102nd Division (Imperial Japanese Army)

November 2019 102nd Division 第102師団 Battle of Leyte map 3.jpg Battle of Leyte, situation 7 November to 31 December 1944. 1944 - 1945 Empire of Japan Empire of Japan Infantry Kumamoto Uproot division Battle of LeyteBattle of the VisayasInvasion of PalawanBattle for Cebu City 102nd Division 1944 35th army *77. Infantry brigade (Kumamoto) 170. Independent infantry battalion 171. Independent infantry battalion 172. Independent infantry battalion 354. Independent infantry battalion 77. Signals company 77. Labour company 78. Infantry brigade (Kumamoto) 169. Independent infantry battalion 173. Independent infantry battalion 174. Independent infantry battalion 355. Independent infantry battalion 78. Signals company 78. Labour company 102. Artillery regiment 102. Engineer company 102. Signals company 102. Transport company 102. Field hospital 102. Veterinary department 102. Epidemic Prevention and Water Purification Department The 102nd Division 第102師団 Dai-hyakuni Shidan was an infantry division of the Imperial Japanese Army. Its call sign was the Uproot Division 抜兵団 Hatsu Heidan.The division was formed on 15 June 1944 in Visayas. The nucleus of the formation was the 31st Independent Mixed Brigade. The 102nd division was a Type C(hei) security division, therefore the division backbone comprised independent infantry battalions instead of infantry regiments. Action On 29 July 1944, parts of the division perished when the Yoshino Maru transport was sunk by a US submarine.Japanese Army Auxiliary Transports https://www.combinedfleet.com/Yoshino_t.htm 2026-09-07 www.combinedfleet.com The rest of the 102nd division was assembled in Ormoc on 26 October 1944,Japanese T,101 Class Landing Ship Tank https://www.combinedfleet.com/T.101_t.htm 2026-09-07 www.combinedfleet.com as the Battle of Leyte has begun since 17 October 1944. In the course of the Battle of Leyte and subsequent Battle of the Visayas since March 1945, the garrisons of the 102nd division were isolated and increasingly decimated by the US forces. Some sub-units have managed to hold on in mountains until the surrender of Japan 15 August 1945 though. In particular, during the Invasion of Palawan in March–April 1945, the two battalions of the 102nd division were defeated by the US 186th regimental combat team. The Japanese garrison of Panay, consisting of a single company, retreated to the mountains and survived relatively intact despite efforts of US 185th regimental combat team. On Cebu, the 102nd division had a single battalion and an assortment of people rescued from Leyte. They suffered heavy casualties during the Battle for Cebu City but was able to continue a guerilla warfare afterwards. On Negros island, the 102nd division had about 4000 personnel from 77th infantry brigade. These survived after a guerilla campaign against invading US forces since March 1945. See also List of Japanese Infantry Divisions Independent Mixed Brigades (Imperial Japanese Army) Notes and references This article incorporates material from Japanese Wikipedia page 第102師団 (日本軍), accessed 14 June 2016 Madej, W. Victor. Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945 [2 vols] Allentown, PA: 1981 References 30em Category:Japanese World War II divisions Category:Infantry divisions of Japan Category:Military units and formations established in 1944 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Category:1944 establishments in Japan Category:1945 disestablishments in Japan