62nd Division (Imperial Japanese Army)

62nd Division (Imperial Japanese Army). The 62nd Division was an infantry division of the Imperial Japanese Army activated in 1943 during the final years of the Second Sino-Japanese War. Formed as part of a strategic reinforcement for the China Expeditionary Army, it was primarily composed of reservists and saw extensive combat in China before its final deployment to Okinawa Island. The division was effectively destroyed during the Battle of Okinawa, one of the last and bloodiest campaigns of the Pacific War.

History

The 62nd Division was activated on May 1, 1943 in Kyoto under the command of Takeo Fujioka. Its creation was part of a broader wave of mobilizations, like the contemporaneous 61st Division, intended to bolster Japanese forces in mainland Asia as the Pacific War intensified. Initially assigned to the North China Area Army, the division conducted counter-insurgency operations against communist guerrillas and National Revolutionary Army units in regions like Shanxi. In early 1945, as Allied pressure mounted, the Imperial General Headquarters ordered the division transferred to the Thirty-Second Army for the defense of the Ryukyu Islands. It arrived on Okinawa Island in a series of transports, some of which were sunk by United States Navy submarines, and began preparing extensive defensive positions in the southern part of the island, notably around Shuri Castle.

Organization

The 62nd Division was a triangular division with a standard organization for late-war Japanese infantry formations. Its core consisted of three infantry regiments: the 63rd, 64th, and 65th Independent Mixed Brigades, which were redesignated as infantry regiments upon the division's activation. Division support units included the 62nd Division Artillery Regiment, equipped with a mix of mountain guns and howitzers, and the 62nd Division Engineer Regiment. Other integral units were the 62nd Division Transport Regiment, a signals unit, and a field hospital. Due to material shortages, the division was lightly equipped compared to its Allied counterparts, lacking significant armored vehicle or motorized transport assets.

Commanding officers

The division had two commanding officers throughout its existence. Its first commander was **Lieutenant General Takeo Fujioka**, an experienced officer who had previously served with the Kwantung Army and led the division during its formation and initial deployment in China. He was succeeded in late 1944 by **Lieutenant General Takeo Udo**, who commanded the division during its fateful transfer and subsequent annihilation in the Battle of Okinawa. Udo was a veteran of campaigns in China and Southeast Asia, and his leadership during the brutal defensive fighting on Okinawa ended with his death in combat in June 1945.

Actions and engagements

The division's first major actions were in North China, participating in operations like the Battle of West Henan–North Hubei and numerous smaller clashes against Eighth Route Army forces. Its most significant and final engagement was the Battle of Okinawa. Integrated into the defensive network of the Thirty-Second Army under Mitsuru Ushijima, the 62nd Division defended the critical Shuri Line. It faced the overwhelming firepower of the U.S. Tenth Army, comprising the XXIV Corps and III Amphibious Corps, during the American landings on April 1, 1945. The division fought tenaciously in a war of attrition from fortified caves and bunkers through battles at places like Conical Hill and Sugar Loaf Hill. By late June, the division was decimated, with most of its personnel killed in action or committing suicide during the final collapse of Japanese resistance.

See also

* Battle of Okinawa * Thirty-Second Army (Japan) * Imperial Japanese Army * Organization of the Imperial Japanese Army * U.S. Tenth Army

Category:Infantry divisions of the Imperial Japanese Army Category:Military units and formations established in 1943 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1945