Japanese Army and Navy Strategies for South Seas areas (1942)
Encyclopedia
Immediately after the fall of Singapore in 1942 certain Army circles argued that Japan should exploit her advantage and seek peace with Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

. The heart of this reasoning was the fact that Japan
Japan
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...

 could not knock out both the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and England, judging from such factors as national strength and geographical location.

The Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...

 had recovered from its initial setbacks in the war with Japan's ally Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, and had regained its feet. Under the circumstances, Japan should plan to conclude a so-called compromise peace, seizing the opportunity after attainment of her war objectives. This sentiment was held by very few people, however, and most of the military paid scant attention to it. Planning for and prosecution of war then followed.

Expected counterattacks

Between February and March 1942, Imperial General Headquarters
Imperial General Headquarters
The as part of the Supreme War Council was established in 1893 to coordinate efforts between the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy during wartime...

 was anxious about the next steps which were to follow the close of the first-phase operations. In planning second-phase operations, the Army Operations Bureau estimated that counter-offensives could be expected starting in 1943. Two basic elements went into the formulation of this judgment.

As for the scale of counterattack, the operations people could make no definitive estimate, because they had no basis for forecasting. Some of the staff officers thought that the counteroffensive might center around a force of several Marine Corps
Marine corps
A marine is a member of a force that specializes in expeditionary operations such as amphibious assault and occupation. The marines traditionally have strong links with the country's navy...

 divisions. The estimates proved overly optimistic. The American counter-assault began in the latter half of 1942.
Imperial General Headquarters Intelligence Estimates of Allied Strength (Early May 1942)
United States (Pacific Coasts)
Land Forces: 1,800,000 (43 fully equipped divisions)
Aircraft: 3,500 first line operatives
Forecast: Towards end of 1942, ground forces will number about 2,000,000; first line warplanes will reach about 6,000
Alaska & Aleutians
Land Forces: 8,800 Army & Navy
Aircraft: 150
Hawaiian area
Land Forces: Land Forces: 35,000 Army
Aircraft: 150
Midway
Land Forces: 1,700 Army & Navy
Aircraft: 59
West Samoa
Land Forces: 750 U.S.Navy
Aircraft: 20
Fiji
Land Forces: 7,500 U.S. & British Army
Aircraft: 20
New Caledonia & Loyalty
Land Forces: 3,000 U.S. & De Gaullist Army
Airplanes: 10
Australia
Land Forces: 350,000 (10 Australian Divisions)
Aircraft: 500
Forecast: U.S. Army now arriving: 1 or 2 Divisions plus New Zealand Units
New Zealand
Land Forces: 70,000 (3 New Zealand divisions)
Aircraft: 250
British India
Land Forces: 5,000,000 (7 Divisions British Army,23 Divisions Indian Army)
Aircraft: 350
Ceylon
Land Forces: 1-2 British divisions


This mental relaxation could be observed not only in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

 but in the Southern Army
Southern Army
Southern Army may refer to one of the following.*Southern Expeditionary Army Group, part of the Imperial Japanese Army during the World War II era.*Essercito Meridionale of Giuseppe Garibaldi....

 as well-which was perhaps only natural. The Southern Army, for example, united its headquarters Intelligence Section with the Operations Section after the close of the first phase of the war, alleging that the intelligence staff had lost its raison d'etre at that stage. This action of the Southern Army
Southern Army
Southern Army may refer to one of the following.*Southern Expeditionary Army Group, part of the Imperial Japanese Army during the World War II era.*Essercito Meridionale of Giuseppe Garibaldi....

, ignoring the intelligence
Intelligence (information gathering)
Intelligence assessment is the development of forecasts of behaviour or recommended courses of action to the leadership of an organization, based on a wide range of available information sources both overt and covert. Assessments are developed in response to requirements declared by the leadership...

 function, was taken without the approval of IGHQ and typified contempt for the combat strength of the Allies. There was consequently an inability to forecast the large-scale counteroffensives launched by the Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 in the near future. Indeed, the Southern Army
Southern Army
Southern Army may refer to one of the following.*Southern Expeditionary Army Group, part of the Imperial Japanese Army during the World War II era.*Essercito Meridionale of Giuseppe Garibaldi....

's Intelligence Section was not re-activated until February 6, 1944.

Redeployment in China

The principles of the redeployment were as follows:
  • Southern Regions
    Northern and southern China
    Northern China and southern China are two approximate regions within China. The exact boundary between these two regions has never been precisely defined...

    : Rearrange the system of military administration in effect throughout the occupied areas. Return the 2nd Imperial Guard, 4th, and 5th Divisions to the homeland. Dispatch the 33rd Division to China, the 16th to Manchuria. Place the Fourteenth Army under the direct control of IGHQ.

  • Chinese Theater
    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...

    : Transfer the 33rd Division from the southern regions. (This plan could not be effected in practice.) Activate one armored division and six infantry divisions (59th, 60th, and 68th through 71st).

  • Manchuria
    Manchuria
    Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...

    : Activate two Area Army headquarters, one Army headquarters, one Mechanized Army headquarters, and two armored divisions: 1st and 2nd, with headquarters at Mutanchiang and Poli, respectively. Return older troops to the homeland; rejuvenate the remaining units.

July mobilizations

On July 4, 1942, IGHQ ordered the following units activated:
  • First Area Army (commanded by Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashita
    Tomoyuki Yamashita
    General was a general of the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. He was most famous for conquering the British colonies of Malaya and Singapore, earning the nickname "The Tiger of Malaya".- Biography :...

    , with headquarters at Mutanchiang).
  • Second Area Army (commanded by Lieutenant General Korechika Anami,with headquarters at Tsitsihar).
  • Second Army (commanded by Lieutenant General Yoshio Kozuki, with headquarters at Yenchi).
  • Mechanized Army (commanded by Lieutenant General Shin Yoshida, with headquarters at Ssupingchieh).
  • Homeland Area: Activate the 52nd Division. (This could not be accomplished.)
  • Air Force: Set up Third Air Army Headquarters in the southern region, with about five air groups. This headquarters is to control air defense operations in key areas on Sumatra
    Sumatra
    Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...

     and Java, as well as handle offensive actions overseas against India
    India
    India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

     and 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...

    . The order of battle of the Third Air Army was issued on July 10, 1942. Lieutenant General Hideyoshi Obata
    Hideyoshi Obata
    was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II.-Biography:Obata was a native of Osaka prefecture. He graduated from the 23rd class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in December 1911, and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the cavalry...

     was the commander, with headquarters at Singapore
    Singapore
    Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

    . On June 29, 1942, IGHQ issued a set of orders to General Hisaichi Terauchi, commanding the Southern Army
    Southern Army
    Southern Army may refer to one of the following.*Southern Expeditionary Army Group, part of the Imperial Japanese Army during the World War II era.*Essercito Meridionale of Giuseppe Garibaldi....

    . The essentials follow:


To win the war, IGHQ needed stability in vital portions of the southern regions, and the establishment of self-sufficient, impregnable foundations. Operations, moreover, was to be prepared in conformity with all possible eventualities. In conjunction with the Navy, the Army Commander should endeavor to stabilize important regions in the south, and to prepare Outer Perimeter operations based upon the below-cited precepts:
  • Burma, Malaya
    British Malaya
    British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...

    , Sumatra
    Sumatra
    Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...

    , Java, (British
    United Kingdom
    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

    ) Borneo
    Borneo
    Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....

    : The Army should seek to complete the defense of these areas, and to extend military administration throughout.
  • Thailand
    Thailand
    Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

    , Indo-China: The Army will co-operate with the authorities in their defense.
  • Pressure upon Chungking will be applied from the directions of Burma, Indo-China, and Thailand
    Thailand
    Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

    .
  • Offensive aerial operations will be undertaken against India
    India
    India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

     and 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...

    .


IGHQ also directed the Southern Army
Southern Army
Southern Army may refer to one of the following.*Southern Expeditionary Army Group, part of the Imperial Japanese Army during the World War II era.*Essercito Meridionale of Giuseppe Garibaldi....

 to undertake a number of measures:
  • Set up air bases in French Indo-China, Thailand, Burma, Malaya,

Sumatra, Java, and 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...

. Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

 will be the hub.
  • Expand facilities for supply and for the repair of aircraft.
  • Intensify local self-sufficiency to decrease supply requirements on the homeland.

Planned operations in Outer Perimeter

One of the operations, The Port Moresby Operation or Operation Mo
Operation Mo
Operation Mo or the Port Moresby Operation was the name of the Japanese plan to take control of the Australian Territory of New Guinea during World War II as well as other locations in the South Pacific with the goal of isolating Australia and New Zealand from their ally the United States...

, had the objective of taking possession of strategic island points to intensify a cutoff in the contact between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, while squelching the Americans' and Australians' plans of counterattack from the same areas. Action was slated to begin about the beginning of July 1942, using the following forces:
  • Bulk of the Seventeenth Army (built around nine infantry battalions)

  • Second fleet Air arm built around First Air Fleet

Seventeenth Army and Guadalcanal operations

Fighting had meanwhile erupted on Guadalcanal Island. On August 13, the Seventeenth Army (with the Ichiki Detachment in support) was ordered to continue the Eastern New Guinea Operation, while simultaneously recapturing Guadalcanal in concert with the Navy.

Implications of loss at Midway

The failure of the Midway Operation was caused by slight negligence, but the effects were so tremendous that Japanese Army operations in the Pacific were shaken to their very roots. Because of the failure, the Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...

 also lost its mastery forever, since a quick recovery from the smashing blow to the carrier fleet was impossible. It was difficult for Japan either to build large aircraft carriers or to train skilled airmen overnight.

June landings

On June 7, 1942, the North Seas Detachment landed on Kiska
Kiska
Kiska is an island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska located at . It is about long and varies in width from - Discovery :...

, and the next day upon Attu
Attu Island
Attu is the westernmost and largest island in the Near Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, making it the westernmost point of land relative to Alaska and the United States. It was the site of the only World War II land battle fought on the incorporated territory of the United States ,...

, without meeting resistance. No landings were made, in Adak
Adak Island
Adak Island is an island near the western extent of the Andreanof Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Alaska's southernmost town, Adak, is located on the island...

 and the mission of occupying that island was canceled on June 25. IGHQ (on October 24) reinforced the North Seas Detachment and also changed its name to the North Seas Garrison Unit. Commanded by Major General Juichiro Mineki, the force was primarily composed of three infantry battalions and was under the operational control of the Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...

 of the Fifth Fleet.

The American Army constructed air bases at both Adak (about the end of August 1942) and at Amchitka
Amchitka
Amchitka is a volcanic, tectonically unstable island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The island is about long, and from wide...

, near Kiska (around February 1943). On March 26, 1943, a naval battle occurred near the Komandorski Islands
Komandorski Islands
Commander Islands or Komandorski Islands are a group of treeless Russian islands located east of the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East, in the Bering Sea...

, within Soviet territorial waters, but neither side suffered serious losses.
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