The Japanese 27th Army was formed on March 16, 1944, as part of the last desperate defense effort by the
Empire of Japan to deter possible landings of
Allied forces in the northern
Chishima Islands territories from northeastern
Hokkaidō to
Kamchatka during
Operation Downfall. It was headquartered on
Etorofu. The Japanese 27th Army consisted mostly of poorly trained
reservists,
conscripted students and
home guard militia. It was disbanded on February 1, 1945, and its units were incorporated directly into the
Japanese 5th Area Army ==List of Commanders==