4th Tank Division (Imperial Japanese Army)

The 4th Tank Division (戦車第4師団, Sensha Dai-yon Shidan), was one of four armored divisions of the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II.

4th Tank Division
Type 3 Chi-Nu tanks of the 4th Tank Division, with Type 3 Ho-Ni III self-propelled guns among them
Active	1944–1945
Country	Empire of Japan
Branch	Imperial Japanese Army
Type	Armored division
Garrison/HQ	Chiba, Chiba
Nickname(s)	鋼=Hagane (Steel)
Engagements	World War II

History

The 4th Tank Division was raised on July 6, 1944 in Chiba, near Tokyo.[2] It lacked both infantry and self-propelled gun regiments.[2] Similar to the German Panzer-Lehr-Division, it was created out of the training departments of the Armor School, Cavalry School, Field Artillery School and Military Engineering School of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, its remaining students and staff. Assigned to the IJA 36th Army Corps, it was designated for the defense of the Japanese home islands against the projected Allied invasion.[1][2]

The 4th Tank Division was based in Fukuoka on Kyushu. It was equipped with the finest and most advanced armaments, including a "significant" number of Type 3 Chi-Nu medium tanks and Type 3 Ho-Ni III tank destroyers; these being available at its depot before the end of the war.[3] Following Japan's surrender on Sept 3, 1945, the 4th Tank Division was officially demobilized with the rest of the Imperial Japanese Army, without having seen combat.

Commanding officer

	Name	From	To
1	Lieutenant General Shiori Nagura	8 July 1944	12 August 1945
2	Major General Prince Kan'in Haruhito	12 August 1945	16 August 1945
3	Lieutenant General Shiori Nagura	16 August 1945	30 September 1945

See also

• List of Japanese armored divisions

Notes

1. Zaloga 2007, p. 20.
2. Rottman & Takizawa 2008, p. 12.
3. Tomczyk 2005, p. 15.

References

• Frank, Richard B (1999). Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-679-41424-X.
• Jowett, Bernard (1999). The Japanese Army 1931-45 (Volume 2, 1942-45). Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-354-3.
• Madej, Victor (1981). Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937–1945. Game Publishing Company. ASIN: B000L4CYWW.
• Rottman, Gordon L.; Takizawa, Akira (2008). World War II Japanese Tank Tactics. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1846032349.
• Tomczyk, Andrzej (2005). Japanese Armor Vol. 4. AJ Press. ISBN 978-8372371676.
• Zaloga, Steven J. (2007). Japanese Tanks 1939–45. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-8460-3091-8.

External links

• Taki's Imperial Japanese Army Page - Akira Takizawa