202nd Division (Imperial Japanese Army)

The 202nd Division (第202師団, Dai-nihyakuni Shidan) was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. Its call sign was the Green Leaf Division (青葉兵団, Aoba Heidan), after the nickname for Sendai castle (Aoba jo)

History

The 202nd Division was one of eight emergency territorial reserve divisions created on 2 April 1945 to defend the Japanese home islands against the projected invasion by Allied forces in the final stages of the Pacific War.

The 202nd Division was raised in Sendai with its headquarters in Takasaki. As with the other emergency divisions raised at the time, it contained many over-age reservists, under-age students, and men previously rejected from conscription for a variety of medical conditions. Some of its troops lacked proper weapons, as stocks of the Arisaka Type 38 rifles were almost exhausted. The Division was commanded by General Katakura Tadashi. It came under the control of the Japanese 36th Army. It was dissolved at the end of the war without having seen combat.

Organization

The 202nd Division was organized as a triangular division.

202nd Division -

• 202nd Infantry Brigade group:
  • 504th Infantry regiment (Sendai)
  • 505th Infantry regiment (Wakamatsu)
  • 506th Infantry regiment (Yamagata)
  • 202nd Mountain Artillery regiment

See also

• List of Japanese Infantry Divisions

Reference and further reading

• Madej, W. Victor. Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945 [2 vols] Allentown, Pennsylvania: 1981