Japanese Fourth Army

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Japanese Fourth Army
Active 1904-06-24-1945-08-15　
Country Empire of Japan
Branch Imperial Japanese Army
Type Infantry
Role Corps
Garrison/HQ Bei'an, Manchukuo
Nickname Hikari (光 Light?)
Engagements
Russo-Japanese War
*Battle of Liaoyang
*Battle of Mukden
World War II
*Operation August Storm
Japanese 4th Army (1945)
Parent unit Japanese First Area Army
Components
  • 119th Infantry Division
  • 123rd Infantry Division
  • 149th Infantry Division
  • 80th Independent Combined Brigade
  • 131st Independent Combined Brigade
  • 135th Independent Combined Brigade
  • 136th Independent Combined Brigade

The Japanese 4th Army (第4軍 Dai-yon gun?) was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army based in Manchukuo from the Russo-Japanese War.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Russo-Japanese War

The Japanese 4th Army was initially raised on 24 June 1904 in the midst of the Russo-Japanese War under the command of General Nozu Michitsura out of various reserve elements, to provide support and additional manpower in the Japanese drive towards Mukden in the closing stages of the war against Imperial Russia. It was disbanded at Mukden on 17 January 1906.

[edit] Second Sino-Japanese War

After the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese Fourth Army was raised again as a garrison force to guard the northern borders of Manchukuo against possible incursions by the Soviet Red Army. It was based at Bei'an, the capital of a northern Manchukuo province of the same name, that was heavily fortified with various ground emplacements. The Fourth Army afterwards came under the command of the Japanese First Area Army under the overall command of the Kwantung Army.

During the invasion of the Soviet Army in Operation August Storm in the final days of World War II, the Japanese Fourth Army was no match for the experienced, battle-hardened Soviet armored and mechanized infantry divisions, who quickly overran or circumvented the Japanese defenses, and its forces were driven back to Harbin by the time of the surrender of Japan.

[edit] List of Commanders

[edit] Commanding officer

Name From To
1 General Nozu Michitsura 30 June 1904 12 Jan 1906
X Disbanded
1 Lieutenant General Kesaware Nakashima 15 July 1938 1 August 1939
2 Lieutenant General Jun Ushiroku 1 August 1939 28 September 1940
3 Lieutenant General Kohei Washizu 28 October 1940 15 October 1941
4 Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama 15 October 1941 21 September 1942
5 Lieutenant General Tatsumi Kusaba 21 September 1942 7 February 1944
6 Lieutenant General Kanji Nishihara 7 February 1944 23 March 1944
7 Lieutenant General Mikio Uemura 23 March 1944 September 1945

[edit] Chief of Staff

Name From To
1 Major General Uehara Yusaku 30 June 1904 23 Jan 1906
X Disbanded
1 Lieutenant General Renya Mutaguchi 15 July 1938 1 December 1939
2 Lieutenant General Masao Yoshizumi 1 December 1939 9 September 1940
3 Lieutenant General Hiroshi Watanabe 9 September 1940 7 July 1941
4 Lieutenant General Asasaburo Kobayashi 7 July 1941 1 December 1941
5 Lieutenant General Hiroshi Watanabe 1 December 1941 1 August 1942
6 Lieutenant General Kohei Takeshi 1 August 1942 11 September 1943
7 Major General Saburo Hagi 11 September 1943 26 December 1944
8 Major General Bujo Ono 26 December 1944 September 1945

[edit] References

  • Frank, Richard B (1999). Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-679-41424-X. 
  • Jowett, Bernard (1999). The Japanese Army 1931-45 (Volume 2, 1942-45). Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1841763543. 
  • Madej, Victor (1981). Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945. Game Publishing Company. ASIN: B000L4CYWW. 
  • Marston, Daniel (2005). The Pacific War Companion: From Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1841768820. 
  • Glantz, David (2003). The Soviet Strategic Offensive in Manchuria, 1945 (Cass Series on Soviet (Russian) Military Experience, 7). Routledge. ISBN 0-7146-5279-2. 

[edit] External links

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