43rd Division (Imperial Japanese Army)

43rd Division (Imperial Japanese Army). The 43rd Division was an infantry division of the Imperial Japanese Army activated during World War II. Formed in 1943, its primary theater of operations was the South West Pacific, where it was deployed to New Guinea and suffered catastrophic losses. The division was effectively destroyed during the intense fighting of the New Guinea campaign, particularly around Aitape.

History

The 43rd Division was activated on 16 June 1943 in Nagoya as part of a wave of new formations to bolster Japanese forces following setbacks like the Guadalcanal Campaign and the Battle of the Bismarck Sea. Initially assigned to the Japanese Seventeenth Area Army for homeland defense, the deteriorating situation in the Pacific War led to its rapid redeployment. In early 1944, the division was transferred to the control of the Japanese Second Area Army under General Korechika Anami and sent to reinforce the critical New Guinea region. Its main elements arrived at Hollandia and Wewak just before the United States Armed Forces launched a series of major amphibious assaults. The division was soon caught in the Battle of Hollandia and subsequent operations, which severed its supply lines. Isolated and subjected to relentless attacks from Allied forces, including the United States Army and the Australian Army, the 43rd Division was pushed westward. It engaged in a desperate and costly defense during the Battle of Aitape, part of the larger Western New Guinea campaign. Ravaged by combat, disease, and starvation in the harsh jungle terrain, the division ceased to exist as an effective fighting force by late 1944, with only scattered remnants surviving until the end of the war.

Organization

The 43rd Division was a triangular division, a standard organizational structure for the Imperial Japanese Army during this period. Its core infantry strength was provided by three infantry regiments: the 43rd Infantry Regiment, the 44th Infantry Regiment, and the 45th Infantry Regiment. These regiments were supported by the 43rd Mountain Artillery Regiment, which provided field artillery support. The division also included standard combat and logistical support units: the 43rd Engineer Regiment, the 43rd Transport Regiment, and a signals unit. Medical services were handled by a divisional field hospital. This organizational template was typical for Japanese divisions but proved inadequate against the overwhelming material superiority and air power of the Allied forces in the South West Pacific Area.

Commanding officers

The 43rd Division had only one commanding officer throughout its brief and tragic existence. Lieutenant General Shunkichi Ikeda commanded the division from its activation in June 1943 until its virtual annihilation in New Guinea. Ikeda, a career officer, had previously served in various staff and command roles, including with the Kwantung Army. He led the division during its deployment from Japan and through the disastrous campaigns in New Guinea. Following the destruction of his command, Ikeda was reassigned and later served as Commandant of the Army War College in the final months of the war.

See also

* List of Japanese Infantry Divisions * Battle of Biak * Eighteenth Army (Japan) * Operation Cartwheel * Japanese war crimes Category:Infantry divisions of Japan