Second Army (Japan)

Japanese Second Army
Japanese Troops in the Battle of Shaho
ActiveSept 1894-Aug 1945　
Country Empire of Japan
Branch Imperial Japanese Army
TypeInfantry
RoleCorps
Nickname(s)Ikioi (勢, Vigorous)
EngagementsFirst Sino-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
World War II

The Japanese 2nd Army (第2軍, Dai-ni gun) was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army. It was raised and demobilized on four occasions.

History

The Japanese 2nd Army was initially raised during the First Sino-Japanese War from September 27, 1894, to May 14, 1895, under the command of General Ōyama Iwao.

It was revived for the Russo-Japanese War from March 6, 1904, to January 2, 1906, under the command of General Oku Yasukata. It fought in most of the major campaigns of the war, including the Battle of Nanshan, Battle of Te-li-Ssu, Battle of Tashihchiao, Battle of Shaho, Battle of Liaoyang, Battle of Sandepu, and Battle of Mukden.

The Japanese 2nd Army was raised again on August 23, 1937, and placed under the command of the Japanese Northern China Area Army as reinforcement to Japanese forces in China following the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. The 2nd Army participated in the North China Incident, Tianjin–Pukou Railway Operation, Battle of Xuzhou and Battle of Taierzhuang before being demobilized on December 15, 1938.

The fourth and final incarnation of the Japanese 2nd Army was on July 4, 1942, when it was revived under the command of the Japanese First Area Army in Manchukuo. It was transferred to the Japanese Second Area Army on October 30, 1943. Towards the closing stages of the war, on June 30, 1945, it was transferred to the Southern Expeditionary Army Group and was based in the Celebes at the end of World War II.

List of commanders

Commanding officer

Name From To
1 Marshal Ōyama Iwao 25 September 1894 26 May 1895
X demobilized 26 May 1895 6 March 1904
2 General Oku Yasukata 6 March 1904 12 January 1906
X demobilized 12 January 1906 23 August 1937
3 General Toshizō Nishio 23 August 1937 30 April 1938
4 General Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko 30 April 1938 9 December 1939
x demobilized 9 December 1938 4 July 1942
5 Lieutenant General Yoshio Kozuki 4 July 1942 28 May 1943
6 Lieutenant General Ichirō Shichida 28 May 1943 29 October 1943
7 Lieutenant General Fusatarō Teshima 29 October 1943 15 August 1945

Chief of Staff

Name From To
2 Colonel Inoue Hikaru 1 October 1894 14 May 1895
X demobilized 26 May 1895 6 March 1904
2 Major General Ochiai Toyosaburo 6 March 1904 12 September 1904
3 Major General Ōsako Naomichi 12 September 1904 18 January 1906
X demobilized 18 January 1906 31 August 1937
4 Major General Yorimichi Suzuki 31 August 1937 11 June 1938
5 Lieutenant General Kazumoto Machijiri 11 June 1938 21 November 1938
6 Major General Shigenari Aoki 21 November 1938 9 December 1938
X demobilized 9 December 1938 1 July 1942
7 Major General Goro Isoya 1 July 1942 8 April 1943
8 Major General Ichimaro Horike 8 April 1943 23 October 1943
9 Major General Shikao Fujitsuka 23 October 1943 26 December 1944
10 Major General Yuki Fukabori 1 February 1945 7 April 1945
11 Major General Shintarō Imada 7 April 1945 24 May 1945
12 Major General Minetarō Yoshida 5 June 1945 15 August 1945

References

  • Jowett, Bernard (1999). The Japanese Army 1931–45 (Volume 2, 1942–45). Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-354-3.
  • Madej, Victor (1981). Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937–1945. Game Publishing Company. ASIN: B000L4CYWW.
  • Marston, Daniel (2005). The Pacific War Companion: From Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-882-0.
  • The Russo-Japanese War: Reports from British Officers Attached to the Field. Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1908.