The Kawaguchi Detachment was an

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emper ...

formation that existed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Under the command of

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

Kiyotake Kawaguchi was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Biography A native of Kōchi Prefecture, Kiyotake graduated from the 26th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1914, and from the 34th class of the Army Staff College in ...

, the detachment consisted of the 35th Infantry Brigade and the 124th Infantry Regiment. The detachment operated independently of its parent 18th Division and saw action in several campaigns, including fighting on Borneo, the Philippines and Guadalcanal.

History

Kawaguchi Detachment

At the start of the Burma Campaign of World War II, the Kawaguchi Detachment was based at

Camranh Bay Cam Ranh Bay ( vi, Vịnh Cam Ranh) is a deep-water bay in Vietnam in Khánh Hòa Province. It is located at an inlet of the South China Sea situated on the southeastern coast of Vietnam, between Phan Rang and Nha Trang, approximately 290 kilo ...

, in French

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

. After embarking on 13 December 1941, three infantry battalions from the Kawaguchi Detachment, as well plus No. 2 Yokosuka Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF), landed almost unopposed at Miri,

Seria Seria () is a town in Belait District, Brunei, about west from the country's capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The total population was 3,625 in 2016. It was where oil was first struck in Brunei in 1929 and has since become a centre for the count ...

and Lutong, in northern Borneo, and quickly captured Miri's airfield and oil fields. The detachment, moving by sea, then took Kuching on 23 December. Brunei, Labuan Island, Jesselton, and Tawau were taken in subsequent operations. On April 10, 1942, one day after the fall of

Bataan Bataan (), officially the Province of Bataan ( fil, Lalawigan ng Bataan ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the enti ...

, the Kawaguchi Detachment landed in

Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 16 ...

, in the Philippines. The unit was supposed to reinforce the Japanese forces fighting in Bataan but was diverted to Cebu when Bataan’s resistance began to collapse. By May 17, 1942, all organized resistance on the island had ceased and shortly afterward the Kawaguchi Detachment was pulled out and sent to

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

. From there they were sent to

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the se ...

. By September 4 the bulk of the Kawaguchi Force (including the

Aoba Detachment Aoba Detachment ( ja, 青葉支隊) was the reinforced 4th Infantry Regiment/ IJA 2nd Division, a part of the Seventeenth Army. The commander of the Aoba Detachment was Major General Yumio Nasu, the commander of the 2nd Division's Infantry Group. ...

's three infantry battalions from the 2nd Division) had landed on Guadalcanal. On the night of the September 13 Kawaguchi's forces, involving the main force of the Kawaguchi Detachment (about five infantry battalions) and the remainder of the

Ichiki Detachment Ichiki (written: 一木 or 市来) is a Japanese surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name m ...

(about 100 men),

assaulted An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in cr ...

the U.S. Marine defenses around Henderson Field. A series of unsuccessful frontal attacks were undertaken by the Japanese forces over several hours while confusion gripped the fighting lines. A second effort was made later, during which part of the Detachment penetrated a corner of the airfield, but it was unable to hold on to its gains after American reserves were committed and a heavy bombardment was unleashed. Kawaguchi's forces were defeated with heavy losses and forced to retreat from the battlefield. Kawaguchi was subsequently relieved of command during the Japanese preparations for the

Battle for Henderson Field The Battle for Henderson Field, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal or Battle of Lunga Point by the Japanese, took place from 23 to 26 October 1942 on and around Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. The battle was a land, sea, and air battle ...

in October, 1942 and he was eventually evacuated from the island.

35th Independent Mixed Brigade

The brigade was reactivated on 10 February 1944 in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

and stationed at the

Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a maritime boundary between t ...

under Lieutenant General Yoshihisa Inoue. Inoue was reassigned to command the 94th Division and replaced on 23 May 1945 by Major General Noboru Sato.

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