Japanese Fourteenth Area Army

Japanese Fourteenth Area Army
General Homma comes ashore at Lingayen Gulf
Active	November 6, 1942 – August 15, 1945
Country	Empire of Japan
Branch	Imperial Japanese Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Field Army
Garrison/HQ	Manila
Nickname(s)	尚武 (shōbu = "militarism", also a synonym for "victory")
Engagements	Battle of the Philippines (1941–42) Philippines campaign (1944–45)

The Japanese Fourteenth Army (第14軍, Dai-jyūyon gun^?) was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. On July 28 1944 it was reinforced and upgraded to a field army called the Japanese Fourteenth Area Army (第14方面軍, Dai-jyūyon hōmen gun^?), to counter the imminent US invasion of the Philippines.

The Japanese 14th Army was formed on November 6, 1941, under the Southern Expeditionary Army Group for the specific task of invading and occupying the Philippines. It initially consisted of the IJA 16th Division, 48th Division, 56th Division, and 65th Independent Mixed Infantry Brigade. In January 1942, the 48th Division was detached and reassigned to the Japanese Sixteenth Army for the invasion of the Netherlands East Indies, and was replaced with Fourth Division. As the army was still fighting in the Philippines, its commanding officer, Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma, requested more reinforcements. The 10th Independent Garrison was sent to the Philippines as was the 21st Division Infantry Group, and the First Field Artillery Headquarters to command the field artillery units. The Fourth and Seventh Tank Regiments were part of the 14th Army as well as First, Eighth and 16th Field Artillery Regiments and the 9th Independent Field Artillery Battalion. This army was responsible for the Bataan Death March after the surrender of US and Filipino forces in Bataan, and the 65th Independent Brigade was also accused of the Mariveles Massacre.