4th Tank Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
| 4th Tank Division | |
|---|---|
|
Type 3 Chi-Nu tanks of the 4th Tank Division, with Type 3 Ho-Ni III self-propelled guns among them | |
| Active | 1944–1945 |
| Country |
.svg.png){kind=small} Empire of Japan |
| Branch | Imperial Japanese Army |
| Type | Armored division |
| Garrison/HQ | Chiba, Chiba |
| Nickname(s) | 鋼=Hagane (Steel) |
| Engagements | World War II |
The 4th Tank Division (戦車第4師団 Sensha Dai-yon Shidan), was one of four armored divisions of the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II.
History
The 4th Tank Division was raised on July 6, 1944 in Chiba, near Tokyo.[1] It lacked both infantry and self-propelled gun regiments.[1] Similar to the German Panzer-Lehr-Division, it was created out of the training departments of the Armor School, Cavalry School, Field Artillery School and Military Engineering School of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, its remaining students and staff. Assigned to the IJA 36th Army, it was assigned to the defense of the Japanese home islands against the projected Allied invasion.[1] The 4th Tank Division based in Fukuoka on Kyushu had a "significant" number of the Type 3 Chi-Nu medium tanks available at its depot by the end of the war.[2]
As an instructor's formation, it was seen as an elite unit and is equipped with the finest and most advanced armaments. Following Japan's surrender on Sept 3, 1945, the 4th Tank Division was officially demobilized with the rest of the Imperial Japanese Army, without having seen combat.
Commanding officer
| Name | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lieutenant General Shiori Nagura | 8 July 1944 | 12 August 1945 |
| 2 | Major General Prince Kanin Haruhito | 12 August 1945 | 16 August 1945 |
| 3 | Lieutenant General Shiori Nagura | 16 August 1945 | 30 September 1945 |
See also
Notes
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rottman & Takizawa 2008, p. 12.
- ↑ Tomczyk 2005, p. 15.
References
- 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.
- Rottman, Gordon L.; Takizawa, Akira (2008). World War II Japanese Tank Tactics. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1846032349.
- Tomczyk, Andrzej (2005). Japanese Armor Vol. 4. AJ Press. ISBN 978-8372371676.