| Eighth Area Army | |
|---|---|
 Disabled Japanese tank at Biak | |
| Active | November 16, 1942 – August 15, 1945 |
| Country | Empire of Japan |
| Branch | Imperial Japanese Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Field Army |
| Garrison/HQ | Rabaul |
| Nickname(s) | 剛(Gō = “strength”) |
| Engagements | Solomon Islands campaign New Guinea campaign Proposed invasion of Australia |
The Eighth Area Army (第8方面軍, Dai-hachi hōmen gun) was a field army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. The army was formed on 9 November 1942, becoming effective on 26 November at Rabaul as part of the Southern Army. The army was disbanded in September 1945.
History
[edit]The Japanese 8th Area Army was formed on November 16, 1942 under the Southern Expeditionary Army Group for the specific task of opposing landings by Allied forces in Japanese-occupied Solomon Islands and New Guinea.[1] It had its headquarters at Rabaul, New Britain and saw considerable combat in the Solomon Islands campaign, Bougainville campaign and New Guinea campaign.[2]
Organisation
[edit]- Seventeenth Army[3]
- Eighteenth Army
- 6th Division
- 1st Independent Mixed Brigade
- 12th Air Brigade
- Part of the 5th Division (20 November 1942)
- 6th Air Division (25 November 1942)
- 7th Air Division (29 January 1943)
List of Commanders
[edit]| Name | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commanding officer | General Hitoshi Imamura | 9 November 1942 | 15 August 1945 |
| Chief of Staff | Major General Rimpei Katō | 9 November 1942 | 15 August 1945 |
Notes
[edit]- ^ McGee, The Solomons Campaigns, 1942-1943
- ^ Nalty, War in the Pacific: Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay
- ^ "Chapter VIII, Defence of Papua, Reports of General MacArthur,JAPANESE OPERATIONS IN THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA, VOLUME II - PART I". U.S. ARMY CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY. Archived from the original on 7 November 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
References
[edit]- McGee, William L (2002). The Solomons Campaigns, 1942-1943: From Guadalcanal to Bougainville--Pacific War Turning Point, Volume 2. BMC Publications. ISBN 0-9701678-7-3.
- 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.
- Nalty, Bernard (1999). War in the Pacific: Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay : The Story of the Bitter Struggle in the Pacific Theater of World War II. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-3199-3.
- Rottman, Gordon (2005). Japanese Army in World War II: Conquest of the Pacific 1941-42 (Battle Orders). Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-789-1.
- Rottman, Gordon (2002). Japanese Army in World War II: "The South Pacific and New Guinea, 1942-43" (Battle Orders). Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-870-7.
External links
[edit]- Wendel, Marcus. "Axis History Factbook". Japanese Eighth Area Army.