The Osaka Guard District (大阪警備府, Osaka Keibifu?) was a major navy base for the Imperial Japanese Navy in central Japan during World War II. Located at Japan’s second city of Osaka 34°42′04″N 135°27′50″E / 34.701°N 135.464°E / 34.701; 135.464Coordinates: 34°42′04″N 135°27′50″E / 34.701°N 135.464°E / 34.701; 135.464), Osaka Guard District was responsible for guarding the approach to the old capital of Kyoto, the Kansai industrial zone, port of Kobe and the Inland Sea of Japan.
[edit] History
The Guard Districts (警備府, Keibifu?) were considered second tier naval bases, similar to the first tier Naval Districts (鎮守府?), with docking, fueling and resupply facilities, but typically lacked a shipyard or training school. They tended to be established by strategic waterways or major port cities for defensive purposes.[1] In concept, the Guard District was similar to the United States Navy Sea Frontiers concept. the Guard District maintained a small garrison force of ships and Naval Land Forces which reported directly to the Guard District commander, and hosted detachments of the numbered fleets on a temporary assignment basis.[2]
Osaka, a strategic port city and location of several shipyards was initially ranked as a third echelon naval port or yokobu (要港部?) reporting to the Kure Naval District. The military base itself was established in 1939, but was little more than a base in name only, and was intended to form an administrative structure as legal representative of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Osaka area.[3] It lacked in any base facilities, not even a repair yard, fueling depot or stores, and it relied on civilian-owned port facilities to service passing warships. Nonetheless, it was raised to the status of Guard District on March 13, 1940.
[edit] Order of Battle at time of the attack on Pearl Harbor
- Osaka Guard District
- Komatsujima Air Group
- Osaka Guard Force
- Minesweeper Division 32
[edit] List of commanders
[edit] Commanding Officer
- Vice-Admiral Masashi Kobayashi (20 Nov 1941 – 9 Mar 1943)
- Vice-Admiral Kakusaburo Makita (9 Mar 1943 – 1 Apr 1944)
- Vice-Admiral Ichiro Ono (1 Apr 1944 – 1 Nov 1944)
- Vice-Admiral Arata Oka (1 Nov 1944 – 30 Nov 1945)
[edit] Chief of Staff
- Rear-Admiral Shinichi Torigoe (20 Nov 1941 – 13 Aug 1943)
- Rear-Admiral Bunjiro Yamaguchi (13 Aug 1943 – 26 Feb 1945)
- Rear-Admiral Akira Maysuzaki ((26 Feb 1945 – 30 Nov 1945)
[edit] References
- Prados, John (1995). Combined Fleet Decoded: The Secret History of American Intelligence and the Japanese Navy in World War II. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-460-02474-4.
- Jentsura, Hansgeorg (1976). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 087021893X.
- Goldstein, Donald M (2004). The Pacific War Papers. Brassey. ISBN 1574886320.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
