Fiftieth Army (Japan)
| Japanese Fiftieth Army | |
|---|---|
| Active | June 19, 1945 – August 15, 1945 |
| Country | Empire of Japan |
| Branch | Imperial Japanese Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Corps |
| Nickname(s) | Shun (俊, Genius) |
| Engagements | Operation Downfall |
The Japanese 50th Army (第50軍, Dai-gojyū gun) was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army during the final days of World War II.
History
The Japanese 50th Army was formed on June 19, 1945, under the Japanese 11th Area Army as part of the last desperate defense effort by the Empire of Japan to deter possible landings of Allied forces in the northern prefectures of the Tōhoku region of northern Honshū during Operation Downfall. The Japanese 50th Army was based in Aomori Prefecture and consisted mostly of poorly trained and poorly armed reservists, conscripted students, Volunteer Fighting Corps militia and walking wounded. It was demobilized at the surrender of Japan on August 15, 1945, without having seen combat.
List of Commanders
| Name | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commanding officer | Lieutenant General Toshimoto Hoshino | 10 June 1945 | 15 August 1945 |
| Chief of Staff | Major General Kimihide Ota | 1 June 1945 | 1 November 1945 |
References
- Drea, Edward J. (1998). "Japanese Preparations for the Defense of the Homeland & Intelligence Forecasting for the Invasion of Japan". In the Service of the Emperor: Essays on the Imperial Japanese Army. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-1708-0.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - Frank, Richard B (1999). Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-679-41424-X.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - Jowett, Bernard (1999). The Japanese Army 1931–45 (Volume 2, 1942–45). Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-354-3.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - Madej, Victor (1981). Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937–1945. Game Publishing Company. ASIN: B000L4CYWW.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - Marston, Daniel (2005). The Pacific War Companion: From Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-882-0.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - Skates, John Ray (1994). The Invasion of Japan: Alternative to the Bomb Downfall. New York: University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 0-87249-972-3.
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External links
- Wendel, Marcus. "Axis History Factbook". Japanese Fiftieth Army.