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4th Tank Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
Encyclopedia
The , was one of four armored divisions of the Imperial Japanese Army
in World War II
.
Panzer-Lehr-Division, it was created out of the training departments of the Armor School, Cavalry School, Field Artillery School and Military Engineering School of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, its remaining students and staff. Assigned to the IJA 36th Army
, it was assigned to the defense of the Japanese home islands against the projected Allied invasion
.
The 4th Tank Division was officially demobilized
in September 1945 with the rest of the Imperial Japanese Army, without having seen combat
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...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
History
The 4th Tank Division was raised on July 6, 1944. Similar to the GermanNazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
Panzer-Lehr-Division, it was created out of the training departments of the Armor School, Cavalry School, Field Artillery School and Military Engineering School of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, its remaining students and staff. Assigned to the IJA 36th Army
Thirty-Sixth Army (Japan)
The was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army during the final days of World War II.-History:The Japanese 36th Army was formed on July 21, 1944 under the Japanese 12th Area Army as part of the last desperate defense effort by the Empire of Japan to counter the projected invasion of the Japanese...
, it was assigned to the defense of the Japanese home islands against the projected Allied invasion
Operation Downfall
Operation Downfall was the Allied plan for the invasion of Japan near the end of World War II. The operation was cancelled when Japan surrendered after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet Union's declaration of war against Japan. The operation had two parts: Operation...
.
The 4th Tank Division was officially demobilized
Demobilization
Demobilization is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and military force will not be necessary...
in September 1945 with the rest of the Imperial Japanese Army, without having seen combat
Commanding officer
| Name | From | To | |
| 1 | Lieutenant General Shiori Nagura | 8 July 1944 | 12 August 1945 |
| 2 | Major General Prince Kanin Haruhito | 12 August 1945 | 16 August 1945 |
| 3 | Lieutenant General Shiori Nagura | 16 August 1945 | 30 September 1945 |