The
Imperial Japanese Army developed an airborne
paratroop force in the late 1930s, but the program did not receive much attention by the
Imperial General Headquarters until review of the success of similar
German paratroop units during the
Blitzkrieg of 1940. Army paratroops were first deployed in combat during the
Battle of Palembang, on
Sumatra in the
Netherlands East Indies (now
Indonesia) on 14 February 1942. The operation was well-planned, with 425 men of the 1st Parachute Raiding Regiment seizing
Palembang airfield, while the paratroopers of the 2nd Parachute Raiding Regiment seized the town and its important oil refinery. However, after the 1st Raiding Regiment departed Japan aboard the transport ship, Meiko Maru bound for Indochina, it suddenly caught fire in the
South China Sea sinking near Hainan Island January 3, 1942. All the paratroopers were rescued by the
Japanese cruiser Kashii but lost all their equipment and were exhausted and therefore did not partake leaving the operation to the 2nd Parachute Raiding Regiment. The IJA paratroopers were subsequently deployed in the
Burma campaign only to have the operation aborted. Following this success, in July 1943, the 1st Glider Tank Troop was formed, with four
Type 95 Ha-Go light tanks. This unit was eventually expanded to battalion size, with a tank company using 14
Type 2 Ke-To light tanks, an infantry company, and a motorized transport company. The paratroop brigades were organized into the
Teishin Shudan as the first division-level raiding unit, at the main Japanese airborne base,
Karasehara Airfield,
Kyūshū, Japan. It was commanded by a
major general, and was organized as follows: • headquarters company (220 personnel) • aviation brigade • raiding brigade • two glider infantry regiments • raiding artillery company (120 personnel) • raiding signals company (140 personnel) • raiding engineer company (250 personnel) The unit had an estimated 5,575 personnel. However, as with similar airborne units created by the
Allies and other
Axis powers, the Japanese paratroops suffered from a disproportionately high casualty rate, and the loss of men who required such extensive and expensive training limited their operations to only the most critical ones. For the most part, the Teishin Shudan was deployed as elite light infantry. Two regiments of
Teishin Shudan were formed into the 1st Raiding Group, commanded by Major General
Rikichi Tsukada under the control of the
Southern Expeditionary Army Group, during the
Philippines campaign. Although structured as a division, its capabilities were much lower, as its six
regiments had manpower equivalent to a standard infantry
battalion, and it lacked any form of
artillery, and had to rely on other units for logistical support. Its men were no longer parachute-trained, but relied on aircraft for transport.
Philippines Campaign Some 750 men, mainly from the 2nd Raiding Brigade, of this group were assigned to attack American air bases on
Luzon and
Leyte on the night of 6 December 1944. They were flown in
Ki-57 transports, but most of the aircraft were shot down. Some 300 commandos managed to land in the
Burauen area on Leyte. The force destroyed some planes and inflicted numerous casualties before they were annihilated. The remainder of
Teishin Shudan remained based in the
Philippines until the end of the war. ==Equipment used by
Teishin units==