Southern Expeditionary Army Group

Southern Expeditionary Army Group
Japanese General Count Terauchi Hisaichi, right, commanding officer of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group.
Active	November 6, 1941 – September 2, 1945
Country	Empire of Japan
Branch	Imperial Japanese Army
Type	Infantry
Role	1,000,000 personnel
Garrison/HQ	Saigon
Engagements	World War II

Southern Army Group

Parent unit	Imperial General Headquarters

Components	[South Seas Western Command] 14th Infantry Division IJA 49th Independent Mixed Brigade IJA 53rd Independent Mixed Brigade [Burma] Burma Area Army Japanese Twenty-Eighth Army 54th Infantry Division Japanese Thirty-Third Army 18th Infantry Division 31st Infantry Division 33rd Infantry Division 49th Infantry Division 53rd Infantry Division IJA 24th Independent Mixed Brigade IJA 72nd Independent Mixed Brigade IJA 105th Independent Mixed Brigade IJA 53rd Independent Mixed Brigade [Malaya, Singapore, Sumatra] Japanese Seventh Area Army Japanese Sixteenth Army 48th Infantry Division IJA 27th Independent Mixed Brigade IJA 28th Independent Mixed Brigade Japanese Twenty-Fifth Army 2nd Guards Brigade IJA 25th Independent Mixed Brigade Japanese Twenty-Ninth Army 94th Infantry Division IJA 35th Independent Mixed Brigade IJA 36th Independent Mixed Brigade IJA 37th Independent Mixed Brigade IJA 70th Independent Mixed Brigade 46th Infantry Division IJA 26th Independent Mixed Brigade [Philippines] Japanese Fourteenth Area Army Japanese Thirty-Fifth Army 16th Infantry Division 30th Infantry Division 100th Infantry Division 102nd Infantry Division IJA 54th Independent Mixed Brigade Japanese Forty-First Army 8th Infantry Division 1st Infantry Division 10th Infantry Division 19th Infantry Division 23rd Infantry Division 26th Infantry Division 103rd Infantry Division 105th Infantry Division 2nd Armored Division 4th Air Division IJA 55th Independent Mixed Brigade IJA 58th Independent Mixed Brigade IJA 68th Infantry Brigade [Thailand] Japanese Eighteenth Area Army Japanese Fifteenth Army 4th Infantry Division 56th Infantry Division 15th Infantry Division 22nd Infantry Division Japanese Eighteenth Army [New Guinea, Solomon Islands] Japanese Eighteenth Army 20th Infantry Division 41st Infantry Division 51st Infantry Division [Borneo] Japanese Thirty-Seventh Army 56th Independent Mixed Brigade IJA 71st Independent Mixed Brigade [Dutch East Indies] Japanese Second Army 5th Infantry Division 21st Infantry Division 32nd Infantry Division 35th Infantry Division 36th Infantry Division IJA 57th Independent Mixed Brigade IJA 128th Independent Mixed Brigade [French Indochina] Japanese Thirty-Eighth Army 2nd Infantry Division 21st Infantry Division 37th Infantry Division 55th Infantry Division IJA 34th Independent Mixed Brigade

The Southern Expeditionary Army (南方軍, Nanpō gun) was an army group of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. It was responsible for all military operations in South East Asian and South West Pacific campaigns of World War II.^[1] Its military symbol was NA.^[2]

The Southern Expeditionary Army Group was formed on November 6, 1941, under the command of Gensui Count Terauchi Hisaichi, with orders to attack and occupy Allied territories and colonies in South East Asia and the South Pacific.

Operational history

The Philippines

Plans for an invasion of the Philippines were finalized on November 13–15, by Lt General Masaharu Homma, Lt General Hideyoshi Obata, Vice Admiral Ibō Takahashi and Vice Admiral Nishizo Tsukahara.

These plans called for air attacks against the Philippines, beginning on X-Day, by the 5th Army Air Force Division and the 11th Naval Air Fleet. At this time, Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy units were to land on Batan Island, Luzon (at Aparri, Cagayan, Vigan, and Legazpi City), and at Davao, Mindanao, and to seize airfields. Following the elimination of American air support, the main body of the IJA 14th Army was to land at Lingayen Gulf, while another force landed at Lamon Bay. These forces were then to attack Manila in a pincer attack. After this, the islands of Manila Bay were to be taken. In the resulting Battle of the Philippines (1942), Japanese forces accomplished their primary objectives.

French Indochina

For further detail and references, see Invasion of French Indochina.

On July 22, 1941, Japanese forces invaded Vichy French Indochina and occupied its naval and air bases.

Netherlands East Indies

For further detail and references, see Netherlands East Indies campaign.

On January 18, 1942, the commander of 16th Army Lt. General Hitoshi Imamura arrived at Takao, Taiwan from his base at Saigon. He received an order to hasten the invasion preparation toward Java. But due to shipping shortages, he had to adjust the plans. On January 21, he arrived at Manila to inspect the IJA 48th Division and to have discussion with the commander of the IJN 3rd Fleet. The Netherlands East Indies was invaded in a three-prong attack by using 3 groups: western, center and eastern group.

Western invasion group

The IJA 2nd Division of the IJA 16th Army, which was assembled in Taiwan, was ordered on January 25 to move in to Cam Ranh Bay and became the main force of western invasion group. At Cam Ranh Bay, the troops were trained for the tropical jungle warfare. On the 30th, the attack order was announced. The western group was carried aboard 56 transport ships and left for Java on February 18. By midnight on February 28, the ships landed at Merak and Bantam Bay on Java island.

Following the surrender of Hong Kong, the 228th, 229th and 230th Infantry Regiments from the IJA 38th Division were also deployed to Netherlands East Indies separately. On February 13, the 229th and 230th assaulted Palembang on Sumatra and then joined the main force. On February 28 midnight the 230th Infantry Regiment landed on Eretan Wetan on Java.

Center invasion group

The center group was composed of IJA 48th Division, left for Java on February 8, 1942 from Lingayen Gulf, in the Philippines. On February 25, the convoy arrived at Balikpapan and the Sakaguchi detachment (56th Regiment Group) joined the force. They landed at Kragan on Java by midnight February 28.

Earlier on January 11, the Sakaguchi detachment and 2nd Kure Special Naval Landing Force occupied Tarakan.^[3] They secured Balikpapan on January 23.^[4] On 10 February Bandjermasin, the capital of Dutch Borneo was occupied.^[5]

Eastern invasion group

The Eastern invasion group included the Sasebo Combined Naval Landing Force and 1st Yokosuka Special Naval Landing Force. They left Davao on January 9 and during the early morning of January 11, arrived at and occupied Menado.^[6] The Sasebo Combined Special Naval Landing Force then attacked and occupied Kendari on January 23.^[7] Makassar was captured on 9 February by the Sasebo Combined Special Naval Landing Force.^[8] All these are on Celebes island.

The 1st Kure Special Naval Landing Force and 228th Infantry Regiment from 38th Army and Airplane Carrier Division 2 from Japan, reached Ambon on January 30.^[9]

Thailand and Burma

For further detail and references, see Burma campaign.

Malaya and Singapore

For further detail and references, see Malayan Campaign.

South West Pacific

For further detail and references, see South West Pacific theatre of World War II.

List of commanders

Commanding Officer

	Name	From	To
1	Gensui Count Terauchi Hisaichi	6 November 1941	31 August 1945

Chief of Staff

	Name	From	To
1	Lieutenant General Osamu Tsukada	6 November 1941	1 July 1942
2	Lieutenant General Kuroda Shigenori	1 July 1942	19 May 1943
3	Lieutenant General Shimizu Kinori	19 May 1943	22 March 1944
4	Lieutenant General Iimura Jo	22 March 1944	26 December 1944
5	Lieutenant General Numata Takazo	26 December 1944	September 1945

References

↑ Jowett, The Japanese Army 1931–45
↑ Japanese Wikipedia article of Southern Expeditionary Army Group
↑ L, Klemen (1999–2000). "The capture of Tarakan Island, January 1942". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942.
↑ L, Klemen (1999–2000). "The capture of Balikpapan, January 1942". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942.
↑ L, Klemen (1999–2000). "The capture of Bandjermasin". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942.
↑ L, Klemen (1999–2000). "The Fall of Menado, January 1942". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942.
↑ L, Klemen (1999–2000). "The Fall of Kendari, January 1942". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942.
↑ L, Klemen (1999–2000). "The capture of Makassar, February 1942". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942.
↑ L, Klemen (1999–2000). "The Japanese Invasion of Ambon Island, January 1942". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942.

External links

Wendel, Marcus. "Axis History Factbook". Southern Army.

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