The was an
infantry
Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
division of the
Imperial Japanese Army
The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
. Its
call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...
was the . It was formed 10 July 1945 in
Qiqihar
Qiqihar (also spelled Tsitsihar) is the second-largest city in the Heilongjiang province of China, in the west central part of the province. The built-up (or metro) area made up of Longsha, Tiefeng and Jianhua districts had 959,787 inhabitants, w ...
as a
triangular division
A triangular division is a designation given to the way military divisions are organized. In a triangular organization, the division's main body is composed of three regimental maneuver elements. These regiments may be controlled by a brigade hea ...
. It was a part of the 8 simultaneously created divisions batch comprising
134th,
135th,
136th,
137th,
138th,
139th,
148th and 149th divisions. The nucleus for the formation was the 274th infantry regiment taken from the
125th division.
Action
Initially, the ''149th division'' was mostly garrisoning
Qiqihar
Qiqihar (also spelled Tsitsihar) is the second-largest city in the Heilongjiang province of China, in the west central part of the province. The built-up (or metro) area made up of Longsha, Tiefeng and Jianhua districts had 959,787 inhabitants, w ...
. One battalion of the 386th infantry regiment was in
Yi'an County
Yi'an County () is a county in the west of Heilongjiang province, China. It is under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Qiqihar.
Administrative divisions
Yi'an County is divided into 6 towns and 9 townships.
;6 towns
* Yi'an (), ...
, two other battalions of the 386th infantry regiment - in
Bei'an
Bei'an () is a county-level city in west-central Heilongjiang province in the People's Republic of China. It is under the jurisdiction of Heihe.
Bei'an was the provincial capital of Bei'an province of Manchukuo, a puppet state set up by Japan durin ...
. Also, one platoon of the 274th infantry regiment was deployed in
Nehe.
During the
Soviet invasion of Manchuria
The Soviet invasion of Manchuria, formally known as the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation or simply the Manchurian Operation () and sometimes Operation August Storm, began on 9 August 1945 with the Soviet Union, Soviet invasion of the Emp ...
, the ''149th division'' was ordered to
Harbin
Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...
11 August 1945, arriving in parts 12–15 August 1945. The fortifications of
Qiqihar
Qiqihar (also spelled Tsitsihar) is the second-largest city in the Heilongjiang province of China, in the west central part of the province. The built-up (or metro) area made up of Longsha, Tiefeng and Jianhua districts had 959,787 inhabitants, w ...
were then taken over by the
136th Independent Mixed Brigade.
Although the division was relatively well equipped by rifles, the heavy weapons were deficient. In particular, it had absolutely no artillery.
Kwantung Army
The Kwantung Army (Japanese language, Japanese: 関東軍, ''Kantō-gun'') was a Armies of the Imperial Japanese Army, general army of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1919 to 1945.
The Kwantung Army was formed in 1906 as a security force for th ...
has estimated combat efficiency of the ''149th division'' to be 15% of the nominal.
The ''149th division'' was disarmed 23 August 1945 without seeing any action during
Soviet invasion of Manchuria
The Soviet invasion of Manchuria, formally known as the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation or simply the Manchurian Operation () and sometimes Operation August Storm, began on 9 August 1945 with the Soviet Union, Soviet invasion of the Emp ...
.
149th Division (Fugyo)
/ref> Majority of soldiers have then deserted or were hastily discharged before remainder of 4480 were taken prisoner in Hailin
Hailin () is a county-level city, under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Mudanjiang, in the southeast of Heilongjiang province, China, bordering Jilin province to the southwest. It has an area of , and a population of 422,000 (as ...
27 August 1945 and sent to Siberian labour camp
A labor camp (or labour camp, see British and American spelling differences, spelling differences) or work camp is a detention facility where inmates are unfree labour, forced to engage in penal labor as a form of punishment. Labor camps have ...
s. Some officers have returned to Japan in 1947.
See also
* List of Japanese Infantry Divisions
Notes and references
*This article incorporates material from Japanese Wikipedia page 第149師団 (日本軍), accessed 11 July 2016
* Madej, W. Victor, ''Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle'', 1937–1945 vols Allentown, PA: 1981.
Japanese World War II divisions
Infantry divisions of Japan
Military units and formations established in 1945
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945
1945 establishments in Japan
1945 disestablishments in Japan
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