18th Infantry Regiment (Imperial Japanese Army)
Encyclopedia
The was an infantry regiment in the Imperial Japanese Army
(IJA). Its call sign
and unit code was . The unit was formed in 1884 and based in the city of Toyohashi
as a branch of the Nagoya Garrison. Throughout its history, the majority of its soldiers came from the Mikawa
region, or eastern Aichi prefecture
.
The regiment first deployed for the First Sino-Japanese War
in 1894. In 1904, it deployed again for the Russo-Japanese War
where it fought in several major battles. Between 1928 and 1936, the regiment was deployed to China where it engaged in two military operations in China, though it spent most of the time on garrison and occupation duty.
With the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War
in the summer of 1937, the regiment participated in the Battle of Shanghai
and then particpated in the major campaigns of central China. In 1944, the 18th Regiment was sent to the Pacific theater as part of the 29th Division. On the way to Saipan
, the transport ship that was carrying the regiment, the Sakito Maru, was torpedoed and sunk. Over half the regiment drowned, but survivors were rescued and delivered to Saipan. Some stragglers had to be left behind, but the majority of the regiment was sent to Guam
and prepared to repel the American invasion. Members of the 18th Regiment participated in both the Battle of Saipan
and the Battle of Guam. In both battles, nearly all soldiers of the 18th Regiment were killed in action
. A few soldiers survived the massed banzai charge
s and attempted to evade capture by hiding in the jungles, but as an organization the regiment became defunct and the ranks were not replenished.
After the battle on Saipan, one officer of the regiment, Captain Sakae Ōba
, distinguished himself when he took command of some soldiers and assumed responsibility for the civilians who had survived the battle. Ōba and his men surrendered in December 1945, three months after the official end of World War II.
, and granted their colors
on 15 August 1884. By 1886 the regiment had transferred its headquarters to Toyohashi city, and thereafter the majority of its recruits came from that city and the surrounding Mikawa
region of eastern Aichi Prefecture
. In May 1888, the IJA 3rd Division was organized and the 18th Infantry Regiment was placed in its command.
The regiment deployed for the first time in 1894 to participate in the First Sino-Japanese War
(1894–1895). In 1904, the regiment deployed again for the Russo-Japanese War
. The regiment saw combat at the Battles of Nanshan
, Te-Li-Ssu
, Tashihchiao
, Shaho
, Panlongshan, and other places.
In 1907 the regiment was transferred from the 3rd Division to the IJA 15th Division. In 1925, the 15th Division was disbanded by order of War Minister Ugaki Kazushige, and the regiment was returned to the 3rd Division.
In May 1928, the regiment deployed for the Jinan Incident
, and afterward served as the garrison for Tianjin
, China
. In February 1933 the regiment participated in Operation Nekka. As a result of this early clash between Chinese and Japanese forces, Inner Mongolia
was placed in the Japanese controlled state of Manchukuo
. In 1934, the regiment was on occupation
duty in Manchukuo. The regiment returned to Toyohashi, Japan in 1936.
, the 18th Regiment was ordered to mobilize in August 1937. The regiment landed and participated in the Battle of Shanghai
, then continued on to assist with the Battle of Nanjing
. In early December, the regiment crossed the Yangtze at a point about halfway between Shanghai and Nanjing, launching an attack from Jiangyin
on the south bank to Jingjiang
on the opposite bank. The regiment occupied the two towns until 9 March 1938.
Later in 1938 the regiment participated in the Hankou
Operation as part of the larger Battle of Wuhan
. In 1939, it fought the Battle of the Xiang River
, the First Battle of Changsha, as well as smaller actions in the area. In 1940, the 18th Regiment particiapted in the Ichang Operation
and the Han River Operation
, both in Hubei Province.
In July 1942, command of the 18th Regiment was transferred from the 3rd Division to the IJA 29th Division. The regiment was then ordered to serve as the garrison force at Haicheng
, at the time in Mukden Province, now part of Liaoning Province. By early 1944, much of northern China was nominally secure, and many units were being transferred to various islands in the Pacific in order to support the strained and hyperextended line of defensive positions. By February 1944, the 29th Division, which consisted of the 18th, the 38th, and the 50th Infantry Regiments, was ordered to mobilize and prepare for operations in the Pacific
.
at Pusan. The convoy was escorted by three Yugumo-class destroyers of Destroyer Division 31: Asashimo
, Kishinami
, and Okinami
, and were first sent to the Japanese-held island of Saipan
. On 29 February 1944 the transport ship carrying the regiment, the Sakito Maru, was hit by a torpedo
fired from the USS Trout
, an American submarine
, just northeast of Saipan. The transport sunk, taking with it 2,200 of the 3,500 men on board, which included the regimental commander, Colonel
Monma Kentaro. Also lost on the transport were several tanks and most of the regiment's equipment. The convoy's three escort destroyers dropped depth charge
s, sank the Trout, and then rescued the survivors of the sunken transport. About 1,800 troops of the regiment were delivered to Saipan.
in May 1944; however, about 600 troops of the 1st Battlion had to be left behind on Saipan. These troops, under Captain Masao Kubo, joined the island's garrison, though nearly all would be killed during the Battle of Saipan
in June and July 1944. In the aftermath of the battle, Capt. Sakae Ōba
distinguished himself by taking command of a number of soldiers and sailors who had survived the battle, as well as Japanese civilians who looked to him for guidance and protection. The group numbered about 300, and took shelter in caves or small villages in the jungle. They evaded capture by the U.S. Marines that were hunting for them, conducted harassment raids, and survived until they finally agreed to surrender in 1 December 1945.
In March 1944, the 29th Division commander, Lieutenant General
Takeshi Takashina, landed on Guam and assumed overall command of all military units for the island's defense. In preparation for the imminent invasion of Guam by Allied forces, the main body of the 18th Regiment was situated on a mountain, with each company
deployed to cover possible landing points in support of the island's defensive strategy. On 21 July 1944 the American landing operation commenced. Despite fierce resistance, United States Army
and Marine
forces gained two beachhead
s by nightfall, straddling the Orote Peninsula on the west coast of the island, while the defenders either counterattacked or continued to fire on American positions with machine guns, artillery, and mortars.
On 24 July, the command headquarters of the Japanese forces on Guam received word from Tokyo to "Defend Guam at all costs". General Takashina devised a plan of attack to dislodge the 3rd Marine Division, which occupied the high ground at Asan, north of the Orote Peninsula. Takashina's attack would be coordinated with a breakout attempt of Japanese forces trapped on the peninsula. The 18th Regiment, which had been reorganized into three battalions, was to be one of the main units to assault the American position. Two battalions would attack the 21st Marine Regiment
and the other battalion was to attack the flank of the 9th Marines. The objective was to exploit an 800-yard gap between the two regiments, break through the American lines, and attain the high ground. Other units would attack the Marines or head to the beaches with demolition
charges to destroy any ammunition or supply caches left by American forces.
On the night of 25 July, the colors of the 18th Infantry Regiment were ritually burned, by authorization of the division commander, in anticipation of the regiment's complete destruction.
Maruyama Chusa, struck the center of the 21st Marines, and was the scene of some of the most desperate hand to hand combat of the entire night. The battalion charged through machine gun and artillery fire in an effort to reach the Marines. In an effort to break through the lines, Maruyama's men fought their way into a draw
that led down to the beach. The Marines had prepared for that possibility, and once in the draw the Japanese faced several Sherman tanks. Lacking any sort of anti-tank weaponry, the Japanese troops were unable to damage a single tank, and flowing over and past them, continued on down the draw. Those troops who were unable to reach the draw regrouped and charged another point in the Marine line and fought hand-to-hand until their numbers became depleted.
By the morning of 26 July, it was apparent that the attack to dislodge the American position had failed, as had the breakout attempt at Orote Peninsula. It was also apparent to General Takashina that victory at Guam would be impossible, due to enormous losses in personnel, leadership, weapons, and morale. Takashina decided that all remaining troops should escape to the interior of the island, in order to regroup, and carry on a guerrilla campaign to inflict as much damage as possible on the American forces. During the previous night's fighting, most of the men of the 18th Regiment had been killed in action
, along with their commanding officer, Colonel Hikoshiro Ohashi. By the end of 26 July 1945, the 18th Infantry Regiment had ceased to be a functioning unit.
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
(IJA). Its call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
and unit code was . The unit was formed in 1884 and based in the city of Toyohashi
Toyohashi, Aichi
is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on August 1, 1906. As of January 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 383,691 and a density of 1,468.62 persons per km². The total area is . By size, Toyohashi was Aichi Prefecture's second-largest city until March 31,...
as a branch of the Nagoya Garrison. Throughout its history, the majority of its soldiers came from the Mikawa
Mikawa Province
is an old province in the area that today forms the eastern half of Aichi Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Mikawa bordered on Owari, Mino, Shinano, and Tōtōmi Provinces....
region, or eastern Aichi prefecture
Aichi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.- History :...
.
The regiment first deployed for the First Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
in 1894. In 1904, it deployed again for the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
where it fought in several major battles. Between 1928 and 1936, the regiment was deployed to China where it engaged in two military operations in China, though it spent most of the time on garrison and occupation duty.
With the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
in the summer of 1937, the regiment participated in the Battle of Shanghai
Battle of Shanghai
The Battle of Shanghai, known in Chinese as Battle of Songhu, was the first of the twenty-two major engagements fought between the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China and the Imperial Japanese Army of the Empire of Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War...
and then particpated in the major campaigns of central China. In 1944, the 18th Regiment was sent to the Pacific theater as part of the 29th Division. On the way to Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
, the transport ship that was carrying the regiment, the Sakito Maru, was torpedoed and sunk. Over half the regiment drowned, but survivors were rescued and delivered to Saipan. Some stragglers had to be left behind, but the majority of the regiment was sent to Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
and prepared to repel the American invasion. Members of the 18th Regiment participated in both the Battle of Saipan
Battle of Saipan
The Battle of Saipan was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands from 15 June-9 July 1944. The Allied invasion fleet embarking the expeditionary forces left Pearl Harbor on 5 June 1944, the day before Operation Overlord in Europe was...
and the Battle of Guam. In both battles, nearly all soldiers of the 18th Regiment were killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
. A few soldiers survived the massed banzai charge
Banzai charge
Banzai charge was a term applied during World War II by the Allied forces to human wave attacks mounted by infantry forces of the Imperial Japanese Army...
s and attempted to evade capture by hiding in the jungles, but as an organization the regiment became defunct and the ranks were not replenished.
After the battle on Saipan, one officer of the regiment, Captain Sakae Ōba
Sakae Oba
was an officer of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. He served in both China and in the Pacific campaign. After Japanese forces were defeated in the Battle of Saipan, he led a group of soldiers and civilians deep into the jungle to evade capture by Allied forces...
, distinguished himself when he took command of some soldiers and assumed responsibility for the civilians who had survived the battle. Ōba and his men surrendered in December 1945, three months after the official end of World War II.
Early History
The three battalions of the 18th Infantry Regiment were established in Nagoya, JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and granted their colors
Colours, standards and guidons
In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours, standards or Guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 years ago...
on 15 August 1884. By 1886 the regiment had transferred its headquarters to Toyohashi city, and thereafter the majority of its recruits came from that city and the surrounding Mikawa
Mikawa
Mikawa may refer to:Places in Japan* Mikawa Province, an old province of Japan* Mikawa, Yamagata, a town in Yamagata Prefecture* Mikawa, Ishikawa, former town in Ishikawa Prefecture* Mikawa, Kumamoto, former town in Kumamoto Prefecture...
region of eastern Aichi Prefecture
Aichi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.- History :...
. In May 1888, the IJA 3rd Division was organized and the 18th Infantry Regiment was placed in its command.
The regiment deployed for the first time in 1894 to participate in the First Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
(1894–1895). In 1904, the regiment deployed again for the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
. The regiment saw combat at the Battles of Nanshan
Battle of Nanshan
The was one of many vicious land battles of the Russo-Japanese War. It took place on 25 May 1904 across a two-mile wide defense line across the narrowest part of the Liáodōng Peninsula, covering the approaches to Port Arthur and on the 116-meter high Nanshan Hill, the present-day Jinzhou District,...
, Te-Li-Ssu
Battle of Te-li-Ssu
The Battle of Te-li-ssu , also called Battle of Wafangou after the nearby railway station, was a land battle of the Russo-Japanese War. It was fought at a hamlet some north of Port Arthur, Manchuria. The hamlet is known today as Delisi, and is located just north of Wafangdian, Liaoning Province,...
, Tashihchiao
Battle of Tashihchiao
The Battle of Tashihchiao was a small-scale land engagement fought on 24 July - 25 July 1904, during the Japanese advance toward Liaoyang in first stage of the Russo-Japanese War. Tashihchiao is located about 25 kilometers [16 miles] southwest of the city of Haicheng, in present-day Liaoning...
, Shaho
Battle of Shaho
The Battle of Shaho was a land battle of the Russo-Japanese War fought along a front centered at the Sha River on the Mukden–Port Arthur spur of the China Far East Railway just north of Liaoyang, Manchuria.-Background:...
, Panlongshan, and other places.
In 1907 the regiment was transferred from the 3rd Division to the IJA 15th Division. In 1925, the 15th Division was disbanded by order of War Minister Ugaki Kazushige, and the regiment was returned to the 3rd Division.
In May 1928, the regiment deployed for the Jinan Incident
Jinan Incident
The Jinan Incident or May 3rd Tragedy , was an armed conflict between the Japanese Army allied with Northern Chinese warlords against the Kuomintang's southern army in Jinan, the capital of Shandong in 1928 during the Kuomintang's Northern Expedition.-Background:During the Northern Expedition,...
, and afterward served as the garrison for Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. In February 1933 the regiment participated in Operation Nekka. As a result of this early clash between Chinese and Japanese forces, Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
was placed in the Japanese controlled state of Manchukuo
Manchukuo
Manchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
. In 1934, the regiment was on occupation
Occupation
Occupation may refer to:*Job , a regular activity performed for payment, that occupies one's time**Employment, a person under service of another by hire**Career, a course through life**Profession, a vocation founded upon specialized training...
duty in Manchukuo. The regiment returned to Toyohashi, Japan in 1936.
Second Sino-Japanese War
With the outbreak of war following the Marco Polo Bridge IncidentMarco Polo Bridge Incident
The Marco Polo Bridge Incident was a battle between the Republic of China's National Revolutionary Army and the Imperial Japanese Army, often used as the marker for the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War .The eleven-arch granite bridge, Lugouqiao, is an architecturally significant structure,...
, the 18th Regiment was ordered to mobilize in August 1937. The regiment landed and participated in the Battle of Shanghai
Battle of Shanghai
The Battle of Shanghai, known in Chinese as Battle of Songhu, was the first of the twenty-two major engagements fought between the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China and the Imperial Japanese Army of the Empire of Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War...
, then continued on to assist with the Battle of Nanjing
Battle of Nanjing
The Battle of Nanking began after the fall of Shanghai on October 9, 1937, and ended with the fall of the capital city of Nanking on December 13, 1937 to Japanese troops, a few days after the Republic of China Government had evacuated the city and relocated to Wuhan...
. In early December, the regiment crossed the Yangtze at a point about halfway between Shanghai and Nanjing, launching an attack from Jiangyin
Jiangyin
Jiangyin is a city in China's Jiangsu province on the Yangtze River. It has population of 1.2 million . The total GDP reached RMB 171.3 billion yuan in 2009, an increase of 11.6% from 2008. The GDP per capita reached RMB 142,572 yuan...
on the south bank to Jingjiang
Jingjiang
Jingjiang is a county-level city in China's Jiangsu province. It is located on the northern bank of the Yangtze river. Originally belonging to Yangzhou city, Jingjiang was transferred to Taizhou city in 1996...
on the opposite bank. The regiment occupied the two towns until 9 March 1938.
Later in 1938 the regiment participated in the Hankou
Hankou
Hankou was one of the three cities whose merging formed modern-day Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei province, China. It stands north of the Han and Yangtze Rivers where the Han falls into the Yangtze...
Operation as part of the larger Battle of Wuhan
Battle of Wuhan
The Battle of Wuhan, popularly known to the Chinese as the Defence of Wuhan, and to the Japanese as the Capture of Wuhan, was a large-scale battle of the Second Sino-Japanese War...
. In 1939, it fought the Battle of the Xiang River
Xiang River
The Xiang River , in older transliterations as the Siang River or Hsiang River, is a river in southern China...
, the First Battle of Changsha, as well as smaller actions in the area. In 1940, the 18th Regiment particiapted in the Ichang Operation
Battle of Zaoyang-Yichang
The Battle of Zaoyang–Yichang , also known as the Battle of Zaoyi was one of the 22 major engagements between the National Revolutionary Army and Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War....
and the Han River Operation
Central Hupei Operation
The Central Hubei Operation was one of the engagements between the National Revolutionary Army and Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Known as the Central Hubei Operation, East and West of Hsiang River, in Japan it is called the 漢水作戦...
, both in Hubei Province.
In July 1942, command of the 18th Regiment was transferred from the 3rd Division to the IJA 29th Division. The regiment was then ordered to serve as the garrison force at Haicheng
Haicheng
Haicheng is a county-level city of central Liaoning province, Northeast China. It is located about southwest of Shenyang, the provincial capital, and is under the administration of Anshan City, the seat of which lies to the northeast....
, at the time in Mukden Province, now part of Liaoning Province. By early 1944, much of northern China was nominally secure, and many units were being transferred to various islands in the Pacific in order to support the strained and hyperextended line of defensive positions. By February 1944, the 29th Division, which consisted of the 18th, the 38th, and the 50th Infantry Regiments, was ordered to mobilize and prepare for operations in the Pacific
Pacific Campaign
Pacific Campaign may refer to:* Pacific Campaign , fighting between the United States and Spain during the Spanish-American War...
.
Pacific Theatre
From Manchuria, the 18th Infantry Regiment and its sister regiments travelled to Korea, where they embarked on four transport vesselsTroopship
A troopship is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime...
at Pusan. The convoy was escorted by three Yugumo-class destroyers of Destroyer Division 31: Asashimo
Japanese destroyer Asashimo
was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was sunk with all hands during Operation Ten-Go, while escaping with other escorts while both the and the were attacked and sunk by US aircraft, as were for the other destroyers.-Service career and fate:...
, Kishinami
Japanese destroyer Kishinami
was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy.On 2 December 1944, Kishinami departed Manila, escorting Hakko Maru back to Singapore. On 4 December she was torpedoed and sunk by west of Palawan Island...
, and Okinami
Japanese destroyer Okinami
was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy.On 13 November 1944, Okinami was sunk in a U.S. air raid on Manila. Suffering one direct bomb hit and several near-misses; she sank upright in shallow water eight miles west of Manila .-External links:...
, and were first sent to the Japanese-held island of Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
. On 29 February 1944 the transport ship carrying the regiment, the Sakito Maru, was hit by a torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
fired from the USS Trout
USS Trout (SS-202)
USS Trout was a United States Navy Tambor-class submarine, serving in the Pacific from 1941 to 1944. She received 11 battle stars for World War II service and three Presidential Unit Citations, for her second, third, and fifth patrols...
, an American submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
, just northeast of Saipan. The transport sunk, taking with it 2,200 of the 3,500 men on board, which included the regimental commander, Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Monma Kentaro. Also lost on the transport were several tanks and most of the regiment's equipment. The convoy's three escort destroyers dropped depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s, sank the Trout, and then rescued the survivors of the sunken transport. About 1,800 troops of the regiment were delivered to Saipan.
Saipan
After re-organization, two battalions of the under-equipped 18th Regiment was transported to GuamGuam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
in May 1944; however, about 600 troops of the 1st Battlion had to be left behind on Saipan. These troops, under Captain Masao Kubo, joined the island's garrison, though nearly all would be killed during the Battle of Saipan
Battle of Saipan
The Battle of Saipan was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands from 15 June-9 July 1944. The Allied invasion fleet embarking the expeditionary forces left Pearl Harbor on 5 June 1944, the day before Operation Overlord in Europe was...
in June and July 1944. In the aftermath of the battle, Capt. Sakae Ōba
Sakae Oba
was an officer of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. He served in both China and in the Pacific campaign. After Japanese forces were defeated in the Battle of Saipan, he led a group of soldiers and civilians deep into the jungle to evade capture by Allied forces...
distinguished himself by taking command of a number of soldiers and sailors who had survived the battle, as well as Japanese civilians who looked to him for guidance and protection. The group numbered about 300, and took shelter in caves or small villages in the jungle. They evaded capture by the U.S. Marines that were hunting for them, conducted harassment raids, and survived until they finally agreed to surrender in 1 December 1945.
Guam
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Takeshi Takashina, landed on Guam and assumed overall command of all military units for the island's defense. In preparation for the imminent invasion of Guam by Allied forces, the main body of the 18th Regiment was situated on a mountain, with each company
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
deployed to cover possible landing points in support of the island's defensive strategy. On 21 July 1944 the American landing operation commenced. Despite fierce resistance, United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and Marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
forces gained two beachhead
Beachhead
Beachhead is a military term used to describe the line created when a unit reaches a beach, and begins to defend that area of beach, while other reinforcements help out, until a unit large enough to begin advancing has arrived. It is sometimes used interchangeably with Bridgehead and Lodgement...
s by nightfall, straddling the Orote Peninsula on the west coast of the island, while the defenders either counterattacked or continued to fire on American positions with machine guns, artillery, and mortars.
On 24 July, the command headquarters of the Japanese forces on Guam received word from Tokyo to "Defend Guam at all costs". General Takashina devised a plan of attack to dislodge the 3rd Marine Division, which occupied the high ground at Asan, north of the Orote Peninsula. Takashina's attack would be coordinated with a breakout attempt of Japanese forces trapped on the peninsula. The 18th Regiment, which had been reorganized into three battalions, was to be one of the main units to assault the American position. Two battalions would attack the 21st Marine Regiment
21st Marine Regiment (United States)
The 21st Marine Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. Activated for service in World War II, they fought in the battles of Bougainville, Guam and Iwo Jima...
and the other battalion was to attack the flank of the 9th Marines. The objective was to exploit an 800-yard gap between the two regiments, break through the American lines, and attain the high ground. Other units would attack the Marines or head to the beaches with demolition
Demolition
Demolition is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures, the opposite of construction. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use....
charges to destroy any ammunition or supply caches left by American forces.
On the night of 25 July, the colors of the 18th Infantry Regiment were ritually burned, by authorization of the division commander, in anticipation of the regiment's complete destruction.
First Battalion
Just after midnight, the 1st Battalion, 18th Regiment, attacked the center of the 22nd Marines. Veterans of the battle later reported that while many of the Japanese soldiers carried rifles and their officers led with swords, some of the Japanese carried knives, pitchforks, or their bayonets mounted to long sticks and used as spears. Charging across open ground, they were hit by America artillery, mortars, and machine gun fire until they retreated into a mangrove swamp. Artillery continued to bombard the swamps, discouraging further attack from that approach.Second Battalion
The Japanese main attack was launched at about 0300, 26 July. The assault of the 2nd Battalion, 18th Regiment, under MajorMajor
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Maruyama Chusa, struck the center of the 21st Marines, and was the scene of some of the most desperate hand to hand combat of the entire night. The battalion charged through machine gun and artillery fire in an effort to reach the Marines. In an effort to break through the lines, Maruyama's men fought their way into a draw
Draw (terrain)
A draw a terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between them. The area of low ground itself is the draw, and it is defined by the spurs surrounding it...
that led down to the beach. The Marines had prepared for that possibility, and once in the draw the Japanese faced several Sherman tanks. Lacking any sort of anti-tank weaponry, the Japanese troops were unable to damage a single tank, and flowing over and past them, continued on down the draw. Those troops who were unable to reach the draw regrouped and charged another point in the Marine line and fought hand-to-hand until their numbers became depleted.
Third Battalion
The 3rd Battalion of the 18th Regiment, led by Major Yukioka Setsuo, was able to exploit a gap between the lines of the 9th and the 21st Marines, and drove hard toward the Marines' regimental Command Post (CP) near the beach. The Japanese came close to overrunning the CP, but Yukioka's attack was blunted by desperate fighting during the Marines' counterattack supported by artillery and mortars. One element of the 3rd Battalion encountered and attacked the 3rd Marine Division Headquarters area. The Japanese were prevented from overruning the position only when every available Marine, including cooks, clerks, doctors, and some of the wounded, joined the fighting, before two companies of combat engineers arrived to support the defenders. The engineers counterattacked, and by dawn the Japanese troops were dead or scattered; many fled up the Nidual River valley. The Engineers pursued, and over the course of the day reported witnessing many of the Japanese committing suicide by an unprecedented method: when a Japanese soldier had given up on escape, and capture seemed imminent, he pulled the pin of his grenade, placed it on top of his head, then held his helmet down over the grenade and waited for the inevitable.By the morning of 26 July, it was apparent that the attack to dislodge the American position had failed, as had the breakout attempt at Orote Peninsula. It was also apparent to General Takashina that victory at Guam would be impossible, due to enormous losses in personnel, leadership, weapons, and morale. Takashina decided that all remaining troops should escape to the interior of the island, in order to regroup, and carry on a guerrilla campaign to inflict as much damage as possible on the American forces. During the previous night's fighting, most of the men of the 18th Regiment had been killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
, along with their commanding officer, Colonel Hikoshiro Ohashi. By the end of 26 July 1945, the 18th Infantry Regiment had ceased to be a functioning unit.
Memorialization
The main memorial for the 18th Infantry Regiment is located in Toyohashi City Park. There are also monuments on the islands of Saipan and Guam, paid for by the regimental veterans' association.See also
- Battle of Guam (1944)
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