1941 Infantry Division (triangular), Imperial Japanese Army, 8.12.1941

World War II Armed Forces – Orders of Battle and Organizations

Last Updated 06.06.2006

Imperial Japanese Army

Organization
1941 Infantry Division (triangular)
8 December 1941

This depicts a typical organization. Actual organizations and equipment could vary from unit by unit. On paper, the triangular (three infantry regiment) Infantry Division had about 19,000 to 21,000 men. But the divisions were seldom as neat and tidy as this diagram. Elements were consistently being attached or detached, so that some divisions had as few as 14,000 men and some as others as many as 28,000.

Also the divisions' own units did not not always have the same size or configuration. A typical example would be the cavalry "regiment". In some divisions (such as in the diagram above) this was a motorized unit with its own light tanks, in others it was a battalion sized unit of horse cavalry, [see Infantry Division (square)], and in some divisions a reconnaissance unit was missing altogether.

The artillery suffered similar variations being equipped with different types and numbers of guns, etc. The size of the Transport Regiment also tended to vary, depending on the mission assigned to the division, and whether the regiment itself was horse-drawn, partially or wholly motorized.

Infantry Divisions (Triangular)
Division Commanding General	Infantry				Artillery			Recon "Rgt"	Engr "Rgt"	Other Units	Notes
Division Commanding General	Hqs	Rgt	Rgt	Rgt	Hqs	Rgt	Equipment	Recon "Rgt"	Engr "Rgt"	Other Units	Notes

1 LTG Mitsuo NAKAZAWA	1	1	49	57	–	1 Fld	9x 75mm 18x 105mm 9x 150mm	1 Recon	–	1	(3)
2 LTG Masao MARUYAMA	2	4	16	29	–	2 Fld	18x 75mm 9x 150mm	2 Recon	2	2
4 LTG Norizo KITANO	4	8	37	61	–	4 Fld	24x 75mm 24x 105mm	4 Cav	4	4
6 LTG Masatane KANDA	6	13	23	45	–	6 Fld	27x 75mm	6 Cav	6	6
7 LTG Gyoichi KOITO	7	26	27	28	–	7 Mtn	36x 75mm	7 Recon	7	7
8 LTG Masaki HONDA	8	5	17	31	8	8 Fld	12x 75mm 24x 105mm 12x 150mm	8 Recon	8	8
9 LTG Kiichiro HIGUCHI	9	7	19	35	–	9 Mtn	36x 75mm	9 Cav	9	9
10 LTG Jiro SOGAWA	10	10	39	63	–	10 Fld	12x 75mm 24x 105mm	10 Recon	10	10
11 LTG Takashi TAKAMORI	11	12	43	44	11	11 Mtn	36x 75mm	11 Cav	11	11
12 LTG Yukio KASAHARA	12	24	46	48	–	24 Fld	12x 75mm 24x 105mm	12 Recon	12	12	(2)
14 LTG Mitsu KAWANAMI	14	2	15	59	14	20 Fld	12x 75mm 24x 105mm 12x 150mm	14 Recon	14	14
15 LTG SAKAI Naoji	15	51	60	67	–	21 Fld	36x 75mm	–	15	15	(1) (4)
16 LTG Susumu MORIOKA	16	9	20	33	–	22 Mtn	36x 75mm	16 Recon	16	16	(8)
17 LTG Morito HIRABAYASHI	17	53	54	81	–	23 Fld	36x 75mm	17 Recon	17	17	(1)
21 LTG Hisakazu TANAKA	–	62	82	83	–	21 Mtn	36x 75mm	–	21	21
22 LTG Katsumi OHTA	22	84	85	86	–	52 Mtn	36x 75mm	–	22	22	(1)
23 LTG Kanji NISHIHARA	23	64	71	72	23	13 Fld	12x 75mm 12x 150mm	23 Recon	23	23
24 LTG Mitsuru KAWANAMI	24	22	32	89	24	42 Fld	12x 75mm 12x 105mm 12x 150mm	24 Recon	24	24
25 LTG Yaezo AKASHI	25	14	40	70	25	15 Fld	12x 75mm 24x 105mm 12x 150mm	25 Cav	25	25
26 LTG Otosaburo YANO	26	11	12	13	–	11 Fld	?	26 Recon	26	26
27 LTG Nobumasa TOMINAGA	27	1 China	2 China	3 China	–	27 Mtn	36x 75mm	27 Recon	27	27
28 LTG Taizo ISHIGURO	28	3	30	36	–	28 Mtn	24x 75mm 12x 105mm	28 Cav	28	28
29 LTG Toshimichi UEMURA	–	38	50	–	–	29 Mtn	36x 75mm	29 Cav	29	29
32 LTG Tetsuzo IDE	32	210	211	212	–	32 Fld	36x 75mm	–	32	32	(1)
33 LTG Shozo SAKURAI	33	213	214	215	–	33 Mtn	36x 75mm	–	33	33
34 LTG Shigeru OHGA	34	216	217	218	–	34 Fld	36x 75mm	34 Recon	34	34
35 LTG Kumakichi HARADA	35	219	220	221	–	35 Fld	24x 75mm	–	35	35
36 LTG Mitsuru IZEKI	36	222	223	224	–	36 Mtn	36x 75mm	–	36	36	(1)
37 LTG Yuichiro NAGANO	37	225	226	227	–	37 Mtn	36x 75mm	–	37	37	(1)
38 LTG Tadayoshi SANO	38	228	229	230	–	38 Mtn	36x 75mm	–	38	38	(1)
39 LTG Raishiro SUMITA	39	231	232	233	–	39 Fld	36x 75mm	39 Recon	39	39
40 LTG Seiichi AOKI	40	234	235	236	–	40 Mtn	36x 75mm	40 Cav	40	40
41 LTG Noritsune SHIMIZU	41	237	238	239	–	41 Mtn	36x 75mm	–	41	41
48 (partially motorized) LTG Yuitsu TSUCHIHASHI	48	1 Taiwan	2 Taiwan	47	–	48 Fld	36x 75mm 12x 105mm	48 Recon	48	48	(7)
51 LTG Hidemitsu NAKANO	51	66	102	115	51	14 Fld	24x 75mm 12x 105mm	51 Recon	51	51
52 LTG Shunsaburo MUGIKURA	52	69	107	150	–	16 Mtn	36x 75mm	52 Cav	52	52
53 LTG Masao BABA	53	119	128	151	–	53 Fld	24x 75mm 12x 105mm	53 Recon	–	53
54 LTG Shihachi KATAMURA	54	111	121	154	–	54 Fld	24x 75mm 12x 105mm	54 Recon	54	54
55 LTG Hiroshi TAKEUCHI	–	112	114	143	–	55 Mtn	36x 75mm 12x 105mm	55 Cav	55	55	(5)
56 LTG Masao WATANABE	56	113	146	148	–	56 Fld	36x 75mm	56 Recon	56	56	(1)(6)
57 LTG Michisada OSAKO	57	52	117	132	57	57 Fld	24x 75mm 12x 105mm	57 Recon	57	57
104 LTG Koichi KOMODA	104	108	137	161	–	104 Fld	36x 75mm	104 Recon	104	104
Guards (motorized) LTG Takumaro NISHIMURA	Guards	3 Guards	4 Guards	5 Guards	–	Guards Fld	24x 75mm 12x 105mm	Guards Recon	Guards	Guards	(9)

Notes: (1) Infantry Brigade Group had 1 tankette company (2) But: 18th Transport Regiment (3) Also: Tank Unit, 1st Division (4) Only a Reconnissance Company (5) Elements assigned to South Seas Detachment under 55th Infantry Commander. (6) The 146th Infantry Regiment operated independently as the "Sakaguchi Detachment" until 19.04.42. (7) Each infantry regiment had one motorized, one bicycle, and one foot battalion. Three of the four artillery battalions were motorized. (8) One battalion of each infantry regiment was bicycle mounted. One battalion of the artillery regiment was motorized. (9) Only the Guards division was a "motorized" triangular division, being equipped with 500 trucks. The trucks were for the heavy equipment and the artillery, whereas every soldier not riding in a motor vehicle rode a bicycle.