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Appendix C: Japanese Order of Battle on Saipan

Army
Unit: Commanding Officer: Strength:
Headquarters, 31st Army Lt. Gen. Hideyoshi Obata 1,100
43rd Division
Headquarters, 43rd Division Lt. Gen. Yoshitsugu Saite 268
118th Infantry Regiment Col. Takeshi Ito 2,605
135th Infantry Regiment Col. Eisuke Suzuki 3,000 b
136th Infantry Regiment Col. Yukimatsu Ogawa 3,650
43rd Division Signal Company Capt. Yoshimitsu Washizu 223
43rd Division Transport Company Capt. Mitsuo Yamamoto 94
43rd Division Ordnance Company Capt. Yoshihiro Murase 99
43rd Division Field Hospital Lt. Col. Ikko Fukayama 500
43rd Division Intendance Duty Unit Lt. Hideo Okawa 2,500
47th Independent Mixed Brigade
47th Independent Mixed Brigade Headquarters Col. Yoshiro Oka 227
316th Independent Infantry Battalion Capt. Susumu Eto 618
317th Independent Infantry Battalion Capt. Sasaki 618
318th Independent Infantry Battalion Major Nagashima 618
47th Independent Mixed Brigade Engineer Unit 1st Lt. Yoneya 188
47th Independent Mixed Brigade Artillery Unit Capt. Yamane 323
Miscellaneous Units:
1st Battalion 18th Infantry Regiment (reorganized and re-equipped stragglers; the main body of the regiment was on Guam) Capt. Masao Kubo 600
3rd Battalion 9th Independent Mixed Brigade (destined for Pagan, the unit was caught on Saipan) 578 c
3rd Independent Mountain Artillery Regiment Lt. Col. Tsune Nakashima 845
16th Shipping Engineers Regiment (less one company) Maj. Masaichi Tsunekawa 450
7th Independent Engineer Regiment (less one company) Col. Fukujiro Koganezawa 600
11th Independent Engineer Regiment (straggler unit) 200
9th Tank Regiment (less two companies) Col. Takashi Goto 550
4th Independent Tank Company (straggler unit; no tanks) 118
25th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment Lt. Col. Jitsunori Niiho 600
43rd Independent Antiaircraft Company 1st Lt. Kiichi Kimishima 136 d

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Army
Unit: Commanding Officer: Strength:
44th Field Machine Cannon Company 1st Lt. Takahiro Hasagawa 105 e
14th Independent Mortar Battalion (Straggler Unit) Capt. Tatsuo Jinnai 580
17th Independent Mortar Battalion (Straggler Unit) Capt. Hajime Matsunami 350 f
20th Independent Mortar Battalion (Straggler Unit) 387 g
115th Airfield Battalion (Straggler Unit) 269
23rd Field Airfield Construction Unit (Straggler Unit) 392
14th Hangar Maintenance Section (Straggler Unit) 250 h
60th Anchorage Headquarters Colonel Saito 81 i
1st Independent Security Unit 54 i
Detachment, 15th Infantry Regiment (Straggler Unit) 182 i
9th Expeditionary Unit (a straggler unit; part was reorganized as 318th Independent Infantry Battalion, the rest remained stragglers) 908
150th Infantry Regiment (Straggler Unit) Col. Keize Hayashida 300
264th Independent Motor Transport Company Capt. Tadaomi Iwama 120
278th Independent Motor Transport Company 1st Lt. Shozo Arima 183 j
Navy
Central Pacific Area Fleet Headquarters Vice Adm. Chuichi Nagumo 502
5th Base Force Headquarters (this headquarters was combined with Central Pacific Area Fleet Headquarters) Adm. Takahisa Tsujimura
55th Naval Guard Force Capt. Sanji Takashima 2,000
Yokosuka 1st Special Naval Landing Force Lt. Comdr. Tatsue Karashima 800
5th Construction Department Rear Admiral Tsujimura 456
5th Communications Unit Lt. Comdr. Shinasaku Miyazaki 369
41st Naval Guard Force (Straggler Unit) 400
Saipan Branch, 4th Fleet Supplies and Accounts Department Comdr. Makota Mihara 45
1st Branch, Truk Transportation Department Comdr. Akiyoshi Mizumoto
Saipan Harbor Master Department Ens. Shoichi Takahashi 100
Saipan Branch, 4th Naval Stores Department Comdr. Akiyoshi Mizumoto

Total Estimated Strength on Saipan:

Army:

Navy:

Total:

NTLF G-2 count 22,702 6,960 29,662
Revised count 25,469 6,160 k 31,629

a. Unless otherwise indicated, this order of battle is based on NTLF Rpt Marianas, Phase 1, G-2 Rpt, 12 Aug 44, App. J, date 1 Sep 44.

b. NTLF G-2 Report gives 2,200. According to 135th Infantry Regiment War Diary, May 1944 (NA 27445), the total number, as of 31 May 1944, was 3,914, of which approximately 900 were on Tinian.

c. This unit is not listed in NTLF G-2 Report. The numerical strength is estimated from the known battalion strength of the 48th Independent Mixed Brigade on Guam.

d. NTLF G-2 Report gives the number as 150. 4th Independent Antiaircraft Company War Diary, May 1944 (NA 22761), gives the number 136.

e. NTLF G-2 Report gives the number as 150. 44th Field Machine Gun Cannon Company War Diary, May 1944 (NA 27395), gives the number as 105.

f. NTLF G-2 Report gives the number as 580. CINCPAC-CINCPOA Translation 10931, a file of orders and tables showing troop movements and locations of units in the Central Pacific Area, gives the number as 350.

g. This unit is not mentioned in NTLF G-2 Report. The number is derived from CINCPAC-CINCPOA Translation 9696, handwritten tables showing the approximate number of men receiving supplies in sectors under the 31st Army.

h. NTLF G-2 Report gives the number as 139. CINCPAC-CINCPOA Translation 9883, file of shipping headquarters orders March-May 1944, gives the number as 250.

i. Not listed in NTLF G-2 Report. This figure is taken from CINPAC-CINCPOA Translation 9696.

j. NTLF G-2 Report gives the number as 120. CINCPAC-CINCPOA Translation 9696 gives the number as 183.

k. In the revised count, the number of Navy personnel is reduced because the NTLF G-2 Report mistakenly identified certain Army units as Navy organizations.