General Defense Command

The General Defense Command (防衛総司令部, Bōei Soshireibu) was a headquarters organization equivalent to an army group within the Imperial Japanese Army established to control all land and air units stationed within Japan proper, Korea and Taiwan during the Pacific War.

General Defense Command
Japanese: 防衛総司令部
Bōei Soshireibu
ActiveJuly 5, 1941 – April 8, 1945
CountryEmpire of Japan
BranchImperial Japanese Army
TypeInfantry
RoleArmy Group
Garrison/HQTokyo

History

The General Defense Command was established on July 5, 1941 under the direct command of the Emperor via the Imperial General Headquarters. For administrative, recruiting and accounting purposes, Japan was divided into six army districts, each with a garrison force equivalent to an army corps:

The General Defense Command was also responsible for anti-aircraft defenses, and for organizing civil defense training.

On April 8, 1945, in preparation for Operation Downfall (or Operation Ketsugō (決号作戦, Ketsugō sakusen) in Japanese terminology), the General Defense Command was dissolved, and its duties assumed by the new First General Army and Second General Army.

List of Commanders

Commanding officer

NameFromTo
1General Otozō Yamada7 July 19419 December 1941
2Field Marshal Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko9 December 194115 April 1945

Chief of Staff

NameFromTo
1Lieutenant General Torashirō Kawabe31 July 19411 December 1941
2Lieutenant General Asasaburo Kobayashi1 December 194110 June 1943
3Lieutenant General Tadayoshi Sano10 June 194329 March 1944
4Lieutenant General Asasaburo Kobayashi28 March 19441 February 1945
5Lieutenant General Einosuke Sudo1 February 19456 April 1945

See also

References

Books

  • 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.
  • Frank, Richard B (1999). Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-679-41424-X.
  • 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.
  • 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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