Fifty-Third Army (Japan)

Japanese 53rd Army^[1] (1945)

Parent unit	Japanese Twelfth Area Army

Components	84th Infantry Division (Odarawa) 140th Infantry Division (Kamakura) 316th Infantry Division (Isehara) 117th Independent Mixed Brigade (Numazu) 2nd Independent Armored Brigade (Tsudanuma) 11th Artillery Headquarters (Hiratsuka)

The Japanese 53rd Army (第53軍 , Dai-gojyūsan gun^?) was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army during the final days of World War II.

History

The Japanese 53rd Army was formed on April 8, 1945 under the Japanese 12th Area Army as part of the last desperate defense effort by the Empire of Japan to deter possible landings of Allied forces in central Honshū during Operation Downfall. ^[2] The Japanese 53rd Army was based in Isehara, Kanagawa Prefecture and was thus intended to guard the western approaches and beachheads to Tokyo along Sagami Bay. It consisted mostly of poorly-trained reservists, conscripted students and Volunteer Fighting Corps home guard militia. It was demobilized at the surrender of Japan on August 15, 1945 without having seen combat.

	Name	From	To
Commanding officer	Lieutenant General Yaezo Akashiba	7 April 1945	15 August 1945
Chief of Staff	Major General Hiroshi Onoda	6 April 1945	10 September 1945

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