China Expeditionary Army

Not to be confused with Chinese Expeditionary Force (in Burma) a Chinese National Revolutionary Army unit.

China Expeditionary Army
Active	September 12, 1939 - August 15, 1945
Country	Empire of Japan
Branch	Imperial Japanese Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Army group
Garrison/HQ	Nanjing
Nickname(s)	Eishudan (栄集団, Prosperous)
Engagements	Second Sino-Japanese War

China Expeditionary General Army (1945)

Parent unit	Imperial General Headquarters

Components	North China Area Army Japanese First Army 114th Infantry Division IJA 3rd Mixed Infantry Brigade IJA 10th Mixed Infantry Brigade IJA 14th Mixed Infantry Brigade Japanese Twelfth Army 110th Infantry Division 115th Infantry Division IJA 3rd Armored Division IJA 4th Cavalry Brigade IJA 3rd Mixed Infantry Brigade IJA 10th Mixed Infantry Brigade IJA 14th Mixed Infantry Brigade Mongolia Garrison Army 118th Infantry Division IJA 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade Japanese Forty-Third Army 47th Infantry Division IJA 5th Mixed Infantry Brigade IJA 1st Independent Infantry Brigade IJA 1st Mixed Infantry Brigade IJA 8th Mixed Infantry Brigade IJA 9th Mixed Infantry Brigade IJA 2nd Independent Infantry Brigade Japanese Sixth Area Army Japanese Eleventh Army 58th Infantry Division IJA 22nd Mixed Infantry Brigade IJA 88th Mixed Infantry Brigade Japanese Twentieth Army 64th Infantry Division 68th Infantry Division 116th Infantry Division IJA 81st Mixed Infantry Brigade IJA 82nd Mixed Infantry Brigade IJA 86th Mixed Infantry Brigade IJA 87th Mixed Infantry Brigade 132nd Infantry Division IJA 17th Mixed Infantry Brigade IJA 83rd Mixed Infantry Brigade IJA 84th Mixed Infantry Brigade IJA 85th Mixed Infantry Brigade IJA 5th Independent Infantry Brigade IJA 7th Independent Infantry Brigade IJA 12th Independent Infantry Brigade Japanese Thirteenth Army 60th Infantry Division 61st Infantry Division 65th Infantry Division 69th Infantry Division 161st Infantry Division IJA 90th Mixed Infantry Brigade IJA 92nd Mixed Infantry Brigade IJA 6th Independent Infantry Brigade Japanese Sixth Army 70th Infantry Division 133rd Infantry Division IJA 62nd Mixed Infantry Brigade IJA 89th Mixed Infantry Brigade IJA 91st Mixed Infantry Brigade Japanese Twenty-Third Army 104th Infantry Division 129th Infantry Division 130th Infantry Division IJA 23rd Mixed Infantry Brigade IJA 8th Independent Infantry Brigade IJA 13th Independent Infantry Brigade 3rd Infantry Division 13th Infantry Division 27th Infantry Division 34th Infantry Division 40th Infantry Division 131st Infantry Division IJA 13th Aviation Brigade

The China Expeditionary Army (支那派遣軍, Shina haken gun) was an army group of the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. It was responsible for all military operations in China, and at its peak had over 1 million soldiers under its command. In military literature, it is often referred to by the initials CEA.^[1]

History

After the Lugou Bridge Incident, the Japanese China Garrison Army was reinforced with the Shanghai Expeditionary Army. This force was further supplemented by the Japanese Tenth Army, and marched inland from Shanghai to occupy Hangzhou. In October 1937, this force was renamed the Japanese Central China Area Army. After the fall of Nanking, the Central China Expeditionary Army was formed. On September 12, 1939 by Army Order 362, the China Expeditionary Army was formed with the merger of the Central China Expeditionary Army with the Northern China Area Army. It was headquartered in Nanjing throughout the Second Sino-Japanese War.

The North China Area Army was maintained as a subordinate unit headquartered in Peking and was responsible for operations in the north China plains from the Yellow River to the Great Wall, including Inner Mongolia.

The Japanese Sixth Area Army covered central and southern China, and several independent armies reporting directly to the central command in Nanjing were used for garrison, strategic reserve and for specific operations.

By the war's end it consisted of 1,050,000 men in one armored and 25 infantry divisions. It also contained over 22 Independent brigades; 11 infantry, 1 cavalry, and 10 mixed (combined infantry, artillery, armor and support units). Towards the end of the war much of its ammunition reserve and many of its units had been transferred into the Pacific Theater leaving the China Expeditionary Army weak and undermanned.

The China Expeditionary Army surrendered on August 15, 1945 but its troops remained armed to provide security until Allied troops arrived.

Commanders

Commanding officer

	Name	From	To
1	General Toshizō Nishio	22 September 1939	1 March 1941
2	Field Marshal Shunroku Hata	1 March 1941	23 November 1944
3	General Yasuji Okamura	23 November 1944	9 September 1945

Chief of Staff

	Name	From	To
1	General Seishirō Itagaki	4 September 1939	7 July 1941
2	Lieutenant General Jun Ushiroku	17 July 1941	17 August 1942
3	General Masakazu Kawabe	17 August 1942	18 March 1943
4	Lieutenant General Takuro Matsui	18 March 1943	1 February 1945
5	Lieutenant General Asasaburo Kobayashi	1 February 1945	September 1945

References

Dorn, Frank (1974). The Sino-Japanese War, 1937-41: From Marco Polo Bridge to Pearl Harbor. MacMillan. ISBN 0-02-532200-1.
Harries, Meirion (1994). Soldiers of the Sun: The Rise and Fall of the Imperial Japanese Army. Random House; Reprint edition. ISBN 0-679-75303-6.
Jowett, Bernard (1999). The Japanese Army 1931-45 (Volume 2, 1942-45). Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-354-3.
Madej, Victor (1981). Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945. Game Publishing Company. ASIN: B000L4CYWW.

External links

Wendel, Marcus. "Axis History Factbook". China Expeditionary Army.

Notes

↑ Jowett, The Japanese Army 1931-45

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