Appendix VIII
Japanese Order of Battle

STRENGTH AT SAIPAN ON 15 JUNE

Army Units

31st Army Headquarters--LtGen Hideyoshi Obata. Administrative command for Army troops in the Marianas-Bonins-Marshalls-Carolines. General Obata was at Palau when United States forces landed and therefore did not participate in Saipan's defense.

1,100

Northern Marianas Army Group and 43d Division Headquarters (combined)--LtGen Yoshitsugu Saito. Saito's command included all Army units on Saipan, Tinian and Pagan.

268

*118th Infantry Regiment--Colonel Ito. Three infantry battalions with one artillery battery attached to each, regimental engineering, communication, supply and medical companies. Original strength 3,463, regiment lost 858 men from submarine attack while in transit to Saipan. This unit did not arrive until the first week in June 1944.

2,605

*135th Infantry Regiment (minus 1st Battallion)--Colonel Suzuki. Two infantry battalions with one artillery battery attached to each, regimental engineering company, supply and medical units. 1st Battalion of this regiment was on Tinian.

2,200

*136th Infantry Regiment--Colonel Ogawa. Three infantry battalions with one artillery battery attached to each, regimental engineering, communication, supply and medical companies.

3,650

*43d Division Ordnance Company--Captain Murase.

99

*43d Division Communication Company--Captain Washizu.

223

*43d Division Transport Company--Captain Yamamoto.

94

*43d Division Field Hospital--LtCol Fukayama. 246 of the personnel were detached and sent to Pagan on 21 May 1944.

500

*43d Division Intendance Battalion--LtCol Ogawa. Only 120 of this group were Army personnel; the others were laborers and technicians.

2,500

47th Independent Mixed Brigade Headquarters--Colonel Oka. The 315th Independent Infantry Battalion, which had been part of the Brigade, departed for Pagan before U. S. landings on Saipan.

227

**316th Independent Infantry Battalion--Captain Eto. Three infantry companies, a machine gun company and a gun company.

618

**317th Independent Infantry Battalion--Captain Sasaki. Three infantry companies, a machine gun company and a gun company.

618

**3d Independent Mountain Artillery Regiment (less 2d Battalion)--LtCol Nakashima. Two battalions, each organized into three four gun batteries.

845

**3d Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Regiment--Captain Yamane. One battery of eight field guns, two batteries of seven howitzers each.

323

**3d Company, 25th Engineers Regiment--1st Lieutenant Yoneya.

188

9th Tank Regiment--Colonel Goto. Five tank companies and one maintenance company. Each tank company equipped with 10 medium tanks, one or more light tanks and one tankette.

550

1st Battalion, 18th Regiment--Captain Kubo.

600

--281--

25th Anti-Aircraft Regiment (less 2d Battalion Headquarters and the 3d, 4th, 5th and 9th Batteries)--Lieutenant Colonel Niiho. This unit included searchlight and antiaircraft batteries.

600

43d Independent Anti-Aircraft Battery--1st Lieutenant Kimishima.

150

44th Field Machine Cannon Battery--1st Lieutenant Nagatani.

150

7th Independent Engineers Regiment (less 2d Company)--Colonel Koganezawa. Two companies and an ordnance and material platoon. One company of this regiment was on Guam. Also known as an Army Fortification Regiment.

600

16th Shipping Engineers Regiment (less 2d Company and one detachment)--Major Tsunegana. The second of its three companies was located on Guam and a detachment at Pagan.

450

264th Independent Vehicle Company--Captain Iwama.

120

278th Independent Vehicle Company--Captain Arima.

120

Miscellaneous Straggler Units 9th Expeditionary Force. This straggler unit was originally 1,500 strong.

908

11th Independent Engineer Regiment.

200

150th Infantry Regiment.

300

14th Independent Mortar Battalion.

580

17th Independent Mortar Battalion.

580

3d and 4th Independent Tank Companies. Suffered heavy casualties from submarine attack. Survivors combined into one unit.

118

Navy Units


Central Pacific Fleet Headquarters and 5th Special Base Force Headquarters (combined)--Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo. Administrative command for Navy in Marianas-Marshalls-Carolines.

502

55th Naval Guard Force (Maizuru Keibitai)--Captain Takashima.

2,000

1st Yokosuka Special Landing Force--Lt Comdr Karashima. Three rifle companies battalion gun, demolition, communication, supply, transport and engineer sections, medical and intendance units

800

5th Communication Unit--LtComdr Miyazaki.

369

5th Construction Unit--Rear Admiral Tsujimura.

456

41st Naval Guard Force (Sasebo Keibitai)--A reinforcement, destined for Truk, not a complete unit.

400

Office of Supplies, Accounts--Paymaster Commander Mihara.

45

Military Stores--Commander Mizumoto; Transport--Commander Mizumoto; Harbor Master--Ensign Takashima.

100

14th Air Group***

 

902d Air Group***

 

Air Flight U 156.

300

Southeast Area Air Base--Vice Admiral Sato.

500

Aerology Bureau, Saipan--Captain Yamaga.

88

115th Airdrome Construction Unit.

269

23d Airdrome Construction Unit.

392

14th Hangar Maintenance Section.

29

14th Anti-Aircraft Maintenance Section.

110

Tora Construction Battalion (air maintenance).

600

Total Army Forces

22,702

Total Navy Forces

6,690

 

29,662

--282--

Table of Contents ** Previous Chapter (Appendix VII) * Next Chapter (Appendix IX)


Footnotes

* Units marked * were part of the 43d Division.

** Units marked ** were part of the 47th Brigade.

*** The majority of these two air groups was gone at the time of United States landings and only small elements remained. Intelligence agencies were unable to establish their strength on Saipan.



Transcribed and formatted for HTML by Jerry Holden for the HyperWar Foundation