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 |
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.