24th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)

24th Division
Active 1939 - 1945
Country Empire of Japan
Branch Imperial Japanese Army
Type Infantry
Garrison/HQ Harbin, Manchukuo
Nickname(s) Mountain Division
Engagements Second Sino-Japanese War
Pacific War

The 24th Division (第24師団 Dai-nijuyon Shidan) was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. Its callsign was the Mountain Division (山兵団 Yamahei-dan). The 24th Division was formed in Harbin, Manchukuo on 6 October 1939, as part of the Manchukuo territorial defense force under overall command of the 5th Army group of the Kwantung Army.

Action

22 February 1944, the 7th detachment consisting of companies from each regiment, including engineer regiment and field artillery regiment, was sent to Woleai island. The 7th detachment have reached Woleai in April 1944 and re-formed into 50th Independent Mixed Brigade in June 1944. Out of 6426 initial troops of the detachment, only 1650 have survived the air raids and starvation. Also, the 1st detachment comprising an infantry battalion from the 89th infantry regiment was sent to Saipan and reorganized eventually into 47th Independent Mixed Brigade. The 9th detachment, consisting of three infantry battalions, headed for Yap island, but was diverted to Saipan after some of the troop transports were sunk en route. Initially organized into 318th independent infantry battalions, the survivors ended up in 47th Independent Mixed Brigade. All troops who reached Saipan were eventually annihilated in Battle of Saipan in July 1944. Another battalion-sized 12th detachment have reached Yap uneventfully.

In July 1944, the 24th division remainders were sent to Okinawa prefecture as part of the final defense of the Japanese home islands against the American invasion, taking the positions prepared by departing 9th division at Ōzato, Okinawa. For 24th division the Battle of Okinawa has started north-west of Shuri, Okinawa 23 April 1945. In the all-out counterattack 4 May 1945, the 1st battalion of the 32nd infantry regiment have managed to capture Tanabaru heights in Nishihara, Okinawa, but division has failed to advance elsewhere. Following a war of attrition, by early June 1945 the 24th division have lost over 12000 troops, and has been reduced to the approximately 3000 men strength. The division fragmented on several holdouts 20 June 1945, but 1st and 3rd battalions of the 32nd infantry regiments have continue resisting US occupation before surrendering in the late August to early September, 1945.

Armament of the 24th division at the Battle of Okinawa

By early June 1945, all field gun and howitzers were destroyed, machine guns were down to 20% of normal complement, and mortars with infantry support guns were down to 10% of normal complement.

See also

Reference and further reading

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