Japanese Fifteenth Army
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The was an
army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
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 ...
. It was involved in the invasion of Burma in December 1941 and served in that country for most of its war service.


History

The Japanese 15th Army was formed on November 9, 1941, as a component of the
Southern Expeditionary Army The was a Armies of the Imperial Japanese Army, general army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. It was responsible for all military operations in South-East Asian theatre of World War II, South East Asian and South West Pacific A ...
Group for the specific task of invading the British colony of Burma. To do this the army, then based in
Indo-China Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) 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 th ...
, needed to transit through
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
. On December 8, 1941, the 33rd and 55th Divisions of the army spearheaded by the Imperial Guard invaded Thailand overland from what is now Cambodia. The invasion was supported by landings on the coast to the south of
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...
by the army's 143rd Infantry Regiment. Fighting lasted only a few hours before the Thai government ceded access. Under Lieutenant General
Shōjirō Iida was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. Biography Iida was a native of Yamaguchi prefecture and a graduate of the 20th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1908 and the 27th class of the Army Staff College in Dece ...
, the IJA 15th Army invaded the southern Burmese province of Tenasserim. The Fifteenth Army consisted initially of the highly regarded 33rd Infantry Division and the 55th Infantry Division. The latter attacked from northern Thailand, which had signed a treaty of friendship with Japan on December 21, 1941. The 15th Army quickly advanced through southern Burma, defeating the British and Indian Burma Army in several engagements, and capturing the capital of
Rangoon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...
by March 7, 1942. The Army was reinforced by troops released by the
Fall of Singapore The fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore, took place in the South–East Asian theatre of the Pacific War. The Empire of Japan captured the British stronghold of Singapore, with fighting lasting from 8 to 15 February 1942. S ...
and drove northwards into central Burma, defeating the British
Burma Corps The Burma Corps ('Burcorps') was an Army Corps of the Indian Army during World War II, Indian Army during the Second World War. It was formed in Prome, Burma, on 19 March 1942, took part in the Japanese conquest of Burma, retreat through Burma, and ...
and the Chinese forces, ultimately driving the
Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...
from Burma. During the following year, the Army remained as a
garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...
force in Burma, defeating an Allied offensive in
Arakan Arakan ( or ; , ), formerly anglicised as Aracan, is the historical geographical name for the northeastern coastal region of the Bay of Bengal, covering present-day Bangladesh and Myanmar. The region was called "Arakan" for centuries. It is ...
and inflicting heavy casualties on a long-range penetration raid under
Orde Wingate Major-general (United Kingdom), Major General Orde Charles Wingate, (26 February 1903 – 24 March 1944) was a senior British Army officer known for his creation of the Chindits, Chindit deep-penetration missions in Japanese-held territory duri ...
. In 1944, the Fifteenth Army became part of the Burma Area Army. Lieutenant General Iida was posted back to Japan and Lieutenant General
Renya Mutaguchi Lieutenant-General was an Imperial Japanese Army officer who served in World War II. He was the field commander of Japanese forces during the Battle of Imphal. Biography Mutaguchi was a native of Saga Prefecture. He graduated from the 22nd cla ...
took command. He forcefully advocated an offensive against British India. The offensive,
Operation U-Go The U Go offensive, or Operation C (, ), was the Japanese offensive launched in March 1944 against forces of the British Empire in the northeast Indian regions of Manipur and the Naga Hills (then administered as part of Assam). Aimed at the Br ...
, was launched in March. As a result of poor logistics and Mutaguchi's underestimation of the difficulties, the Fifteenth Army was almost destroyed in the
Battle of Imphal The Battle of Imphal () took place in the region around the city of Imphal, the capital of the state of Manipur in Northeast India from March until July 1944. Empire of Japan, Japanese armies attempted to destroy the Allied forces at Imphal and ...
and the
Battle of Kohima The Battle of Kohima was the turning point of the Imperial Japan, Japanese Operation U-Go, U-Go offensive into British Raj, India in 1944 during the World War II, Second World War. The battle took place in three stages from 4 April to 22 June 19 ...
. Mutaguchi, his chief of staff, and several other officers were removed in the aftermath, and Lieutenant General Shihachi Katamura was assigned to command. As the
monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...
season ended, the remnants of the Fifteenth Army attempted to forestall an Allied offensive into Burma by withdrawing behind the
Irrawaddy River The Irrawaddy River (, , Ayeyarwady) is the principal river of Myanmar, running through the centre of the country. Myanmar’s most important commercial waterway, it is about 1,350 miles (2,170 km) long. Originating from the confluence of the ...
. They were unable to prevent British and Indian troops from securing bridgeheads across the river, and the army was weakened by losses and detachments to other parts of the front. Once
Mandalay Mandalay is the second-largest city in Myanmar, after Yangon. It is located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, 631 km (392 mi) north of Yangon. In 2014, the city had a population of 1,225,553. Mandalay was founded in 1857 by Ki ...
was captured, the Fifteenth Army could only retreat southwards, badly disorganised and was further depleted in the failed Japanese breakout of the Pegu Yomas in July and August 1945. The remnants of the Fifteenth Army were later absorbed as a subsidiary unit of the 18th Area Army. The 15th Army was
demobilized Demobilization or demobilisation (see spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and militar ...
at Lampang Province in Thailand, on the
surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was Hirohito surrender broadcast, announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed on 2 September 1945, End of World War II in Asia, ending ...
in 1945.


List of Commanders


Commanding officers


Chief of staff


References

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External links

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Notes

{{Reflist 15 Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 J