19th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
Encyclopedia
was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army
. Its call sign
was the .
were raised on 24 December 1915 as a garrison
force for Korea
. After Japan's victory in the Russo-Japanese War
, and subsequent occupation, and then annexation of Korea, the need was felt for a dedicated garrison force, raised from people with local knowledge. The 19th Division was stationed in far northeast Korea, in what is now North Hamgyong province.
After the Manchurian Incident, the 19th Division was called upon to provide assistance in Invasion of Manchuria, during which it occupied Changchun
and Harbin
, and in the subsequent Pacification of Manchukuo
. It continued to be stationed in Manchuria afterwards.
In July 1938, it was one of the Japanese divisions at the Battle of Lake Khasan
against the Soviet Union
. Afterwards, with increasing tension and subsequent border clashes the 19th Division had 500 killed and 900 wounded from 6 August to 11 August 1938. It was then recalled to the Korean border area with the Soviet Union.
In May, 1943, the 74th Infantry Regiment was elevated into the 30th Infantry Division. In December 1944, the remainder of the 19th Infantry Division was transferred to the Japanese Fourteenth Area Army in the Philippines
. It was largely annihilated in combat in the mountains of central Luzon
by joint the U.S. & Allied Philippine Commonwealth troops during the subsequent Battle of Luzon
and ceased to be a functional unit at that time.
for the 19th Division included:
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...
. 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...
was the .
History
The 19th Division and the 20th Division20th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. Its call sign was the .-History:The 20th Division and the 19th Division were raised on 24 December 1915 as a garrison force for Korea. After Japan's victory in the Russo-Japanese War, and subsequent occupation, and then annexation of Korea,...
were raised on 24 December 1915 as a garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
force for Korea
Korea under Japanese rule
Korea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion . Japanese rule ended in 1945 shortly after the Japanese defeat in World War II....
. After Japan's victory in 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...
, and subsequent occupation, and then annexation of Korea, the need was felt for a dedicated garrison force, raised from people with local knowledge. The 19th Division was stationed in far northeast Korea, in what is now North Hamgyong province.
After the Manchurian Incident, the 19th Division was called upon to provide assistance in Invasion of Manchuria, during which it occupied Changchun
Changchun
Changchun is the capital and largest city of Jilin province, located in the northeast of the People's Republic of China, in the center of the Songliao Plain. It is administered as a sub-provincial city with a population of 7,677,089 at the 2010 census under its jurisdiction, including counties and...
and Harbin
Harbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
, and in the subsequent Pacification of Manchukuo
Pacification of Manchukuo
The Pacification of Manchukuo, was a campaign to pacify the resistance to the newly established puppet state of Manchukuo between the Anti-Japanese Volunteer Armies of Manchuria and later the Communist Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army and the Imperial Japanese Army and the forces of the...
. It continued to be stationed in Manchuria afterwards.
In July 1938, it was one of the Japanese divisions at the Battle of Lake Khasan
Battle of Lake Khasan
The Battle of Lake Khasan and also known as the Changkufeng Incident in China and Japan, was an attempted military incursion of Manchukuo into the territory claimed by the Soviet Union...
against the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Afterwards, with increasing tension and subsequent border clashes the 19th Division had 500 killed and 900 wounded from 6 August to 11 August 1938. It was then recalled to the Korean border area with the Soviet Union.
In May, 1943, the 74th Infantry Regiment was elevated into the 30th Infantry Division. In December 1944, the remainder of the 19th Infantry Division was transferred to the Japanese Fourteenth Area Army in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. It was largely annihilated in combat in the mountains of central Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
by joint the U.S. & Allied Philippine Commonwealth troops during the subsequent Battle of Luzon
Battle of Luzon
The Battle of Luzon was a land battle fought as part of the Pacific Theater of Operations of World War II by the Allied forces of the U.S., its colony The Philippines, and Mexico against forces of the Empire of Japan. The battle resulted in a U.S. and Filipino victory...
and ceased to be a functional unit at that time.
Organization
The order of battleOrder of battle
In modern use, the order of battle is the identification, command structure, strength, and disposition of personnel, equipment, and units of an armed force participating in field operations. Various abbreviations are in use, including OOB, O/B, or OB, while ORBAT remains the most common in the...
for the 19th Division included:
- 73rd Infantry Regiment
- 74th infantry Regiment
- 75th Infantry Regiment
- 76th Infantry Regiment
Reference and further reading
- Coox, Alvin D. Nomonhan: Japan Against Russia, 1939. Stanford University Press; Reprint edition (1990). ISBN 0-8047-1835-0
- Madej, W. Victor. Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937–1945 [2 vols] Allentown, PA: 1981