71st Division (Imperial Japanese Army)

In February 1944, according to order number 948, the divisional headquarters and several infantry battalions (total about 2150 or 3000 men) were split and sent to Pagan Island, departing from Pusan 3 March 1944 and arriving to Pagan Island 18 March 1944.[3] Also at the same time, one battalion of the 140th infantry regiment was sent to the Kuril Islands. In July 1944, remnants of the division was swapped with the 10th division, leaving the borderland. In January 1945, the division was ordered to Taiwan, arriving in February 1945 in Chiayi County. The regiments were subordinated to the 10th area army (and to the 40th army in time it was based on Taiwan in early 1945). Due to reorganization of the coastal defense, the infantry regiments were disbanded and used to reinforce other units. The Allies never invaded Taiwan, but the division suffered heavy casualties due to malaria, with an 80% casualty rate in the worst-affected 88th Infantry regiment. Following the Surrender of Japan, the majority of personnel were returned from Taiwan to mainland Japan in the first half of 1946.

The five detachments of the 71st division become the 9th Independent Mixed Regiment in late February 1944, landing on Pagan Island on 20 March 1944 after sailing from Hunchun.[4] Reorganized later as garrison group 17583, it continued to defend Pagan until the surrender of Japan. Although never invaded, the garrison suffered from severe food shortages and daily air raids. Several hundred soldiers died because of malnutrition before the garrison was evacuated to mainland Japan in late October 1945.

An elements of 71st division comprising an 34th anti-aircraft battalion and the battalion from 71st mountain artillery regiment, were further detached and sailed from Kaohsiung 3 December 1944, only to be sunk by USS Segundo (SS-398) submarine 6 December 1944 with the nearly total loss of life.[5]