119th Division

The 119th Division was an infantry formation of the Imperial Japanese Army established on 10 November 1944 in Heilongjiang, in Japanese-occupied Manchuria. It was one of the late-war Japanese divisions created as Japan expanded and reorganized its forces in anticipation of an Allied attack on territories held by the Japanese Empire. The division was organized as a triangular division, a structure generally built around three infantry regiments rather than the larger square formations used by many earlier divisions. Its personnel and organizational nucleus came from remnants of the 23rd Division and the 8th Border Guard Garrison. The division's Japanese call sign was Sai Heidan, rendered in English-language references as the “Slaughter Division.” Despite the dramatic designation, the available reference material provides little evidence of an extensive independent combat record before the final weeks of the Second World War. The formation was initially assigned to the Japanese Sixth Army and stationed at Hailar. On 25 January 1945, it was transferred to the Fourth Army while remaining in the same general location. Its responsibilities were therefore connected primarily with the defense of northern Manchuria and the Japanese military position along the Soviet-Manchurian frontier rather than with overseas expeditionary operations. The division's operational existence ended during the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, which began in August 1945. Facing the rapid Soviet offensive and the collapse of Japan's position in Manchukuo, the 119th Division surrendered on 16 August 1945. It was disarmed by 3 September 1945, following Japan's broader surrender and the dissolution of Japanese military formations outside the home islands. The division was consequently defunct by the end of 1945. Some members of the formation remained in Soviet custody after the surrender. The last soldiers identified in the reference material as having been held by the Red Army were returned to Japan in 1968. The 119th Division is therefore principally remembered as a late-created Japanese defensive formation whose short history was defined by frontier garrison duty, reassignment within the Manchurian command structure, surrender during the Soviet offensive, and postwar captivity.

The 119th Division was created on 10 November 1944 in Heilongjiang during the final phase of the Pacific War and the Second Sino-Japanese War. By this point, Japan was forming new divisions to reinforce strategically important areas, especially the Asian mainland and the approaches to the Japanese-controlled territories in Manchuria. The division was organized as a triangular infantry division, reflecting the wartime restructuring of Japanese ground forces. Its formation drew on personnel and matériel associated with the remnants of the 23rd Division and the 8th Border Guard Garrison. The available sources do not provide a complete order of battle, a detailed strength figure, or a full roster of subordinate units. The division's call sign was Sai Heidan, translated in English references as the “Slaughter Division.” The 119th Division was initially placed under the Sixth Army and assigned to garrison Hailar. Hailar was a strategically significant position in northern Manchuria, near the frontier with the Soviet Union. On 25 January 1945, the division was transferred to the Fourth Army. This change altered its higher command but not its location, and the division continued its defensive role in the Hailar area. The decisive event in the division's history came with the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in August 1945. The Soviet offensive rapidly overwhelmed Japanese positions across the region. The 119th Division surrendered on 16 August 1945, shortly after Japan's decision to accept the Allied surrender terms. It was disarmed by 3 September 1945. The division was not reconstituted after the abolition of the Imperial Japanese Army and therefore ceased to exist as a military organization. The postwar fate of its personnel extended beyond the formal surrender. Members of the division were among Japanese military personnel taken into Soviet custody, and the last soldiers mentioned in the available references were not returned to Japan until 1968. Because the division existed for less than a year and surrendered before developing a substantial independent combat history, the surviving record emphasizes its formation, command assignments, Hailar garrison duty, and dissolution rather than a sequence of named battles.

• 1968

  Return of the last prisoners

  [1]119th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)en.wikipedia.org

  The last soldiers associated with the division who had remained in Red Army captivity were returned to Japan in 1968.

• 1945

  Transfer to the Fourth Army

  [1]119th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)en.wikipedia.org

  On 25 January 1945, the division changed higher command from the Sixth Army to the Fourth Army while remaining in Hailar.

• 1945

  Surrender during the Soviet invasion of Manchuria

  [1]119th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)en.wikipedia.org

  The division surrendered on 16 August 1945 as the Soviet offensive defeated Japanese forces in Manchuria.

• 1945

  Disarmament

  [1]119th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)en.wikipedia.org

  The 119th Division was disarmed by 3 September 1945 and ceased to exist as an Imperial Japanese Army formation.

• 1944

  Formation in Heilongjiang

  [1]119th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)en.wikipedia.org

  The 119th Division was established on 10 November 1944 in Heilongjiang as a triangular infantry division. Its organizational nucleus came from remnants of the 23rd Division and the 8th Border Guard Garrison.

• 1944

  Assignment to the Sixth Army

  [1]119th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)en.wikipedia.org

  After its creation, the division was assigned to the Japanese Sixth Army and deployed to Hailar for garrison and defensive duties.

A late-war Imperial Japanese Army frontier and defensive infantry formation in Japanese-occupied Manchuria.

• 1945Soviet invasion of Manchuria

  Manchuria

  The 119th Division encountered the Soviet invasion of Japanese-occupied Manchuria in August 1945. Its recorded outcome was surrender on 16 August, followed by disarmament by 3 September.

  Outcome. Surrender and dissolution of the division.

  Source

• 1945

  Transfer from the Sixth Army to the Fourth ArmyStrategy

  Background

  The division was part of Japan's defensive military structure in Manchuria during the final months of the war.

  Action taken

  On 25 January 1945, its higher command was changed from the Sixth Army to the Fourth Army without relocating the division from Hailar.

  Aftermath

  The division remained in its frontier garrison role until the Soviet invasion and its subsequent surrender.

  Source

1. 1119th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)en.wikipedia.org