The IJA Fifteenth Division (第15師団, Hohei Ju-go Shidan^?) was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). Its call sign was the Festival Division (祭兵団, Sai Heidan^?). Anthem: Kimi ga Yo Imperial Reign Slogan: Fukoku Kyohei Enrich the Country, Strengthen the Military (a. ... The Imperial Japanese Army (: 大日本帝國陸軍 Shinjitai: 大日本帝国陸軍 Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun) was the official ground based armed force of Japan from 1867 to 1945 when it was Imperial Japan. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other means. ... Nagoya ) is the fourth largest city in Japan. ... Combatants Republic of China Empire of Japan Commanders Chiang Kai-shek, Chen Cheng, Yan Xishan, Feng Yuxiang, Li Zongren, Xue Yue, Mao Zedong, Peng Dehuai Fumimaro Konoe, Hideki Tojo, Matsui Iwane, Jiro Minami, Kesago Nakajima, Toshizo Nishio, Yasuji Okamura, Umezu Yoshijiro Strength 5,600,000 4,100,000 (including 900... The Burma Campaign was a campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II. It was fought primarily between Commonwealth, Chinese and American forces against the Empire of Japan. ... Combatants British Fourteenth Army Indian IV Corps Japanese 15th Division Japanese 33rd Division Japanese 31st Division Commanders Louis Mountbatten Geoffrey Scoones Renya Mutaguchi Masakasu Kawabe Strength 4 Infantry Divisions 1 Armoured Brigade 1 Parachute Brigade 3 Infamtry about 100,000 Japanese Army Casualties 17,500 53,879 The Battle of... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Battle of Meiktila. ... Bold Bold texttext,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvMedia:Example. ... The Imperial Japanese Army (: 大日本帝國陸軍 Shinjitai: 大日本帝国陸軍 Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun) was the official ground based armed force of Japan from 1867 to 1945 when it was Imperial Japan. ... Call sign can refer to different types of call signs: Airline call sign Aviator call sign Cosmonaut call sign Radio and television call signs Tactical call sign, also known as a tactical designator See also: International Callsign Allocations, Maritime Mobile Service Identity This is a disambiguation page — a navigational...

History

The 15th Division was one of the four divisions raised in the closing stages of the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). With Japan's resources strained to the breaking point towards the end of that conflict, the entire Imperial Japanese Army was committed to combat in Manchuria, leaving not a single division to guard the Japanese main islands in case of attack. The 15th Division was raised from men in the Nagoya area, and was originally based in Toyohashi, Aichi prefecture. After the conclusion of the Treaty of Portsmouth, it was dispatched to Korea as a garrison force. Combatants Russian Empire Empire of Japan Commanders Emperor Nicholas II Aleksey Kuropatkin Stepan Makarov† Emperor Meiji Oyama Iwao Heihachiro Togo Strength 500,000 Soldiers 400,000 Soldiers Casualties 24,844 killed; 146,519 wounded; 59,218 POW; unknown Chinese civilians 47,387 killed; 173,425 wounded； unknown Chinese civilians Greater... Manchuria (Manchu: Manju; Traditional Chinese: 滿洲; Simplified Chinese: 满洲; pinyin: Mǎnzhōu, Russian: ) is a vast territorial region in northeast Asia. ... Nagoya ) is the fourth largest city in Japan. ... Toyohashi (豊橋市; -shi) is a city located in Aichi, Japan. ... Aichi Prefecture ) is located in the Chūbu region of Japan. ... The Russian and Japanese delegates around the negotiating table at the Portsmouth Navy Yard St The Treaty of Portsmouth formally ended the 1904-1905 Russo-Japanese War. ... Korea (Korean: 한국 or 조선, see below) is a geographic area, civilization, and former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. ...

It was later one of the divisions disbanded by War Minister Ugaki Kazushige as part of a cost-saving measure during the Kato Takaaki administration. Ugaki Kazushige (宇垣 一成; August 21, 1868, Okayama prefecture, Japan - 30 April 1956, Tokyo) was a Japanese general. ... Kato Takaaki Katō Takaaki (加藤 高明 January 3, 1860–January 28, 1926) was a Japanese politician and the 24th Prime Minister of Japan from June 11, 1924 to January 28, 1926. ...

With the outbreak of hostilities against China in the Second Sino-Japanese War, the 15th Division was resurrected in Kyoto on 4 April 1938 and assigned to the central China command. Combatants Republic of China Empire of Japan Commanders Chiang Kai-shek, Chen Cheng, Yan Xishan, Feng Yuxiang, Li Zongren, Xue Yue, Mao Zedong, Peng Dehuai Fumimaro Konoe, Hideki Tojo, Matsui Iwane, Jiro Minami, Kesago Nakajima, Toshizo Nishio, Yasuji Okamura, Umezu Yoshijiro Strength 5,600,000 4,100,000 (including 900... Kyoto )   is a city in the central part of the island of HonshÅ«, Japan. ... April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The division was ordered to join the IJA 15th Army in Burma on 17 June 1943, but was delayed with road-building in Thailand for several months. Arriving in Burma, the division took part in the attack on Imphal, (Operation U-Go) along with the IJA 31st and 33rd Divisions. June 17 is the 168th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (169th in leap years), with 197 days remaining. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... Combatants British Fourteenth Army Indian IV Corps Japanese 15th Division Japanese 33rd Division Japanese 31st Division Commanders Louis Mountbatten Geoffrey Scoones Renya Mutaguchi Masakasu Kawabe Strength 4 Infantry Divisions 1 Armoured Brigade 1 Parachute Brigade 3 Infamtry about 100,000 Japanese Army Casualties 17,500 53,879 The Battle of...

Imphal

Operation U-Go was planned to start in the beginning of March 1944, but because of 15th Division's slow arrival start of the offensive was postponed to 15 March. 15th Division hold the central position of the three attacking divisions and its primary objective was to cut the road between Imphal and Kohima at Kangpokpi. On the map this was the shortest and most direct route towards Imphal, but it had to cross difficult terrain with only poor tracks. Because of the difficult terrain, the division’s ordinary artillery was replaced with mountain guns and the anti-tank equipment was left behind on the assumption that the British would not field tanks due to the difficulty of the terrain. Of the division’s nine battalions, one had been detached to the force dealing with the second Chindits operation, and most of 67th Regiment was still in Thailand. March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (75th in leap years). ... Kohima is the hilly capital of Indias north eastern border state of Nagaland which shares its borders with Burma. ... Mountain guns are artillery pieces designed for use during mountain combat. ... The Chindits (Officially in 1942 77th Indian Infantry Brigade and in 1943 Indian 3rd Infantry Division) were a British Indian Army Special Force that served in Burma and India from 1942 until 1945 during the Burma Campaign in World War II. They were formed into long range penetration groups trained...

Thus 15th Division started the campaign with 6 battalions, 18 guns and a commander, Lieutenant-General Masafumi Yamauchi, mortally ill with tuberculosis. Soon it had to be urged onwards by the commander of 15th Army, Renya Mutaguchi A British force at Sangshak was within 15th Division’s operational area, but because of its slow speed, units from 31st Division assaulted this position on 23 March. 60th Regiment arrived soon after, but was not allowed to take part in the final assault 27 March. 15th Division cut the Imphal-Kohima road at Kangpokpi on 3 April. Soon the division occupied Nunshigum Ridge, which overlooked Imphal. From here the Japanese could threaten the headquarters of the Indian IV Corps and also marked the closest they ever came to Imphal. The British counterattack on this ridge included M3 Lee tanks, which came as a shock to the Japanese as they had considered the terrain to be completely impassable to armored vehicles. The tanks proved decisive - although the British suffered heavy losses, the defending Japanese battalion was almost annihilated. Despite this setback Yamauchi continued his encirclement of Imphal from the north. The British commander, Geoffrey Scoones drew the conclusion that the 15th was the weakest link in the Japanese front and ordered Indian 23rd Infantry Division and Indian 5th Infantry Division to destroy it. In the following months the British with their superiority in numbers and almost unstoppable tanks drove the Japanese off one hill after another. Tuberculosis (abbreviated as TB for Tubercle Bacillus) is a common and deadly infectious disease caused by the mycobacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis or Mycobacterium bovis. ... (1888-1966) Lieutenant-General Renya Mutaguchi Commanded the 18th Division in south China and in the World War II Campaigns in Malaya, Philippines and Burma. ... March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (83rd in leap years). ... March 27 is the 86th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (87th in leap years). ... April 3 is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 272 days remaining. ... The Indian IV Corps was part of Fourteenth Army during World War II. It operated on the central part of the front, covering the Assam of India and opposite the upper Chindwin in Burma. ... The M3 Medium Tank was an American tank used during World War II. In Britain the tank was called Lee and its modified version, with a new turret, was called Grant. As a rush job intended to be brought from design to production in a short period, the M3 was... Indian 5th Infantry Division fought in several theatres of World War II and more than earned its nickname the Ball of Fire. Lord Louis Mountbatten said: When the Division came under my command in South-East Asia towards the end of 1943, it had already had three years hard fighting...

In the middle of June the 31st Division began retreating from Kohima after suffering heavy casualties. This left 60th Regiment blocking the Imphal-Kohima road in an impossible situation and the British broke through and reopened the road on 22 June. The next day saw a change in command, with Yamauchi replaced by Lieutenant-General Ryuichi Shibita. On 7 July the division received orders for a last-ditch attack on Palel, but by now it had been shattered as a military formation; its remnants retreated back across the Chindwin River to safety. June 22 is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 192 days remaining. ... July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... The Chindwin River is a river in Myanmar and the major tributary of the Irrawaddy River. ...

Mandalay

After the defeat at Imphal and Allied advances in the North, the Japanese forces in Burma were forced to take up the defense and try to stop the Allies from crossing the Irrawaddy. In January 1945 the 15th Division was, together with the 53rd Division, thrown into the defense of Mandalay. The division had received some reinforcements, but at 4500 men it was still less than half of nominal strength. The Irrawaddy (newer spelling Ayeyarwaddy) is a river that flows through the centre of Myanmar (formerly Burma). It is Myanmars most important commercial waterway. ... Mandalay (Burmese: ) is the second largest city in Myanmar (formerly Burma) with a population of 927,000 (2005 census), agglomeration 2,5 million. ...

The opposing unit, Indian 19th Infantry Division, established its first bridgeheads on the eastern side of the Irrawaddy on 14 January and all attempts to dislodge them failed. After a rapid build-up, the British commander, Thomas Wynford Rees ordered his men forward. Brushing aside all opposition, its forward elements were within sight of Mandalay 7 March. 15th Division, now under the command of Major-General Seiei Yamamoto, had received orders to defend the former Burmese capital to the last man. Of the two main positions, the Japanese were driven off Mandalay Hill by 12 March, but the thick walls of Fort Dufferin withstood artillery and air bombardment. On 18 March the division received new orders allowing its withdrawal, which it did through the sewers on the night of 19 March. The Indian 19th Infantry Division was raised during World War II, and played a prominent part in the final part of the Burma Campaign. ... January 14 is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (67th in leap years). ... Mandalay Hill is a 240 metre (790 feet) hill that is located to the east of Mandalays city centre. ... March 12 is the 71st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (72nd in leap years). ... March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). ... March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). ...

By this time the Japanese position in Burma had completely collapsed. The survivors of 15th Division (less than half its original strength of 15,000 men) retreated via the territory of the hostile Karen people and through the Southern Shan States, back into Thailand, where it remained at the time of the 1945 surrender. The Karen (Burmese: ; MLCTS: )called by Burman , also known in Thailand as the Kariang (Thai: ) or Yang. ... Shan State is a state located in Myanmar (Burma), which takes its name from the Shan people, the majority ethnic group in the Shan State. ...

Organization

The order of battle for the 15th Division included: An order of battle (often abbreviated as ORBAT, OOB, or OB) is an organizational tool used by military intelligence to list and analyze enemy military units. ...

• 51st Infantry Regiment (Kyoto)
• 60th Infantry Regiment (Kyoto)
• 67th Infantry Regiment (Tsuruga)
• 21st Field Artillery Regiment
• 15th Construction Regiment
• 15th Transport Regiment.

Kyoto )   is a city in the central part of the island of HonshÅ«, Japan. ... Kyoto )   is a city in the central part of the island of HonshÅ«, Japan. ... Tsuruga (敦賀市; -shi) is a city located in Fukui, Japan. ...

See also

• List of Japanese Infantry Divisions
• Burma Campaign
• Battle of Imphal
• Battle of Meiktila / Mandalay

List of Japanese Infantry divisions of the Imperial Japanese Army. ... The Burma Campaign was a campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II. It was fought primarily between Commonwealth, Chinese and American forces against the Empire of Japan. ... Combatants British Fourteenth Army Indian IV Corps Japanese 15th Division Japanese 33rd Division Japanese 31st Division Commanders Louis Mountbatten Geoffrey Scoones Renya Mutaguchi Masakasu Kawabe Strength 4 Infantry Divisions 1 Armoured Brigade 1 Parachute Brigade 3 Infamtry about 100,000 Japanese Army Casualties 17,500 53,879 The Battle of... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Battle of Meiktila. ...

Reference and further reading

• Louis Allen, Burma: The longest War, Dent Publishing, 1984, ISBN 0-460-02474-4
• Jon Latimer, Burma: The Forgotten War, London: John Murray, 2004 ISBN 0-7195-6576-6
• Madej, W. Victor. Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945 [2 vols]

Allentown, PA: 1981