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 . The

(IJA) ''43rd Division'' was raised 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 ...

(type B, standard) on 10 June 1943 in

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

, simultaneously with 42nd, 46th and 47th divisions. The nucleus for the formation was the headquarters of the 3rd division and the 63rd independent infantry brigade. The ''43rd division'' was assigned to the Central District Army upon formation. In April 1944, the ''43rd division'' was assigned to 31st army and reorganized to a marine (mixed) division, with artillery and engineer regiments absorbed by infantry regiments. Also, Yoshitsugu Saitō was appointed as divisional commander instead of

Prince Kaya Tsunenori , was the second head of the Kaya-no-miya collateral branch of the Japanese imperial family. A general in the Imperial Japanese Army, he was first cousin to Empress Kōjun (Nagako), the wife of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito). Early life Prince K ...

. The bulk of the ''43rd division'' left

Tateyama, Chiba is a Cities of Japan, city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 44,865 in 20,558 households and a population density of 410 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Tateyama is locat ...

on 14 May 1944 and reached

Saipan Saipan () is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Territories of the United States, territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Cens ...

uneventfully on 19 May 1944. It was the last successful (8th) of the so-called Pine transport transfers. The 118th infantry regiment was late for the 8th Pine transport, which sailed from

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

on 29 May 1944 as convoy 3530, and suffered two-thirds losses from a US submarine attack on 4 June 1944 before arriving in

on 9 June 1944. About 9000 troops and 13 artillery pieces of the ''43rd division'' then dug in around Mount Tapochau, with the rest spread over the southern part of

island. Overall, the ''43rd division'' managed to add one line of trenches to the pre-existing defences before the arrival of the US invasion fleet on 13 June 1944. The

battle of Saipan The Battle of Saipan was an amphibious assault launched by the United States against the Empire of Japan during the Pacific War, Pacific campaign of World War II between 15 June and 9 July 1944. The initial invasion triggered the Battle of the ...

began with US landings on 15 June 1944. On 17 June 1944 at 2:30 AM, a large counter-attack was performed by the ''43rd division'' together with the 9th armored regiment of the 1st tank division. Although the division was able to re-capture the local high ground around Hinashita hill,Saipan battle with japanese map
/ref> the Japanese gains were dramatically reversed in the morning of 18 June 1944, when the US forces captured Hinashita hill and an airfield in the south of the island largely intact. By 24 June 1944, the ''43rd division'' was reduced to four battalions of infantry and a half-battalion of artillery. On 27 June 1944, as the Mount Tapochau defences were failing rapidly, Yoshitsugu Saitō, the ''43rd division'' commander, radioed Tokyo asking for either reinforcements or evacuation by air. At that point, he estimated resistance could continue until 10 July 1944. By 5 July 1944 the position of the ''43rd division'' was hopeless, so Yoshitsugu Saitō ordered to prepare for a suicidal

banzai charge Banzai charge or Banzai attack () is the term that was used by the Allied forces of World War II to refer to Japanese human wave attacks and swarming staged by infantry units. This term came from the Japanese battle cry , and was shortened to ...

, starting at the dawn of 7 July 1944 with a force of 4,000 men, most of them already wounded. The ''43rd division'' was annihilated in this

, killing 658 US servicemen in its final day.

Notes

References

* 秦郁彦編『日本陸海軍総合事典』第2版、東京大学出版会、2005年。 * 外山操・森松俊夫編著『帝国陸軍編制総覧』芙蓉書房出版、1987年。 {{DEFAULTSORT:43rd Division (Imperial Japanese Army) Japanese World War II divisions Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944 Infantry divisions of Japan 1943 establishments in Japan 1945 disestablishments in Japan