Sixteenth Army (Japan) Explained

Unit Name:Japanese Sixteenth Army
Dates:November 5, 1941 – August 15, 1945 
Country:Empire of Japan
Branch:Imperial Japanese Army
Type:Infantry
Role:Corps
Garrison:Batavia
Battles:Battle of Java (1942)

The was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.

History

The Japanese 16th Army was formed on November 5, 1941, under the Southern Expeditionary Army Group to coordinate the infantry divisions and other Japanese ground forces in the Invasion of Java in the Netherlands East Indies. It remained based on Java throughout the Pacific War as a garrison force.

On March 27, 1944, with the threat of possible landings of Allied forces to retake the Dutch East Indies increasing, the organizational structure of the Southern Expeditionary Army changed and the IJA 16th Army was reassigned to the Japanese Seventh Area Army. It remained headquartered in Jakarta as a garrison force as before.

The Japanese 16th Army was demobilized at the surrender of Japan on August 15, 1945.

List of commanders

Commanding officer

Name From To
1General Hitoshi Imamura6 November 19419 November 1942
2Lieutenant General Kumakichi Harada9 November 194226 April 1945
3Lieutenant General Yuichiro Nagano26 April 1945September 1945

Chief of Staff

Name From To
1Lieutenant General Seizaburo Okazaki6 November 194110 June 1943
2Lieutenant General Shinshichiro Kokubu10 June 194314 November 1944
3Major General Shigeichi Yamamoto14 November 1944September 1945

References

Books

External links