1st Amphibious Brigade
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The were marines brigades 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 ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. They were established in 1943. Although the Japanese invasion of
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
had been completed at the time of their founding, the
Imperial General Headquarters The was part of the Supreme War Council (Japan), Supreme War Council and was established in 1893 to coordinate efforts between the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy during wartime. In terms of function, it was approximately equi ...
(Daihon'ei) saw the need for flexible countermeasures to defend strategic islands in the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
from impending Allied invasion as the war situation deteriorated for the
Japanese Empire The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From 1910 to ...
. The Amphibious Brigades should not be confused with the
Special Naval Landing Forces The Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF; ) were standalone naval infantry units in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and were a part of the IJN land forces. They saw extensive service in the Second Sino-Japanese War and in the Pacific theatre o ...
(SNLF) of the
Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...
.


Structure

The Amphibious Brigades were almost identical in structure to the IJA Amphibious Regiments, which had received additional training for amphibious warfare operations. They were not assigned any heavy artillery or transport vehicles, which made mobility on land difficult to impossible. The lack of transport was compensated by a larger than normal ammunition allocation. The brigades each had 35,643 rounds for their 81mm mortars and 7,445 rounds for their 75mm guns. The individual amphibious brigades organized as follows: Brigade staff (9 x
amphibious vehicle An amphibious vehicle (or simply amphibian) is a vehicle that works both on land and on or under water. Amphibious vehicles include amphibious Amphibious cycle, bicycles, Amphibious ATV, ATVs, Amphibious automobile, cars, Duckboats, buses, truc ...
s) *3 Infantry battalions ** 3 infantry companies ** 1 artillery company (3 × 75 mm Mountain Guns and 2 × Infantry Guns ) **1 mortar company each (12 × 81 mm mortars) **1 sapper company **1 Anti-aircraft company (6 × guns) **1 Armored company (9 × light tanks) **1
Engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
company ** 1 Communication company **1 Medical and sanitation company Landing and support vessels * *150
Daihatsu-class landing craft The was a type of landing craft used by the Imperial Japanese Army from 1937 to 1945, in the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. It was designated the "Type A" landing craft by the United States. History was a landing craft of the Imper ...
*10 SS-class landing ship *10 Type 4 MGB "Ka-Ro" (fire support) However, the planned target strength with respect to the SS-class landing craft and MTBs was never achieved.


IJA 1st Amphibious Brigade

The was created in 1943 and dissolved in 1945. Its ''
tsūshōgō were unit code names used by the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during World War II. Each ''tsūshōgō'' consisted of a and a . Unit Character Codes typically consisted of one character, although some units established in the late stages of the ...
'' code was “Storm 3139” ( 駆3139, Kakeru 3139 ). The 1st Amphibious Brigade was established on 16 November 1943 under the command of Lieutenant General
Yoshimi Nishida was an Imperial Japanese Army general during World War II. He was killed in action during the Battle of Eniwetok. Biography Yoshimi Nishida was born on 1 March 1892 in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. He graduated from the 25th class Imperial Japanes ...
out of the
Manchukuo Manchukuo, officially known as the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of Great Manchuria thereafter, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China that existed from 1932 until its dissolution in 1945. It was ostens ...
-based IJA 3rd Independent Garrison Unit. In mid-December 1943, the brigade embarked and arrived shortly afterwards at Truk, where it was placed under the
IJN 4th Fleet The 4th Fleet was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Fourth Fleet designation was used during three separate periods. The initial designation was for a group of ships that were assigned to work together during the Russo-Japanese conflict ...
. Imperial General Headquarters assigned it to
Eniwetok Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; , , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with its 296 people (as of 2021) forms a legi ...
to counter an expected Allied invasion: however, the brigade lost in the sinking of the ''
Aikoku Maru was an armed merchant cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II. The ship entered service in 1940, the ship was later converted to an ammunition ship. She was sunk in February 1944 during Operation Hailstone. Design ''Aikoku Maru' ...
'' at Truk on 17 February 1944 during
Operation Hailstone Operation Hailstone was a large-scale United States Navy air and surface attack on Truk Lagoon on 17–18 February 1944, conducted as part of the American offensive drive against the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Pacific Ocean theatre of Worl ...
. Another 800 men, including Lieutenant General Nishida were annihilated during the
Battle of Eniwetok The Battle of Eniwetok was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought from 17 to 23 February 1944 on Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The invasion of Eniwetok followed the American success in the Battle of Kwajalein to ...
from 17 to 23 February 1944 by the
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
. The remaining men and transports were sent to
Palau Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands ...
and were incorporated into the IJA 53rd Independent Mixed Brigade in May 1944.


IJA 2nd Amphibious Brigade

The was created on 16 November 1943 and dissolved in 1945. Its ''tsūshōgō'' code was “Patrol3189” ( 巡 3189, Meguru 3189 ). Although it was not planned to set up the 2nd Amphibious Brigade until 1944, the schedule was advanced to November 1943 due to the success of the Allied
Operation Cartwheel Operation Cartwheel (1943 – 1944) was a major military operation undertaken by the Allies in the Pacific theatre of World War II. The ultimate goal of Cartwheel was to neutralize the major Japanese base at Rabaul. The operation was di ...
. The 2nd Amphibious Brigade was established out of the
Manchukuo Manchukuo, officially known as the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of Great Manchuria thereafter, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China that existed from 1932 until its dissolution in 1945. It was ostens ...
-based IJA 5th Independent Garrison Unit with the staff from the IJA 29th Division. On 11 April 1944, the 2nd Amphibious Brigade was assigned to the
Southern Expeditionary Army Group The was a general army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. It was responsible for all military operations in South East Asian and South West Pacific campaigns of World War II. Its military symbol was NA. The Southern Expediti ...
and was sent to the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
in May, but without their armored company. It was then transferred in June to the
Vogelkop peninsula The Bird's Head Peninsula (Indonesian: , , meaning Bird's Head in Indonesian and Dutch) or Doberai Peninsula (''Semenanjung Doberai'') is a large peninsula that makes up the northwest portion of the island of New Guinea, comprising the Indonesia ...
in western
New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...
, where he came under the command of the IJA 2nd Army. En route, its supply vessel was sunk by an American submarine, causing the loss of most of its ammunition and many rifles. During the
Battle of Biak The Battle of Biak was part of the Western New Guinea campaign of World War II, fought between the United States Army and the Imperial Japanese Army, Japanese Army from 27 May to 17 August 1944. Taking place on the island of Biak, in Geelvink Ba ...
from 27 May – 17 August 1944 it was to be sent as reinforcement to the beleaguered Japanese garrison; however, it lacked the transport to reach the island. The 2nd Amphibious Brigade remained in
Sorong Sorong is the largest city and the capital of the Indonesian province of Southwest Papua. The city is located on the western tip of the island of New Guinea with its only land borders being with Sorong Regency. It is the gateway to Indonesia ...
for the duration of the war, where, weakened by malnutrition and disease, it surrendered in August 1945. Some 180 members of the brigade who survived the sinking of the supply ship were stranded in Zamboanga and were killed during the
Battle of Mindanao The Battle of Mindanao ( Filipino: ''Labanan sa Mindanaw;'' Cebuano: ''Panagsangka sa Mindanaw;'' Japanese: ミンダナオの戦い) was fought by the Americans and allied Filipino guerrillas against the Japanese forces on the island of Min ...
.


IJA 3rd Amphibious Brigade

The was created in May 1944 and dissolved in 1945. Its ''tsūshōgō'' code was “Thunder 12630” ( 轟 12630, Todoroku 12630 ). The formation of the 3rd Amphibious Brigade took place in May 1944 under the command of Colonel Ikeda Einosuke in
Shumshu Shumshu (; ; ) is the easternmost and second-northernmost island of the Kuril Islands chain, which divides the Sea of Okhotsk from the northwest Pacific Ocean. The name of the island is derived from the Ainu language, meaning "good island". It i ...
in the
Kuril Islands The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands are a volcanic archipelago administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast in the Russian Far East. The islands stretch approximately northeast from Hokkaido in Japan to Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, separating the ...
from elements of the Chishima 1st Reserve Group. It was structured identically as the 1st and 2nd Amphibious Brigades. In 1945, it was placed under the command of the IJA 27th Army, and was part of the last-ditch defense of the Japanese archipelago against an anticipated American landing. It was transferred to
Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...
, followed by
Aomori , officially Aomori City (, ), is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 264,945 in 136,781 households, and a population density of 321 people per squa ...
. During the transfer, the transport carrying Colonel Ikeda was sunk by an American submarine, and he was replaced by Colonel Kurashi. On 1 May 1945 it was placed under the command of the IJA 40th Army and transferred to
Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...
, although a portion was sent back as part of a garrison force for
Paramushir Paramushir (, , ) is a volcanic island in the northern portion of the Kuril Islands chain in the Sea of Okhotsk in the northwest Pacific Ocean. It is separated from Shumshu by the very narrow Second Kuril Strait in the northeast , from Antsifer ...
in the Kuriles. On 23 May 1945 the brigade was dissolved and its men and equipment reinforced the IJA 125th Independent Mixed Brigade, which ended the war in
Kagoshima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands. Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of 1,527,019 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 9,187 Square kilometre, km2 (3,547 Square m ...
.


IJA 4th Amphibious Brigade

The was created in May 1944 and dissolved in 1945. Its ''tsūshōgō'' code was “Expelling 12630” ( 攘15582, Harau 15582 ). The formation of the 4th Amphibious Brigade took place in May 1944 under the command of Major General Torihiko Mineki in
Asahikawa, Hokkaido is a Cities of Japan, city in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of the subprefecture, and the second-largest city in Hokkaido, after Sapporo. It has been a Core cities of Japan, core city since April 1, 2000. The city i ...
and was structured identically as the 1st and 2nd Amphibious Brigades. Its staff force and three infantry battalions came from the IJA 7th Infantry Division, however, its armored company was based in
Morioka is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 August 2023, the city had an estimated population of 283,981 in 132,719 households, and a population density of . The total area of t ...
and its artillery company was located in
Kokura is an ancient Jōkamachi, castle town and the center of modern Kitakyushu, Japan. Kokura is also the name of the Kokura Station, penultimate station on the southbound San'yō Shinkansen line, which is owned by JR West. Ferries connect Kokura ...
,
Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...
. It was placed under the command of the IJA 27th Army, and was initially assigned to the defense of
Iturup Iturup (; ), also historically known by #Names, other names, is an island in the Kuril Archipelago separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. The town of Kurilsk, administrative center of Kurilsky District, is located roughly mi ...
in the
Kuril Islands The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands are a volcanic archipelago administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast in the Russian Far East. The islands stretch approximately northeast from Hokkaido in Japan to Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, separating the ...
, but it lacked proper transport and logistics support. In May 1945, it was withdrawn to
Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...
and please under the IJA 36th Army as part of the last-ditch defense of the Japanese archipelago against an anticipated American landing. It was based at
Saitama Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (January 1, 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 Square kilometre, km2 ( ...
as part of defenses of Tokyo and was assigned to the IJA 1st Armored Division, but was used exclusively for road maintenance work and to grow crops. The brigade headquarters was at
Sakura, Chiba is a Cities of Japan, city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 173,740 in 78,483 households and a population density of 1700 people per km2 (4300 per sq. mi.). The total area of the city is . Geography ...
at the end of the war.


Literature

*Underwood, John: ''The Japanese Order of Battle in World War II. Vol. I''. The Nafziger Collection, 1999, . *Madej, Victor: ''Japanese Army Forces Order of Battle 1937-1945 . Volume I + II''. Game Marketing Company, 1981. *Ness, Leland: ''Rikugun. Guide to Japanese Ground Forces 1937-1945 ''. Helion & Company, 2014, .


See also

*
Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade The is the only marines brigade units of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) responsible for conducting amphibious warfare, coastal defence, and rapid response operations to security threats in island areas in Japanese territorial waters ...
* Imperial Japanese Marines


References

{{reflist Military units and formations of the Imperial Japanese Army Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 1943 establishments in Japan 1945 disestablishments in Japan