tractor Battalion
  • Company, 593rd Engineer Boat and Shore Battalion

[edit] Air units

  • 18th Fighter Group USAAF (Mindoro Is., Zamboanga from 4 May)
    • 12th Fighter Squadron (P-38)
    • 44th Fighter Squadron (P-38)
    • 70th Fighter Squadron (P-38)
  • 347th Fighter Group USAAF (Palawan Is.)
    • 67th Fighter Squadron (P-38)
    • 68th Fighter Squadron (P-38)
    • 339th Fighter Squadron (P-38)
  • 42nd (Medium) Bombardment Group USAAF (Palawan Is.)
    • 69th Bombardment Group (B-25)
    • 70th Bombardment Group (B-25)
    • 75th Bombardment Group (B-25)
    • 100th Bombardment Group (B-25)
    • 390th Bombardment Group (B-25)
  • 5th (Heavy) Bombardment Group USAAF (Samar Is.)
    • 23d Bombardment Group (B-24)
    • 31st Bombardment Group (B-24)
    • 72d Bombardment Group (B-24)
    • 394th Bombardment Group (B-24)
  • 307th (Heavy) Bombardment Group USAAF (Morotai Is.)
    • 370th Bombardment Group (B-24)
    • 371st Bombardment Group (B-24)
    • 372nd Bombardment Group (B-24)
    • 424th Bombardment Group (B-24)
  • 868th Squadron USAAF (LAB-24)
  • Fleet Air Wing 17 US Navy (Palawan Is.)
    • Patrol Bombing Squadron 128 (VPB-128) (PV-1 Ventura)
    • Patrol Bombing Squadron 106 (VPB-106) (PB4Y-2 Privateer) (from 3 May)
    • Patrol Bombing Squadron 111 (VPB-111) (PB4Y-2 Privateer)
    • Patrol Bombing Squadron 109 (VPB-109) (PB4Y-2 Privateer with Bat Bombs) (until 6 May)

[edit] Naval units

[edit] Japanese units

  • Army-Navy Headquarters
    • 455th Independent Infantry Battalion
      • 1 Company
      • 2 Company
      • 3 Company
      • 4 Company
      • Machine Gun Company
    • 2nd Naval Guard Force
      • 1 Company
      • 2 Company
      • Air Defence Unit

[edit] Operation Oboe Six

[edit] Battle of North Borneo


[edit] Battle of Balikpapan (1945)

[edit] Allied units

[edit] Ground forces

  • Australian 7th Division
    • 2/7th Cavalry (Commando) Regiment
    • 2/1st Pioneer Battalion
    • 2/1st Machine Gun Battalion
    • B Company, 2/1st Guard Regiment (4 platoons)
    • Artillery
      • 2/4 Field Regiment
      • 2/5 Field Regiment
      • 2/6 Field Regiment
      • 2/2 Tank Attack Regiment
    • Engineers
      • 2/4 Field Company
      • 2/5 Field Company
      • 2/6 Field Company
      • 2/9 Field Company
      • 2/25 Field Park Company
    • 18th Infantry Brigade
      • 2/9 Battalion
      • 2/10 Battalion
      • 2/12 Battalion
    • 21st Infantry Brigade
      • 2/14 Battalion
      • 2/16 Battalion
      • 2/27 Battalion
    • 25th Infantry Brigade
      • 2/25 Battalion
      • 2/31 Battalion
      • 2/33 Battalion
  • I Australian Corps units allocated to the 7th Australian Division:
    • 1st Armoured Regiment
    • 2/1st Armoured Brigade Reconnaissance Squadron (-)
    • 2/1st Composite AA Regiment
  • 2 Beach Group
    • 2/2 Pioneer Battalion
    • 2/11 Field Company

Royal Netherlands East Indies Army

  • 1 Company, 1st NEI Battalion

United States Army

    • 727th Amphibious Tractor Battalion (less one company)
    • Company, 672nd Amphibious Tractor Battalion
    • Boat company, Boat Battalion, 593rd Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment

[edit] Air units

Royal Australian Air Force

United States Army Air Force

  • 13th Air Force
    • 42 (Medium) Bombardment Group (B-25)
      • 69, 70, 75, 100, 390 Bombardment Squadrons (Palawan Island)
    • 5 (Heavy) Bombardment Group (B-24)
    • 307 (Heavy) Bombardment Group (B-24)
      • 370, 371, 372, 424 Bombardment Squadrons (Morotai Island)
    • 868 Bombardment Squadron (SB-24, LAB: Low Altitude radar Bomb.) flew maritime surveillance patrols
    • 18 Fighter Group (P-38)
    • 347 Fighter Group (P-38)
      • 67, 68, 339 Fighter Squadrons (Palawan Island)
    • 419 Night Fighter Squadron (P-61) (Zamboanga and Palawan)
    • 4 Reconnaissance Group (F-5 and B-25)
      • 17 Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron Det. (Palawan Island)
  • 5th Air Force
    • 22 (Heavy) Bombardment Group (B-24)
    • 38 (Medium) Bombardment Group (B-25)
    • 90 (Heavy) Bombardment Group (B-24)
    • 380 (Heavy) Bombardment Group (B-24)

United States Marine Corps

  • Marine Aircraft Group 2 (flying from the USN escort carriers)
      • VMF-512 (FG-1D)
      • VMTB-143 (TBM-3)

United States Navy

  • Fleet Air Wing 17 (Palawan Island)
    • Patrol Bombing Squadron 128 (VPB-128) (PV-1)
    • Patrol Bombing Squadron 106 (VPB-106) (PB4Y-2)
    • Patrol Bombing Squadron 111 (VPB-111) (PB4Y-2)
  • Navy Escort Carrier Group 40 (CVEG-40) on carrier Suwannee
    • Fighting Squadron 40 (VF-40) (F6F-5)
    • Torpedo Squadron 40 (VT-40) (TBM-3)

[edit] Naval forces

  • 8 USN PT boats arrived with the tender USS Mobjack on 27 June, and this force was expanded to two PT boat squadrons (10 and 27) on 6 July.

[edit] Japanese Units

  • 22nd Base Force
  • 455th Independent Infantry Bn

[edit] References

  1. ^ Stanley (1997). Pages 213-218.
  • Australian Official Histories of World War II
  • ‘Japanese Monograph Number 26: Borneo Operations. 1941-1945’ in War in Asia and the Pacific. Volume 6. The Southern Area (Part I).
  • Wesley Craven and James Cate (1953), The Army Air Forces in World War Two. Volume V: Matterhorn to Nagasaki. Government Printing Office, Washington D.C.
  • Samuel Eliot Morison (1989), The Liberation of the Philippines: Luzon, Mindanao, the Visayas 1944-1945. Little, Brown and Company, Boston.
  • Royal Navy (1959), Naval Staff History Second World War: War with Japan, Volume VI; The Advance to Japan. British Admiralty, London.
  • Peter Stanley (1997), Tarakan. An Australian Tragedy. Allen & Unwin, Sydney. ISBN 1-86448-278-8