First Army (Japan)

The Japanese 1st Army (第1軍, Dai-ichi gun) was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army. It was raised and demobilized on three occasions.

Japanese First Army
Japanese General Kuroki and his Chief of Staff Shigeta Fujii
ActiveSeptember 1894 – September 1945 
CountryEmpire of Japan
BranchImperial Japanese Army
TypeInfantry
RoleCorps
Nickname(s)Otsu (, Second)
EngagementsFirst Sino-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
World War II

History

The Japanese 1st Army was initially raised during the First Sino-Japanese War from 1 September 1894 – 28 May 1895 under the command of General Yamagata Aritomo. It participated in all of the major battles of that conflict, and was demobilized at the successful end of that war.

It was revived for the Russo-Japanese War from 2 February 1904 – 9 December 1905 under the command of General Kuroki Tamemoto. Its forces were the first to land in Korea and Manchuria and it fought in most of the major campaigns of the war, including the Battle of Yalu River, Battle of Motien Pass, Battle of Liaoyang, Battle of Shaho, Battle of Sandepu, and Battle of Mukden. It was again demobilized at the end of that conflict.

The Japanese 1st Army was raised again on 26 August 1937 in Tianjin, China under the Japanese China Garrison Army. In addition to protecting the Japanese settlement at Tianjin, it served as a reinforcement to the newly formed Japanese Northern China Area Army following the Marco Polo Bridge Incident during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The 1st Army subsequently participated in various campaigns in North China under the operational command of the Japanese Northern China Area Army, including the North China Incident, Beiping–Hankou Railway Operation, and the Battle of Taiyuan before being demobilized at Taiyuan, Shanxi province after the end of World War II on 30 September 1945.

List of Commanders

Commanding officer

NameFromTo
1Marshal Yamagata Aritomo1 September 189419 December 1894
2Marshal Nozu Michitsura19 December 189428 May 1895
Xdemobilized28 May 18952 February 1904
3Marshal Kuroki Tamemoto2 February 19049 December 1905
Xdemobilized9 December 190531 August 1937
4Lieutenant General Kiyoshi Katsuki26 August 193730 May 1938
5General Yoshijirō Umezu30 May 19387 September 1939
6Lieutenant General Yoshio Shinozuka7 September 193920 June 1941
7Lieutenant General Yoshio Iwamatsu20 June 19411 August 1942
8General Teiichi Yoshimoto1 August 194222 November 1944
9Lieutenant General Raishiro Sumida22 November 194430 September 1945

Chief of Staff

NameFromTo
1Major General Ogawa Mataji1 September 189428 May 1895
Xdemobilized28 May 18952 February 1904
2Major General Fujii Shigeta2 February 19049 December 1905
Xdemobilized9 December 190526 August 1937
3Major General Gun Hashimoto26 August 193727 January 1938
4Major General Shōjirō Iida27 January 19389 November 1938
5Lieutenant General Senichi Kushibuchi9 November 19389 March 1940
6Major General Ryukichi Tanaka9 March 19402 December 1940
7Major General Hideyoshi Kusuyama2 December 19401 December 1941
8Lieutenant General Tadashi Hanaya1 December 194123 October 1943
9Major General Ichimaro Horike23 October 194316 December 1944
10Major General Michitake Yamaoka16 December 1944September 1945

References

  • Jowett, Bernard (1999). The Japanese Army 1931-45 (Volume 2, 1942-45). Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-354-3.
  • Madej, Victor (1981). Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945. Game Publishing Company. ASIN: B000L4CYWW.
  • Marston, Daniel (2005). The Pacific War Companion: From Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-882-0.

Notes

  1. The Japanese Army 1931-1945, Osprey Publishing, p.15
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