Seventeenth Army (Japan)

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Japanese Seventeenth Army

General Kanda signs surrender
Active 1942-05-18-1945-08-15
Country Empire of Japan
Branch Imperial Japanese Army
Type Infantry
Role Corps
Garrison/HQ Rabaul
Nickname  Oki ( Offshore?)
Engagements Solomon Islands campaign
Japanese Seventeenth Army (1945)
Parent unit Japanese Eighth Area Army
Components

The Japanese 17th Army (第17軍 Dai-jyūnana gun?) was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.

Contents

[edit] History

The Japanese 17th Army was formed on 18 May 1942 under the Japanese Eighth Area Army of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group for the specific task of opposing landings by Allied forces in Japanese-occupied Solomon Islands. It was initially headquartered on Rabaul and participated in the New Guinea, Guadalcanal, and Solomon Islands campaigns of the South West Pacific theatre of World War II. .[1]

After General Hitoshi Imamura took over command of the Japanese Eighth Area Army the 17th Army was responsible solely for the Solomons, primarily on Bougainville.[2] It was trapped on Bougainville and cut off from reinforcements and re-supply during the Bougainville campaign (1943-45), and was forced to live off the land, hiding in jungle caves for most of the rest of the war. [3]

[edit] List of Commanders

[edit] Commanding officer

Name From To
1 Lieutenant General Harukichi Hyakutake 18 May 1942 1 April 1945
2 Lieutenant General Masatane Kanda 1 April 1945 15 August 1945

[edit] Chief of Staff

Name From To
1 Major General Akisaburo Futami 5 May 1942 1 October 1942
2 Lieutenant General Chuichi Miyazaki 1 October 1942 11 May 1943
3 Lieutenant General Tsutomi Akinaga 11 May 1943 11 September 1943
4 Major General Chikara Akinaga 11 September 1943 1 April 1945
5 Major General Isaoshi Makata 1 April 1945 1 September 1945

[edit] References

  • Frank, Richard (1990). Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-394-58875-4. 
  • Gailey, Harry A. (1991). Bougainville, 1943-1945: The Forgotten Campaign. Lexington, Kentucky, USA: University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-9047-9. 
  • Hayashi, Saburo (1959). Kogun: The Japanese Army in the Pacific War. Marine Corps. Association. ASIN B000ID3YRK. 
  • Smith, Michael T. (2000). Bloody Ridge: The Battle That Saved Guadalcanal. New York: Pocket. ISBN 0-7434-6321-8. 

[edit] External links

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Smith, Bloody Ridge, p. 25.
  2. ^ Hayashi, Kogun, p. 224-225.
  3. ^ Gailey, Bougainville.
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