Sixth Army (Japan)

The Japanese 6th Army (第6軍, Dai-roku gun) was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army initially based in Manchukuo as a garrison force under the overall command of the Kwantung Army. At the end of World War II it was active in east China.

Japanese Sixth Army
Japanese Type 95 Ha-Go tank destroyed at Nomonhan
ActiveAugust 4, 1939 - August 15, 1945 
CountryEmpire of Japan
BranchImperial Japanese Army
TypeInfantry
RoleCorps
Garrison/HQHailar, Manchukuo
Nickname(s)Mamoru (, Protect)
EngagementsBattle of Khalkhin Gol
Second Sino-Japanese War

History

The Japanese 6th Army was initially raised on August 4, 1939 in Manchukuo as a garrison force to guard the western borders against possible incursions by the Soviet Red Army. It was a major participant in the Nomonhan Incident, during which time it took severe casualties. Afterwards, it was initially assigned to Hailar, in Inner Mongolia which was also the site of an extensive Japanese static military fortification system. During much of the Second Sino-Japanese War, it remained a reserve and training garrison force.

On January 26, 1945, the Japanese Sixth Army was reassigned to the control of the China Expeditionary Army, and was sent south to bolster Japanese forces in the strategic Wuhan-Changsha front, filling the gap left by the departure of Japanese forces in the southward Operation Ichi-Go thrust. At the surrender of Japan, it was disbanded at Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China.

List of commanders

Commanding officer

NameFromTo
1Lieutenant General Rippei Ogisu1 August 19396 November 1939
2Lieutenant General Touji Yasui6 November 193915 October 1941
3General Seiichi Kita15 October 19411 March 1943
4Lieutenant General Teizo Ishiguro1 March 19437 January 1944
5Lieutenant General Jiro Sogawa7 January 1944September 1945

Chief of Staff

NameFromTo
1Lieutenant General Tetsukuma Fujimoto1 August 19392 December 1940
2Lieutenant General Minoru Sasaki2 December 19401 July 1942
3Lieutenant General Takeshi Mori1 July 19423 February 1943
4Major General Takashi Iketa3 February 194325 February 1944
5Major General Ryoichi Kudo25 February 1944September 1945

References

  • 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.
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