Independent Mixed Brigades (Imperial Japanese Army)
Independent Mixed Brigades 独立混成旅団 | |
---|---|
Active | 1937-1945 |
Country | Empire of Japan |
Branch | Japanese Imperial Army |
Type | Mixed Brigade |
Role | Garrisoning occupied territories |
Size | 5,000 to 11,000 troops |
Engagements |
Second Sino-Japanese War World War II |
The Japanese Imperial Army had Independent Mixed Brigades that were composed of various units detached from other formations, or they independent support units formed together in an independent brigade. An Independent Mixed Brigade had about 5,000 to 11,000 troops.[1]
History
The first two of these Independent Mixed Brigades, formed by the Kwangtung Army in the 1930s was the IJA 1st Independent Mixed Brigade and the IJA 11th Independent Mixed Brigade. Each of these brigades were organized in a unique manner and one of them, the 11th was later formed into the IJA 26th Division.
Later a series of Independent Mixed Brigades were formed for the purpose of garrisoning the large territories of China captured in the early phase of the Second Sino-Japanese War.[1] This variety for China was usually organized with five infantry battalions, an artillery unit, and labor troops. In the Pacific theater they had different and more varied configurations of subordinate units.
List of Independent Mixed Brigades
Kwangtung Army
- IJA 1st Independent Mixed Brigade (posted at Chichi-jima)
- IJA 11th Independent Mixed Brigade (become 26th division)
China and World War II
IJA Independent Mixed Brigades formed for the Second Sino-Japanese War and Second World War:
- 1st Independent Mixed Brigade (2nd Formation)
- 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army) (North China, 1945)
- 4th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 5th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army) (Shandong, 1939)
- 6th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 7th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 8th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 9th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 10th Independent Mixed Regiment
- 11th Independent Mixed Brigade (2nd Formation)
- 12th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army) (Chuzhou, 1939)
- 13th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 14th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 15th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 16th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 17th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 18th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army) (Dangyang, 1940)
- 19th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 20th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 21st Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 22nd Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 23rd Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 24th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army) (Myitkyina, 1944)
- 25th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 26th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 27th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army) (Java, 1942)
- 28th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army) (Java, 1942)
- 29th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 30th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 31st Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 32nd Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 33rd Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 34th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 35th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 36th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 37th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 38th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army) (Bouganville, 1944)
- 39th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army) (Solomon Islands, 1944)
- 40th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army) (Solomon Islands, 1944)
- 47th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army) (Saipan)
- 48th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army) (Guam, including at As Sombreru Pillboxes)
- 50th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army) (Woleai)
- 56th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 98th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- 109th Independent Mixed Brigade (Imperial Japanese Army)
- (list incomplete)
See also
Bibliography
- Victor Madej: Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937–1945. Game Publishing, 1981, OCLC 833591372, OCLC 833591376.
- Philip Jowett: The Japanese Army 1931–45 (1) Osprey Publishing, 2002, ISBN 978-1-8417-6353-8
- Gordon Rottman: Japanese Army in World War II, Conquest of the Pacific Osprey Publishing, 2005, ISBN 978-1-8417-6789-5
- Gordon Rottman: Japanese Army in World War II, The South Pacific and New Guinea, 1942–43 Osprey Publishing, 2005, ISBN 978-1-8417-6870-0