This document is based on Shenshi Sosho (Japanese Official History of WWII).
The Order Of Battles are at the end of World War II. Strengths are ones when they were deployed on the island.
Some totals are not equal to the sum of the strengths of each units.
It is because there are not-mentioned units, and the data of the unit strengths and the totals are based on different sources.
NAURU ISLAND
· 67th Guard Unit (1,367 men), Captain Hisayuki Soeda
· Yokosuka 2nd SNLF (769 men)
Nauru Special Construction Unit/4th Construction Department (2,120 men)
Total: 4,256 men
Equipment:
4 15cm Naval Guns
4 8cm Naval Guns
4 Twin 12.7cm AA Guns
12 25mm MGs
10 13mm MGs
OCEAN ISLAND
· Ocean Detachment of 67th Guard Unit (760 men)
WAKE ISLAND
[IJN]
· 65th Guard Unit (2,000 men), Captain Shigematsu Sakaibara
Total: 2,200 men
Equipment:
4 twin 12.7cm AA guns
4 8cm AA guns
5 captured US 3-inch AA guns
2 captured US 5-inch naval guns
4 20cm naval guns
4 15cm naval guns
8 12cm naval guns
[IJA]
· 13th Independent Mixed Regiment (1,939 men)*, Colonel Shigeji Chikamori
- Regimental HQ
- 1st Battalion
- 2nd Battalion
- Artillery Company
- 1st Tank Unit
- 2nd Tank Unit
Equipment:
11 37mm AT guns
4 47mm AT guns
3 regimental guns
4 field guns
5 infantry guns
9 Type 95 Light Tanks
4 captured US 3-inch AA guns
4 captured US 5-inch naval guns
Total: 1,939 men
* 13th Independent Mixed Regiment was
reorganized in May 1944, from the following units on Wake; 3rd
South-Sea Garrison Unit, 1st Battalion/5th Independent Mixed Regiment
and 16th Tank Regiment.
MILI ATOLL
[IJN]
· 66th Guard Unit (1,200 men), Captain Masanari Shiga
· Detachment of 4th Establishment Department (1,200 men)
Total: 2,045 men
[IJA]
· 1st South-Seas Detachment (740 men)
· 107th Infantry Regiment (1,500 men)
Total: 2,237 men
WOTJE ATOLL
[IJN]
· 64th Guard Unit (1,000 men), Captain Shinichi Yoshimi
· Air Unit (1,000 men)
· Establishment Department (900 men)
Total: 2,959 men
Equipment:
6 15cm cannons
2 12cm cannons
5 15cm howitzers
6 12.7cm AA guns
[IJA]
· Wotje Unit of 1st South-Seas Detachment (225 men)
· Wotje remainders of 2nd Battalion/2nd Mobile-Sea Brigade (199 men)
Total: 424 men
MALEOLAP ATOLL
[IJN]
· 63rd Guard Unit (1,095 men), Rear Admiral Shoichi Kamada
· 252nd, 752nd, 755th Air Units (890 men)
· Detachment of 4th Establishment Department (822 men)
Total: 2,940 men
Equipment:
6 15cm cannons
2 12cm cannons
4 15cm howitzers
2 field guns
1 regimental gun
10 12.7cm AA guns
[IJA]
· 6th Company/1st Mobile-Sea Brigade (209 men)
· 7th Company/122nd Infantry Regiment (181 men)
Total: 389 men
JALUIT ISLAND
[IJN]
· 62nd Guard Unit (547 men), Captain Nisuke Masuda
· 4th Establishment Department
· Construction Unit
· Air Unit
Total: 1,584 men
[IJA]
·2nd Battalion/1st South-Seas Detachment (727 men)
Total: 727 men
MEREYON
[IJA]
· 50th Independent Mixed Brigade (3,404 men)*, Major-General Katsumi Kitamura
· 331st to 335th Independent Infantry Battalions
· Tank Unit (9 Type 95 Light Tanks)
· Artillery Unit (4 field guns, 8 10cm howitzers)
· AA Gun Unit (4 Type 88 75mm AA Guns)
· Engineer Unit
· Signal Unit
· Hospital
Total: 3,404 men
[IJN]
· 44th Guard Unit (1,411 men), Commander Yoshinobu Miyata
· 216th Construction Unit (978 men)
· Detachment of 4th Establishment Department (616 men)
· Air Unit (85 men)
· other (131 men)
Total: 3,221 men
* 50th Independent Mixed Brigade was reorganized in May 1944, from the following
units on Mereyon; South-Seas 5th Detachment, 7th Detachment Unit (from 24th Division), 3rd Company/52nd AA Gun Battalion.
PONAPE ISLAND
[IJN]
· 42nd Gaurd Unit (600-900 men), Captain Jun Naito
· 3rd Detachment of 4th Signal Unit (36 men)
· Ponape Detachment of 4th Establishment Department (300 men)
Total: 2,000 men
Equipment:
8 15cm naval guns
8 8cm naval guns
2 8cm AA guns
2 12.7cm AA guns
[IJA]
· 52nd Independent Mixed Brigade (3,322 men)*, Lieutenant General Masao Watanabe
· 342nd to 345th Independent Infantry Battalions
· Tank Unit (9 Type 95 Light Tanks)
· Artillery Unit (6 Type 38 75mm Field Guns)
· Engineer Unit
· Signal Unit
· Detachment of 107th Infantry Regiment (2,173 men)
- 2nd Battalion
- 3 Infantry Mortar Companies (12 Type 97 81mm Infantry Mortars each)
- Machine Cannon Company (6 Type 98 20mm AA Machine Cannons)
- Tank Company (9 Light Tanks)
Total: 5,984 men
* 52nd Independent Mixed Brigade was reorganized in May 1944, from the following
units on Ponape; 3rd South-Seas Detachment, 2nd Battalion/5th Independent Mixed Regiment.
KUSAIE
[IJA]
· 2nd South-Seas Detachment (1,901 men), Lieutenant-General Yoshikazu Harada
- Detachment HQ
- Three Battalions
- Tank Company (9 Type 95 Light Tanks)
- Engineer Company
· 107th Infantry Regiment (1,910 men)
- Regimental HQ
- 1st Battalion:
~ Batalion HQ
~ 4 Infantry Companies
~ Artillery Company (2 8cm Armstrong naval guns)
~ Mountain Gun Battalion (4 Type 94 Mountain Guns)
~ Infantry Gun Company (2 47mm AT guns, 6 37mm AT guns)
~ Infantry Mortar Company (8 infantry mortars)
Total: 3,811 men
[IJN]
· Kusaie Detachment of 42nd Guard Unit (119 men)
· Detachment of 4th Signal Unit (24 men)
· Detachment of 4th Establishment Department (640 men)
Total: 700 men
MORTLOCK
[IJA]
· 4th South-Seas Detachment (700 men), Colonel Masatake Tobita
- Detachment HQ
- 3 Infantry Companies
- MG Company (8 Type 92 HMGs)
- Infantry Gun Company (4 infantry mortars, 4 AT guns)
- Tank Company (6 Medium Tanks)
· Detachment of 51st Independent Mixed Brigade (132 men)
Total: 753 men
[IJN]
· Detachment of 41st Guard Unit (250 men)
- 2 20cm naval cannons
- 8 AA machine cannons
· 4th Meteorology Unit
· Air Base Crew
Total: 257 men
ENDERBY (Poluwat)
[IJA]
· 11th Independent Mixed Regiment (2,769 men), Colonel Tatsuo Yasui
- Regimental HQ
- 1st Battalion (4 infantry guns, 2 mountain guns, 2 47mm AT guns, 2 37mm AT guns)
- 2nd Battalion (2 infantry guns, 2 AT guns)
- 3rd Battalion (2 infantry guns, 2 AT guns)
- Artillery Unit (8 field guns, 4 10cm howitzers)
- Engineer Unit
- AA Gun Unit (6 Type 88 75mm AA Guns)
- Signal Unit
Total: 1,010 men
[IJN]
· Detachment of 41st Guard Unit
Total: 243 men
The 1st and 2nd Battalions and some parts of the 11th Independent Mixed
Regiment were moved to Truk due to the food shortage on the island. 335
IJA soldiers and
211 IJN soldiers on the island died of hunger and illness and 675
IJA soldiers and 32(!) IJN soldiers returned home from the island.
TRUK ATOLL
[IJN]
· 4th Fleet HQ - Vice Admiral Masami Kobayashi then Vice Admiral Chuichi Hara
· 4th Base Force HQ
· 41st, 43rd, 47th, 48th Guard Units
Total: 27,856 men
Equipment (1942):
18 8cm naval guns
10 15cm naval guns
2 8cm AA guns
12 12.7cm AA guns
[IJA]
· 31st Army HQ (128 men), Lieutenant-General Shunzaburo Mugikura
· 52nd Division
- Divisinal HQ (298 men)
- 69th Infantry Regiment (2,694 men)
- 150th Infanry Regiment (2,136 men)
- Tank Unit (103 men)*
- Signal Unit (241 men)
- Transport Unit (105 men)
- Sea Transport Unit (1,132 men)
- Ordnance Service Unit (117 men)
- Field Hospital (649 men)
· 51st Independent Mixed Brigade (4,789 men) Major-General Kanenobu Ishuin
- Brigade HQ
- 336th to 341st Independent Infantry Battalions
- 1st Artillery Unit
- Engineer Unit
- AA Gun Unit
- Signal Unit
· 11st Independent Mixed Regiment (1,366 men)
· 9th Independent Engineer Regiment (483 men)
· 58th Anchorage HQ
Total: 16,737 men
* Tank unit had no tanks, because the transport ship was sunk by air raid.
YAP ISLAND
[IJA]
· 49th Independent Mix Brigade (4,066 men)*, Colonel Daihachi Itoh
- Brigade HQ
- 323th to 330th Independent Infantry Battalions
- Artillery Unit (8 Type 95 75mm Field Guns, 14 Type 91 10cm Howitzers)
- AA Gun Unit (4 Type 88 75mm AA Guns)
- Engineer Unit
- Signal Unit
- Special Field Hospital
Total: 4,423 men
[IJN]
· 46th Guard Unit (1,000 men), Captain Masamichi Tanaka
· 205th Construction Unit (1,000 men)
Total: 1,494 men
* 49th Independent Mix Brigade was reorganized in May 1944, from the 4th
Detachment Unit (from 12th Division) on Yap Island.
BABELTHUAP ISLAND (Palau Isles)
[IJA]
· 14th Division* - Lieutenant-General Sadae Inoue
· 53rd Independent Mixed Brigade (6,000 men) Major-General Takeo Yamaguchi
- 347th to 351st Independent Infantry Battalions
- Artillery Unit
- Engineer Unit
· Transport Unit/1st Sea-Mobile Brigade (1,338 men)
· Tank Unit/6th South-Seas Detachment (7 Light Tanks)
· Palau Branch of 3rd Ship Transport HQ (1,480 men)
· 57th Line of Communication Area Unit (753 men)
Total: 21,449 men
[IJN]
· 30th Special Base Force (2,500 men), Vice-Admiral Kenmi Itoh
Total: 8,286 men
* Less 2nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion/59th Infantry Regiment, Tank Unit.
PAGAN ISLAND
[IJA]
· 9th Independent Mixed Regiment (1,995 men), Colonel Umahachi Tenba
Total: 2,150 men
[IJN]
· Guard unit (300 men)*
Total: 344 men
* The unit is unknown.
ROTA ISLAND
[IJA]
· 10th Independent Mixed Brigade (947 men), Major Shigeo Imagawa
Total: 1,031 men
[IJN]
· Detachment of 41th Guard Unit (600 men)*
Total: 1,954 men
* It was detached from 56th Guard Unit
on Tinian. After destruction of 56th Guard Unit, the command of the
detachment on Rota was changed to 41th Guard Unit on Truk.
MARCUS ISLAND
[IJN]
· Minamitorishima Guard Unit - Rear-Admiral Masata Matsubara
Total: 742 men
[IJA]
· 12th Independent Mixed Regiment - Colonel Yoshiichi Sakata
- Three Infantry Battalions
- Field Gun Company (3 Type 38 75mm Field Guns)
- Tank Comany (9 Type 95 Light Tanks)
- Signal Company
Total: 2,005 men
HALMAHERA ISLAND
[IJA]
· 32nd Divison - Lieutenant-General Yoshiho Ishii
· 128th Independent Mixed Brigade
[IJN]
· 26th Special Base Force* - Vice-Admiral Shinichi Ichinose
* It was disbanded in late World War II.
NEW GUINEA
· 27th Special Base Unit (Wewak)
· 18th Guard Unit (Manokwari)
· 19th Guard Unit (Biak)
· 90th Guard Unit (Hollandia)
RABAUL-SOLOMON ISLANDS
· 1st Base Unit (Buin)
· 82nd Guard Unit (Bougainville)
· 87th Guard Unit (Buka)
· 88th Guard Unit (Bougainville)
· Sasebo 6th SNLF (Bougainville)
· Kure 7th SNLF (Bougainville)
· 8th Base Unit (Rabaul)
· 14th Base Unit (Kavieng)
· 81st, 84th, 85th, 86th Guard Units (Rabaul)
· Yokosuka 8th SNLF (Rabaul)
DUTCH EAST INDIES AFTER 1942
· 21st Special Base Unit (Surabaya)
· 22nd Special Base Unit (Balikpapan)
· 23rd Special Base Unit (Makassar)
· 25th Special Base Unit (Ambon)
PHILIPPINES AFTER 1942
· 31st Special Base Unit (Manila)
· 32nd Special Base Unit (Davao)
· 33rd Special Base Unit (Cebu)
MALAYA AFTER 1942
· 10th Special Base Unit (Singapore)
· 12th Special Base Unit (Andaman)
· 15th Base Unit (Pinang)
FRENCH INDO-CHINA
· 11th Base Unit (Saigon)
FORMOSA ISLAND
· No information
KURILE ISLANDS
· Chishima Area Base Unit
