Order of Battle, Battle of Nanchang
The Order of Battle for the Nanchang Campaign (Mid Feb. - Early May 1939)
Japan
11th Army - Gen. Yasuji Okamura [1,2]
- 6th Division - Lt. Gen. Shiro Inaba [4]
- 9th Infantry Brigade
- 11th Infantry Regiment
- 41st Infantry Regiment
- 21st Infantry Brigade
- 21st Infantry Regiment
- 42nd Infantry Regiment
- 5th Mountain Artillery Regiment
- 5th Cavalry Regiment
- 5th Engineer Regiment
- 5th Transport Regiment
- 9th Infantry Brigade
- 101st Division - Lt. Gen Masatoshi Saito [4]
- 101st Infantry Brigade
- 101st Infantry Regiment
- 149th Infantry Regiment
- 102nd Infantry Brigade
- 103rd Infantry Regiment
- 157th Infantry Regiment
- 101st Field Artillery Regiment
- 101st Cavalry Regiment
- 101st Engineer Regiment
- 101st Transport Regiment
- 101st Infantry Brigade
- 106th Division * - Lt. Gen. Atsuo Matsuura [4]
- 111th Infantry Brigade
- 113th Infantry Regiment
- 147th Infantry Regiment
- 136th Infantry Brigade
- 125th Infantry Regiment
- 145th Infantry Regiment
- 106th Field Artillery Regiment
- 106th Cavalry Regiment
- 106th Engineer Regiment
- 106th Transport Regiment
- 111th Infantry Brigade
- Ishii Tank Unit - Col. Ishii [5]
- 5th Tank Battalion - Colonel Ishii
- 7th Tank Battalion - Lieut. Colonel Kusunose
- 7th Independent Tankette Company - Captain Yamada
- [All the armored units together comprised 76 Type 89 medium tanks and 59 Type 94 tankettes]
- 2nd Battalion of 147th Infantry Regiment /106th Div. [6]
- 1st Company of 3rd Independent Engineer Regiment[6]
- 1 Platoon of 8th Divisional Transport Unit[6]
- 120th Cavalry Regiment - Seinji Hasekawa[1]
- 22nd Artillery Regt. - Houkichi Nakahira[1]
- 6th Field Heavy Artillery Brigade HQ - Major Gen. Sumita[3]
- 13th Field Heavy Artillery Regiment [15 cm howitzers] Lt. Col. Okoshi[3]
- 14th Field Heavy Artillery Regiment [15 cm howitzers] Lt. Col. Maruyama[3]
- 10th Field Heavy Artillery Regiment [15 cm howitzers] Lt. Col. Nagaya[3]
- 15th Independent Field Heavy Artillery Regiment [10 cm cannons] Col. Horikawa[3]
- 101st Field Artillery Regiment [75mm field guns] Lt. Col. Yamada[3]
- 3rd Independent Mountain Gun Regiment [75mm mountain guns] Lt. Col. Morikawa[3]
- 106th Field Artillery Regiment [75mm field guns] Lt. Col. Uga[3]
- 2nd Battalion/2nd Independent Mountain Gun Regiment [75mm mountain guns] Major Matsumoto[3]
Naval: T Operation Fleet - Rear Admiral Keijiro Goga [6]
- Main unit
- 1st Base Force
- Asuka
- Advanced unit
- Hira
- Futami
- Rear Guard
- Kotaka
- 2nd Gunboat Unit
- 3rd Gunboat Unit
- Advanced Guard
- 1st Minesweeper Unit and other small craftIncluding the Sumiyoshi Maru and the Hayase
- Kure 5th SNLF
- 4th Gunboat Unit
Naval Airforce:
- Air Unit [6,7]
- River Plane Unit of 1st Base Force
- aircraft ?
- 12th Air Unit Kōkūtai
- Fighter daitai - ? Mitsubishi A5M
- Bomber daitai - ? Yokosuka B3Y1
- River Plane Unit of 1st Base Force
Army Airforce: 3rd Flight Group - Major Gen. Sugawara [6,7]
- Independent 17th Flying Squadron [17th Dokuritsu Hiko Chutai] - cdr ?, base: Central China
- ? Aircraft type, Reconnaissance squadron
- 45th Flying Sentai - cdr ?, base: Central China
- ? Aircraft type, Light bomber unit
- 75th Flying Sentai - cdr ?, base: Central China
- ? Aircraft type, Light bomber unit
- 77th Flying Sentai - cdr ?, base: Wuchang
- ? Kawasaki Ki-10 Fighter
Notes:
- 9th Division in Yueh-Linhsiang area. [1]
- 3rd, 13th, 116th Divisions North of Yangtze River vs. Chinese 5th War Area forces. [1]
- Only a portion of the 106th Division took part. [1]
- T Operation Fleet had over 30 ships and 50 motor boats and one battalion of Marines [1]
China
9th War Area - Chen Cheng [1]
- 19th Army Group - Lo Cho-ying
- 79th Corps - Hsia Chu-chung
- 118th Division - Wang Ling-yun
- 76th Division - Wang Ling-yun
- 98th Division - Wang Chia-pen
- 49th Corps - Liu Tuo-chuan
- 105th Division - Wang Tieh-han
- 9th Res. Division - Chang Yen-chuan
- 70th Corps - Li Chueh
- 19th Division - Li Chueh (concurrent)
- 107th Division - Tuan Heng
- 32nd Corps - Sung Ken-tang
- 139th Division - Li Chao-ying
- 141st Division - Tang Yung-liang
- 142nd Division - Fu Li-ping
- 5th Res Division - Tseng Chia-chu
- Poyang Lake Garrison - Tseng Chia-chu
- 3 Regts of Kiangsi Peace Preservation Force
- Lu Shan Guerrilla Command - Yang Yu-chen
- 2 Peace Preservation Regts
- 79th Corps - Hsia Chu-chung
- 74th Corps - Yu Chi-shih
- 51st Division - Wang Yao-wu
- 58th Division - Feng Sheng-fa
- 60th Division - Chen Pei
- Hunan - Hupei - Kiangsi Border Area Guerrilla Command - Fan Sung-pu
- 8th Corps - Li Yu-tang
- 3rd Division - Chao Hsi-tien
- 197th Division - Ting Ping-chuan
- 73rd Corps - Peng Wei-jen
- 15th Division - Wang Chih-pin
- 77th Division - Liu Chu-ming
- 128th Division - Wang Ching-tsai
- 1st Guerrilla Command - Kung Ho-chung
- 4 columns
- 8th Corps - Li Yu-tang
- 1st Army Group - Lung Yun, Dep. Cdr. - Lu Han
- 58th Corps - Sun Tu
- New 10th Division - Liiu Cheng-fu
- 183rd Division - Yang Hung-kuang
- 3rd Corps - Chang Chung
- 184th Division - Chang Chung (concurrent)
- New 12th Division - Kung Hsun-pi
- 60th Corps - An En-pu
- 182nd Division - An En-pu (concurrent)
- New 11th Division - Kung Hsun-pi
- 58th Corps - Sun Tu
- 30th Army Group - Wang Ling-chi
- 78th Corps - Hsia Shou-hsun
- New 13th Division - Liu Cheng-fu
- One Brigade of the New 16th Division - (command?)
- 72nd Corps - Han Hsien-pu
- New 14th Division - Fan Nan-hsuan
- New 15th Division - Teng Kuo-cheng
- 78th Corps - Hsia Shou-hsun
From 3rd War Area
7 Divisions of 32nd Army Group were mentioned in the text [1] as being in the counterattack to recapture Nanchang:
32nd Army Group - Shangkuan Yu-hsiang
- 29th Corps - Chen An-Pao
- 26th Division - Liu Yu-ching
- (other divisions?)
- 25th Corps - Wang Ching-chiu
- 79th Division ?
- 5th Reserve Division ?
- 28th Corps - ?
- 16th Division
- 91st Corps - ?
- 10th Reserve Division
- 102nd Division - ?
Notes:
32nd Army Group divisions mentioned[1]:
- Attacking from area between Kan and Fu River
- 16th Division/28th Corps - ?
- 10th Reserve Division/91st Corps - ?
- Attacking from Fu River between Wu-yang-tu and Hsieh-fu-shih
- 79th Division - ?
- 5th Reserve Division - ?
- In reserve across the Fu River, later made final attack on Nanchang
- 67th Division - Mo Yu-shuo
Early reinforcement from 3rd War area, presumably part of 32nd Army Group
- 102nd Division - ?
On May 5, 1939, Chinese recovered Nanchang Train Station & Nanchang Airport, and fought bayonet wars with Japanese at city walls. 29th Corps Chief Chen An'bao sacrificed his life during the battle, and division chief Liu Yuqing was injured.
Notes
7 Divisions from 32nd Army Group / 3rd War Area were committed during the offensive to recapture Nanchang in April, 1939. The 16th, 79th, 10th Reserve, and 5th Reserve Divisions are mentioned as being with that Army Group. Also, a 102nd Division came from the 3rd War Area early in the campaign but may or may not have been from 32nd Army Group, the text does not make this clear. The 29th Corps is mentioned in the text, along with the 26th Division, in the final attack on Nanchang. Additionally, a 25th Corps (commander Wang Ching-chiu) and a separate 67th Division are listed as being under the 32nd Army Group in another OOB for the Chinese, from after the Battle of Wuhan to March 1940.[1]
References
- [1] Hsu Long-hsuen and Chang Ming-kai, History of The Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) 2nd Ed., 1971. Translated by Wen Ha-hsiung, Chung Wu Publishing; 33, 140th Lane, Tung-hwa Street, Taipei, Taiwan Republic of China. Pg. 293-300 Map. 14-15
- [2] IJA in China orbat, 1937 to 1945, http://www.china-defense.com/forum/index.p...?showtopic=2726
- [3] Artillery force Xiushui River crossing
- [4] Generals from Japan (WWII)
- [5] Operation Nanchang http://www3.plala.or.jp/takihome/history.htm
- [6] Japanese Naval OOB of Nanchang
- [7] Sino-Japanese Air War 1937-45