21st Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
Encyclopedia
The was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army
. Its call sign
was the .
, and was initially assigned to the Japanese 12th Army
which was engaged in counter-insurgency in Northern China. Whilst in Northern China it took part in the Battle of South Shanxi
, and fought against the Hundred Regiments Offensive
. In 1942 it took part in the Philippines Campaign, landing at Lingayen Gulf
on the 26th of February, 1942. After the completion of the campaign in the Philippines, it was then shipped to Vietnam
, where it served as the garrison for Hanoi
under the Japanese 38th Army
, and was used to crush the French in the Second French Indochina Campaign
.
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 21st Division was raised in 1938 in KanazawaKanazawa, Ishikawa
is the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.-Geography, climate, and population:Kanazawa sits on the Sea of Japan, bordered by the Japan Alps, Hakusan National Park and Noto Peninsula National Park. The city sits between the Sai and Asano rivers. Its total area is 467.77 km².Kanazawa's...
, and was initially assigned to the Japanese 12th Army
Twelfth Army (Japan)
The was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War.-History:The Japanese 12th Army was formed on November 7, 1938 under the North China Area Army as a garrison force for the occuparion the provinces North China...
which was engaged in counter-insurgency in Northern China. Whilst in Northern China it took part in the Battle of South Shanxi
Battle of South Shanxi
The Battle of South Shanxi , also known as the Battle of Jinnan and as the Chungyuan Operation by the Japanese, was one of the 22 major engagements between the National Revolutionary Army and the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War .-Chinese:1st War Area - Wei Li-huang* 5th...
, and fought against the Hundred Regiments Offensive
Hundred Regiments Offensive
The Hundred Regiments Offensive was a major campaign of the Communist Party of China's Red Army commanded by Peng Dehuai against the Imperial Japanese Army in Central China.-Background:...
. In 1942 it took part in the Philippines Campaign, landing at Lingayen Gulf
Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central...
on the 26th of February, 1942. After the completion of the campaign in the Philippines, it was then shipped to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, where it served as the garrison for Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
under the Japanese 38th Army
Thirty-Eighth Army (Japan)
The was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.-History:The was formed on September 9, 1942 under the Southern Expeditionary Army Group following the Japanese invasion and occupation of French Indochina....
, and was used to crush the French in the Second French Indochina Campaign
Second French Indochina Campaign
The Second French Indochina Campaign, also known as the Japanese coup of March 1945, was a Japanese military operation in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, then a French colony and known as French Indochina, during the final months of the Second World War. Vietnam was not a real colony at this time. The...
.