The 55th Army ( 第 55 軍 ) is a military unit of the Japanese Imperial Army operating during the Second World War .
| 55th Army | |
|---|---|
| 第 55 軍 | |
 | |
| Years of existence | April 8, 1945 - August 15, 1945 |
| A country |  Japan empire |
| Subordination |  Imperial army |
| Type of | infantry |
| Dislocation | |
| Participation in | Operation Downfall |
Formed on April 8, 1945 under the command of Lieutenant General Kumakichi Harada , it was subordinated to the 15th front . The main objective was to counteract the Allied invasion of Shikoku Island as part of their Downfall operation . Since June 15, its commander was also the commander of the remaining troops located on Shikoku and was appointed directly by Emperor Hirohito.
The army was mainly deployed in the city of Koti , the administrative center of the prefecture of the same name, as well as in Tokushima and Matsuyama . Most of her soldiers consisted of poorly trained reservists, recently drafted youth and militias. The number (together with parts of the fleet) was supposed to bring up to 90 thousand people.
After the surrender of Japan on August 15, 1945, the army was disbanded without ever taking part in hostilities.
Composition
- 11th Infantry Division
- 155th Infantry Division
- 205th Infantry Division
- 344th Infantry Division
- 121st separate mixed brigade
- army artillery, 45th and 47th tank regiments and units of direct subordination:
Literature
- Drea, Edward J. (1998). "Japanese Preparations for the Defense of the Homeland & Intelligence Forecasting for the Invasion of Japan." In the Service of the Emperor: Essays on the Imperial Japanese Army. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-1708-0 .
- Frank, Richard B (1999). Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-679-41424-X .
- Jowett, Bernard (1999). The Japanese Army 1931-45 (Volume 2, 1942-45). Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-354-3 .
- Madej, Victor (1981). Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945. Game Publishing Company. ASIN: B000L4CYWW.
- Marston, Daniel (2005). The Pacific War Companion: From Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-882-0 .
- Skates, John Ray (1994). The Invasion of Japan: Alternative to the Bomb Downfall. New York: University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 0-87249-972-3 .