The 5th Division entered the
First Sino-Japanese War with the
battle of Seonghwan on 28 July 1894. It also participated in the
battle of Pyongyang on 15 September 1894, securing Japanese control over Korea. On 24 October 1894, the 5th Division made an unopposed crossing of the
Yalu River into Chinese territory, encountering only token rearguard resistance and thus ending the
Battle of Jiuliancheng on 24 October 1894. It then proceed inland to
Mukden) in December 1894. The 5th Division last saw action in this war during the
Battle of Yingkou on 4 March 1895, resulting in the peace negotiations and the
treaty of Shimonoseki, signed on 17 April 1895. On 27 January 1900, the 5th Division participated in the
Eight-Nation Alliance (of which the Japanese were the only non-Europeans) against the
Boxer Rebellion, with a divisional detachment becoming the core of the
Gaselee Expedition. Other units of the division garrisoned
Tianjing city and
Tanggu District. The Japanese combatants won the
Battle of Beicang on 5 August 1900 single-handedly. On 14–16 August 1900, the same Japanese combat detachment participated in the
Battle of Peking. The division received praise from foreign observers for its bravery, professionalism and discipline. In the
Russo-Japanese War, under the command of General
Nozu Michitsura, it saw combat at the
Battle of Shaho, the
Battle of Sandepu, and the
Battle of Mukden. The division was assigned to
Liaoyang,
Manchuria from 30 April 1911 until 19 April 1913, when divisional headquarters returned to
Hiroshima. On 24 August 1919, the 5th Division was assigned to the
Siberian Intervention at the request of the United States. This mission ended on 24 June 1922 with the unilateral Japanese withdrawal.
Second Sino-Japanese War After the
Second Sino-Japanese War erupted on 7 July 1937, the 5th Division was assigned to the
Japanese China Garrison Army on 27 July 1937 as a combat division. It participated in
Operation Chahar on 14–27 August 1937. At the same time, one reinforced regiment was participating in the
Beiping–Hankou Railway Operation. Soon afterwards, the division was re-routed to the newly formed
Japanese Northern China Area Army on 31 August 1937, fighting in the
Battle of Taiyuan, where the 3rd Battalion of the 21st Infantry Regiment suffered severe casualties in the
Battle of Pingxingguan on 24 September 1937. On 30 March 1938, the division was assigned to
2nd Army for the
Battle of Xuzhou. 19 September 1938, the 5th Division was subordinated to the
21st Army and sent to
South China, participating in the
Guangdong province offensive capturing
Nanning in November 1938. The division was then ordered to return to
North China on 29 November 1938 and subordinated to the
12th Army. Plans went awry because the 21st Infantry Brigade was surrounded by the Chinese in the
Battle of Kunlun Pass in December 1938. As a consequence, these troops suffered heavy casualties and were delayed until late January 1939. The division returned to 21st Army in South China on 16 October 1939. The 21st Army was reformed to
22nd Army on 9 February 1940. As part of the newly formed army, the 5th Division became the core of the forces allotted for the
Japanese invasion of French Indochina on 22 September 1940. After the invasion, the division occupied the northern part of
French Indochina.
Pacific War With its combat experience and record in China, the 5th Division was considered one of the best units in the Imperial Japanese Army, and on 12 October 1940, it was placed under the direct control of
Imperial General Headquarters and started an intensive training program, including
paratrooper exercises in
Kyushu together with the 5th Air Group. The division was officially assigned to the
Nanshin-ron on 9 November 1941, subordinated to
25th Army (
Tomoyuki Yamashita), which was part of the
Southern Expeditionary Army Group (
Field Marshal Terauchi Hisaichi) based in
Saigon.
Battle of Malaya The 5th Division landed on the east coast of
Thailand at
Singora and
Patani on December 8, 1941. The 5th Division fought its way through northern and central Malaya. It was particularly successful at the
battle of Jitra on 11 December 1941 and the
battle of Slim River on 6 January 1942. In both battles, it defeated the
Indian 11th Infantry Division. At the Battle of Slim River, the 5th Division's 41st Infantry Regiment, supported by tanks, swept through sixteen miles of British defenses, shattering the exhausted combatants of the 11th Indian Division and inflicting an estimated 3,000 casualties. The 5th Division did not have it all its own way during the Battle of Malaya, suffering heavy casualties during the
Battle of Kampar from 30 December 1941. Nonetheless, the division was able to capture
Kuala Lumpur 11 January 1942. After overcoming the stiff resistance of the
8th Australian Division during the
Battle of Muar at Gemensah Bridge, the 5th Division has opened the way to
Singapore on 22 January 1942.
Battle of Singapore during the battle of Singapore. On the night of 8 February 1942, six battalions of the 5th Division, under command of Lieutenant General
Matsui Takuro as part of Lieutenant General
Yamashita Tomoyuki's 25th Army along with the
IJA 18th Division crossed the
Johor Strait using
landing craft. On the Singapore side, Sarimbun beach was heavily defended by two companies, one each from the
2/20th and
2/18th Battalions of the
22nd Australian Brigade, supported by a machine gun company, three artillery batteries and an anti-tank battery. However, the Japanese combatants managed to penetrate the British defense perimeter, and the Australian troops retrograded after midnight allowing the 5th Division, to move on to Ama Keng village and established a beachhead, where they fired a red starshell over the straits to indicate their success to General Yamashita. Immediately after this important victory, the 5th Division moved inwards into Singapore to capture more strategic areas such as
Tengah Airfield on 9 February 1942. The unit fought against the
2/29th, 2/20th and 2/18th Battalions of the 22nd Australian Brigade and the Jind Indian Infantry Battalion, the airfield garrison. On 11 February 1942,
Bukit Timah Road was captured by the 5th Division after fierce fighting. Singapore surrendered four days later.
Philippines Campaign (1941–42) The 41st Infantry Regiment was detached from the division in March 1942, therefore the 5th Division became a
triangular division. The 4,160-man strong Kawamura Detachment (comprising an elite part of the 41st Infantry Regiment of 5th Division) landed on
Panay island on 16–18 April 1942, resulting in a force of 7,000 U.S.-Filipino combatants retreating from the coast on 20 April 1942. The Kawamura Detachment then proceeded to land on the north coast of
Mindanao on 3 May 1942, forcing the surrender of the Americans and Filipinos on 10 May 1942, after heavy fighting.
New Guinea campaign The rest of the detached 41st Infantry Regiment re-formed as the Yazawa Detachment, and was initially deployed in
Cagayan on north coast of
Luzon. It was transferred, landing in
Davao City on 28 June 1942, and used to reinforce Nankai Shitai (South Seas Detachment) under command of Major-General Tomitaro Horii. On 18 July 1942, the detachment was reinforced by a company of tanks plus a company of close-support artillery, and ordered to join the thrust to
Port Moresby on 31 July 1942. Initially sailing to
Rabaul, which was being used as staging point on 16 August 1942, the Yazawa detachment departed on 19 August 1942 on board
Kiyokawa Maru and
Myoko Maru . They landed at
Gona, around the Japanese beachhead, on 21 August 1942. During the
battle of Isurava the Yazawa detachment was held in reserve. After the
Battle of Brigade Hill was fought further inland, the Yazawa detachment made its way to the mouth of the
Girua River (near Buna), where it secured a landing of the supplies and reinforcements, starting from 23 September 1942. On 29 October 1942, the bulk of the Yazawa detachment took up defensive positions inland near Oivi Creek, to cover the retreat of 144th regiment and other units. The Australians attacked with superior forces on 4 November 1942 during the
Battle of Oivi-Gorari, mauling and routing the Yazawa detachment. About 900 combatants left of Yazawa detachment narrowly escaped the encirclement and run away to the heavily wooded Ajura Kijala Range to the north-east on 10 November 1942. The last rearguard covering the Oivi Creek was wiped out 13 November 1942. The Yazawa escapees reached the mouth of the
Kumusi River, north of
Gona, by 28 November 1942, but the detachment was not combat-ready because of the loss of most of its heavy equipment and the high incidence of
malaria amongst its troops. The majority of the malaria-weakened combatants were transported by landing craft to the mouth of Girua River on 29 November 1942, losing hundreds to the Allied air attacks in sea. The more healthy ones joined them after an overland march on 2 December 1942. On 31 December 1942, Colonel Yazawa ordered a desperate rescue mission to the Buna with the composite unit gathered from the jumble of shattered Japanese detachments. Due to the fall of Buna on 2 January 1943 they aborted the mission, but the Yazawa detachment still clashed with Allied combat patrols and rescued about 190 combatants escaping from Buna. As the retreat to Gona on 20 January 1943 failed, the Yazawa detachment ceased to exist, with only a few survivors reaching Japanese lines.
Subsequent history In 1943, the division was subordinated to
19th Army. The 5th Division subsequently saw action in
Rabaul and
Guadalcanal and various islands in the
Dutch East Indies before surrendering to the Allies on
Ceram, in the Dutch East Indies. The division was involved with
Tachibana Maru incident, comprising hospital ship been used to transport armaments (up to howitzers) and healthy combatants. As result of the incident, about 1,500
prisoners of war of the division were captured by United States 3 August 1945.
Divisional headquarters The 5th Division headquarters buildings in
Hiroshima Castle were destroyed by the
atomic bomb explosion on 6 August 1945. Loss of life was light because the headquarters had departed in March 1945 to reinforce the
125th Division in
Manchukuo. ==See also==