IJA Thirty Third Division (第33師団, Hohei Sanju-san Shidan^?) was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. Its call sign was the Bow Division (弓兵団, Yumi 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. ... Utsunomiya (Japanese: 宇都宮市; -shi) is the capital and the most populous city of Tochigi, 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... 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 33rd Division was raised in Utsunomiya, Tochigi prefecture, but its headquarters was in Sendai. It was raised from conscripts largely from the northern Kanto prefecturers of Tochigi, Ibaraki and Gunma. Initially assigned to the Japanese 11th Army in central China, it saw combat at the First Battle of Changsha. It was transferred to the Japanese 15th Army on 6 November 1941, and took part in the invasion of British Burma, under Lieutenant General Shozo Sakurai. It suffered a severe defeat at the Battle of Yenangyaung. Afterwards, it was one of the key divisions in the Battle of Imphal, at which it was all but annihilated as a front-line combat force. Utsunomiya (Japanese: 宇都宮市; -shi) is a city located in Tochigi, Japan. ... Tochigi Prefecture (栃木県 Tochigi-ken) is a located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu, Japan. ... Sendai ) is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, and the largest city in the Tōhoku (northeast) region. ... Kanto can mean: The Kanto region of Japan. ... Tochigi Prefecture (栃木県 Tochigi-ken) is a located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu, Japan. ... Ibaraki Prefecture ) is located in the Kantō region on HonshÅ« island, Japan. ... Gunma redirects here. ... Battle of Changsha (September 17, 1939 _ October 6, 1939) was the first attempt by Japan to take the city of China, during the second Sino-Japanese War. ... November 6 is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 55 days remaining. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... The Battle of Yenangyaung was fought in Burma, now Myanmar during World War II. The Battle The battle for the Yenangyaung oil fields started on 11th April and continued for a week and one of the most desperate actions was against 48th Indian Brigade at Kokkogwa. ... 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...

Battle of Imphal

Late in 1943, the Japanese command in Burma had been reorganized. A new headquarters, Burma Area Army, was created under Lieutenant-General Masakasu Kawabe. One of its subordinate formations, responsible for the central part of the front facing British India in Nagaland and Assam, was Japanese 15th Army, whose new commander was Lieutenant-General Renya Mutaguchi. At the same time, Lieutenant General Sakurai was promoted to command Japanese 28th Army in southern Burma, being replaced in command of 33rd Division by Lieutenant General Motoso Yanagida. British India (otherwise known as The British Raj) was a historical period during which most of the Indian subcontinent, or present-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, were under the colonial authority of the British Empire (Undivided India). ... Nagaland (Hindi: नागालैंड)   Nagaland is a vibrant hill state located in the far northeastern part of India. ... Assam   (Assamese: অসম Ôxôm) is a north eastern state of India with its capital at Dispur, a part of Guwahati. ... (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. ...

Mutaguchi’s plan was to have the 33rd Division destroy the Indian 17th Infantry Division at Tiddim, then attack Imphal from the south. The 33rd Division's Infantry Group HQ, under Major-General Tsunoru Yamamoto, formed Yamamoto Force, composed of units of the Japanese 33rd and 15th Divisions which would destroy the Indian 20th Infantry Division at Tamu, then attack Imphal from the east. Meanwhile, the Japanese 15th Infantry Division under Lieutenant-General Masafumi Yamauchi would envelop Imphal from the north, while in a separate subsidiary operation, the Japanese 31st Infantry Division under Lieutenant-General Kotoku Sato would isolate Imphal by capturing nearby Kohima. All Mutaguchi's divisional commanders disagreed with the plan to some extent, and Yanagida openly derided him as an "imbecile". The Indian 17th Infantry Division was a formation of the British Indian Army raised during World War II. It had the distinction of being continually in combat during the three-year long Burma Campaign (except for brief periods of refit). ... Imphal is the capital of Manipur, India. ... The Indian 20th Infantry Division was formed in India, and took part in the Burma Campaign during World War II. In the immediate aftermath of the War, the bulk of the division reoccupied French Indo-China. ... Imphal is the capital of Manipur, India. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Kohima is the hilly capital of Indias north eastern border state of Nagaland which shares its borders with Burma. ...

In the opening stages of the Battle of Imphal the 33rd Division cut off Indian 17th Division under Major-General Cowan. The Japanese 215 Regiment under Colonel Masahiko Sasahara captured a supply dump at Milestone 109, twenty miles behind Cowan's leading outposts. The Japanese 214 Regiment under Colonel Takanobu Sakuma seized Tongzang and a ridge named Tuitum Saddle across the only road, a few miles behind the Indian 17th Division's position. However, they were unable to dig in properly before they were hit by the Indian 48th Brigade on 18 March 1944, taking heavy casualties. Fighting around Milestone 109 was even more severe. 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... March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

In early April the 33rd Division attacked from the south at Bishenpur, where they cut a secondary track from Silchar into the plain. Yanagida was already pessimistic and depressed by his failure to trap the Indian 17th Division. He had also been rattled by a garbled radio message which suggested that one of his regiments had been destroyed at Milestone 109. He therefore advanced cautiously. By doing so, he may have lost a chance to gain success as Bishenpur was held only by Indian 32 Brigade (from 20th Division) and the Indian 17th Infantry Division was resting after its retreat. Mutaguchi removed him from command. Silchar (Bengali: Shilchôr, Assamese: শিলচৰ Xilsôr, Sylheti: শিলচর Hilsôr) is the headquarters of Cachar district in the state of Assam in India. ...

In early May, the British counter-attacked. None of the Japanese divisions had received adequate supplies since the offensive began, and some of the troops were starving; others were sick with malaria, and most were low on ammunition. Although there was now no realistic hope of success, Mutaguchi (and Kawabe) ordered renewed attacks. 33rd Division, reinforced by battalions from the 53rd and 54th Divisions and under a new forceful commander, Lieutenant-General Nobuo Tanaka, broke into the Indian 17th Division's positions at Bishenpur, but failed to break through. This article is about Japanese diplomat. ...

By late May, Mutaguchi's divisional commanders refused to make a renewed attacks on Imphal, as they were in no condition to comply. Mutaguchi finally ordered the offensive to be broken off on 3 July 1943. The Japanese fell back to the Chindwin River, abandoning their artillery, transport, and soldiers too sick to walk. The defeat at Kohima and Imphal was the largest defeat to that date in Japanese history. They had suffered 55,000 casualties, including 13,500 dead. July 3 is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 181 days remaining. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... The Chindwin River is a river in Myanmar and the major tributary of the Irrawaddy River. ...

Later Operations in Burma

The Division was rebuilt to a strength of about 10,000. When the Allies launched their offensive into Central Burma, the Japanese withdrew behind the Irrawaddy River. A rearguard from 33rd Division took heavy losses defending the river port of Monywa on the Chindwin. During the fighting in February and March after the Allies crossed the Irrawaddy, 33rd Division defended the vital river port of Myingyan. It was not directly attacked, as the Allied bridgeheads were east and west of their positions. The division held Myingyan until most of 15th Army were already in full retreat. It suffered further casualties in attempting to retreat south. The Irrawaddy (newer spelling Ayeyarwaddy) is a river that flows through the centre of Myanmar (formerly Burma). It is Myanmars most important commercial waterway. ... Monywa (Burmese: ) is a city in Sagaing Division, Myanmar, located 136 km north-west of Mandalay on the eastern bank of the Chindwin River. ... Myingyan is a city and district in the Mandalay Division of central Myanmar, previously, it was a district in the Meiktila Division of Upper Burma. ...

At the end of the war, the division had moved to Moulmein in southern Burma. During the entire Burma campaign, the division suffered 22,316 casualties, including 15,033 dead. Mawlamyine (formerly Moulmein) is the capital and largest city in Mon State, Myanmar. ...

Organization

The 33rd Division was organized as a triangular division.

33rd Division -

• 33rd Infantry Brigade group:
  • 213th Infantry regiment (Mito)
  • 214th Infantry regiment (Utsunomiya)
  • 215h Infantry regiment (Takasaki)
• 33rd Mountain Artillery regiment
• 33rd Military Engineer regiment
• 33rd Transport regiment

Mito can refer to: a person Mito Umeta, a Japanese supercentenarian and previous longevity record holder Anji Mito, a fictional character from the Japanese computer game Guilty Gear a place name Mito, Ibaraki, a Japanese city Mito, Aichi, a Japanese town Mito, Shimane, a Japanese town Mito, Yamaguchi, a Japanese... Utsunomiya (Japanese: 宇都宮市; -shi) is a city located in Tochigi, Japan. ... Cities Annaka | Fujioka | Isesaki | Kiryu | Maebashi  (capital) | Numata | Ōta | Shibukawa | Takasaki | Tatebayashi | Tomioka Districts Agatsuma | Gunma | Kanra | North Gunma | Nitta | Oura | Sawa | Seta | Tano | Tone | Usui | Yamada Edit this tempate Categories: Japan geography stubs | Cities in Gunma Prefecture ...

See also

• List of Japanese Infantry Divisions
• Battle of Imphal

List of Japanese Infantry divisions of the Imperial Japanese Army. ... 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...

Reference and further reading

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

Allentown, PA: 1981

• Latimer, Jon. Burma: The Forgotten War, London: John Murray, 2004. ISBN 978-0719565762
• Allen, Louis. Burma: The longest War, Dent Publishing, 1984, ISBN 0-460-02474-4