Appendix V

Appendix V
Japanese Order of Battle1

ARMY UNITS
Unit Strength
Thirty-second Army Troops
Headquarters 1,070
Ordnance Depot 1,498
Ordnance Duty Unit 150
Field Freight Depot 1,167
36th Signal Regiment 1,912
Okinawa Army Hospital 204
27th Field Water Purification Unit 244
Well Digging Unit 34
Defense Construction Unit 108
7th Fortress Construction Duty Company 322
2d Field Construction Duty Company 366
24th Infantry Division
Headquarters 267
22d Infantry Regiment 2,796
32d Infantry Regiment 2,870
89th Infantry Regiment 2,809
42d Field Artillery Regiment 2,321
24th Reconnaissance Regiment 346
24th Engineer Regiment 777
24th Transport Regiment 1,158
Signal Unit 275
Decontamination Training Unit 77
Ordnance Repair Unit 57
Veterinary Hospital 11
Water Supply and Purification Unit 241
1st Field Hospital 174
2d Field Hospital 181
62d Infantry Division
Headquarters 65
63d Brigade Headquarters 129
11th Independent Infantry Battalion 1,091
12th Independent Infantry Battalion 1,085
13th Independent Infantry Battalion 1,058
14th Independent Infantry Battalion 1,085
273d Independent Infantry Battalion 683
64th Brigade Headquarters 121
15th Independent Infantry Battalion 1,076
21st Independent Infantry Battalion 1,080
22d Independent Infantry Battalion 1,071
23d Independent Infantry Battalion 1,089
272d Independent Infantry Battalion 683
Engineer Unit 255
Signal Unit 359
Transport Unit 300
Field Hospital 371
Veterinary Hospital 22
44th Independent Mixed Brigade Headquarters 63
2d Infantry Unit 2,046
15th Independent Mixed Regiment 1,885
Artillery Unit 330
Engineer Unit 161
5th Artillery Command Headquarters 147
1st Medium Artillery Regiment (-) 856
23d Medium Artillery Regiment 1,143
7th Heavy Artillery Regiment 526
100th Independent Heavy Artillery Battalion 565
1st Independent Artillery Mortar Regiment (-) 613
1st Light Mortar Battalion 633
2d Light Mortar Battalion 615

 

–302–

Unit Strength
21st Antiaircraft Artillery Command
Headquarters 71
27th Independent Antiaircraft Artillery Bn 505
79th Field Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion 513
80th Field Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion 517
81st Field Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion 514
103d Independent Machine Cannon Battalion 336
104th Independent Machine Cannon Battalion 338
105th Independent Machine Cannon Battalion 337
Machine Gun Units
3d Independent Machine Gun Battalion 340
4th Independent Machine Gun Battalion 344
14th Independent Machine Gun Battalion 334
17th Independent Machine Gun Battalion 331
Antitank Units
3d Independent Antitank Battalion 363
7th Independent Antitank Battalion 353
22d Independent Antitank Battalion 402
32d Independent Antitank Company 144
11th Shipping Group
Headquarters 100
7th Shipping Engineer Branch Depot 600
23d Shipping Engineer Regiment 850
26th Shipping Engineer Regiment (-) 550
5th Sea Raiding Base Headquarters 42
1st Sea Raiding Squadron 104
2d Sea Raiding Squadron 104
3d Sea Raiding Squadron 104
26th Sea Raiding Squadron 104
27th Sea Raiding Squadron 104
28th Sea Raiding Squadron 104
29th Sea Raiding Squadron 104
1st Sea Raiding Base Battalion 886
2d Sea Raiding Base Battalion 874
3d Sea Raiding Base Battalion 877
26th Sea Raiding Base Battalion 908
27th Sea Raiding Base Battalion 897
28th Sea Raiding Base Battalion 900
29th Sea Raiding Base Battalion 900
49th Line of Communication Sector
Headquarters 202
72d Land Duty Company 508
83d Land Duty Company 496
103d Sea Duty Company 711
104th Sea Duty Company 724
215th Independent Motor Transport Company 181
259th Independent Motor Transport Company 182
Engineer Units
66th Independent Engineer Battalion 865
14th Field Well Drilling Company 110
20th Field Well Drilling Company 110
19th Air Sector Command
Headquarters 41
29th Field Airfield Construction Battalion 750
44th Airfield Battalion 377
50th Airfield Battalion 360
56th Airfield Battalion 380
3d Independent Maintenance Unit 120
Makoto 1st Maintenance Company 90
118th Independent Maintenance Unit 100
6th Fortress Construction Duty Company 330
Detachment, 20th Air Regiment 27
10th Field Meteorological Unit 80
26th Air-Ground Radio Unit 117
46th Independent Air Company 132
1st Branch Depot, 5th Field Air Repair Depot 130
21st Air Signal Unit 310
Okinawa Branch, Army Air Route Department 359
223d Specially Established Garrison Company 200
224th Specially Established Garrison Company 200
225th Specially Established Garrison Company 200
27th Tank Regiment 750
          Army Unit Total 266,636
NAVY UNITS
Okinawa Base Force (Headquarters, Coast Defense, and Antiaircraft Personnel) 3,400
27th Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 200
33d Midget Submarine Unit 130
37th Torpedo Maintenance Unit 140
Torpedo Working Unit 130
81mm Mortar Battery 150
Oroku Transmitting Station 30
Naha Branch, Sasebo Naval Stores Department 136
Naha Branch, Sasebo Transportation Department 136
Naha Navy Yard, Sasebo Naval Base 53
Oroku Detachment, 951st Air Group 600
Nansei Shoto Air Group 2,000
226th Construction Unit 1,420
3210th Construction Unit 300
          Navy Unit Total 38,825
OKINAWAN
502d Special Guard Engineer Unit 900
503d Special Guard Engineer Unit 700
504th Special Guard Engineer Unit 700
Blood-and-Iron-For-The-Emperor-Duty-Unit 750
Boeitai Assigned to the Army 16,600
Boeitai Assigned to the Navy 1,100

 

–303–

Unit Strength
Students 600
Regular Conscripts Not Included Under Army Units 2,000
          Okinawan Total 23,350
                    Grand Total (Rounded Out)
          Army Units 67,000
          Navy Units 9,000
          Okinawans 24,000
Japanese Strength On Okinawa 4100,000

 

–304–

 

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Footnotes

1. The order of battle is based on a listing compiled by Tenth Army G-2 contained in IntelMono,Part I, Sect B, Chap II, 3. Obvious discrepancies in this list have been corrected with the aid ofPOW InterrSum Nos 1-19 and CICAS Trans No 212, Extracts from 32d Army Order of Battle, mid-March 1945. Units are listed by their original designation with the strengths they are believed to have had just prior to the American landings.

2. This figure represents the total Japanese strength. Included in it, however, are an estimated 5,000 Okinawans, mostly regular conscripts, who were integrated into Japanese units.

3. This total represents both regular naval ratings and the Japanese, Korean, and Okinawan military civilians who were utilized in the naval land combat organization.

4. Final figures have been rounded out to avoid the appearance of exactness. Thirty-second Army’s peak combat strength may have been anywhere between 95,000 and 105,000.