24th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
| 24th Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1939 - 1945 |
| Country | Empire of Japan |
| Branch | Imperial Japanese Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Garrison/HQ | Harbin, Manchukuo |
| Nickname(s) | Mountain Division |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Lt. Gen. Amamiya Tatsumi † |
Second Sino-Japanese War
Pacific War
The 24th Division (第24師団 Dai-nijūyon Shidan?) was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. Its callsign was the Mountain Division (山兵団 Yamahei-dan?). The 24th Division was formed in Harbin, Manchukuo on 6 October 1939, as part of the Manchukuo territorial defense force under overall command of the 5th Army group of the Kwantung Army.
22 February 1944, the 7th detachment consisting of companies from each regiment, including engineer regiment and field artillery regiment, was sent to Woleai island. The 7th detachment have reached Woleai in April 1944 and re-formed into 50th Independent Mixed Brigade in June 1944. Out of 6426 initial troops of the detachment, only 1650 have survived the air raids and starvation. Also, the 1st detachment comprising an infantry battalion from the 89th infantry regiment was sent to Saipan and reorganized eventually into 47th Independent Mixed Brigade. The 9th detachment, consisting of three infantry battalions, headed for Yap island, but was diverted to Saipan after some of the troop transports were sunk en route. Initially organized into 318th independent infantry battalions, the survivors ended up in 47th Independent Mixed Brigade. All troops who reached Saipan were eventually annihilated in Battle of Saipan in July 1944. Another battalion-sized 12th detachment have reached Yap uneventfully.
...
Wikipedia