The Imperial
Japanese Naval Infantry (IJNI) is the Empire’s “go anywhere” amphibious force
and a key component of the Imperial government’s Rapid Reaction Force. As such,
they are required to be trained to work in different terrains and environments,
from the cold, mountainous conditions in Northern Japan, to the hot arid
regions of the Middle East and to the dense tropical jungles of South East
Asia.
The IJNI serves
as a versatile combat element, adapted to a wide variety of combat situations.
Since its inception, the Naval Infantry has been recognized for combat prowess,
and the IJNI's role has been expanded significantly. Currently, the Naval
Infantry’s primary wartime missions would be to seize and hold strategic
straits or islands and to make seaborne tactical landings behind enemy lines.
The latter tactic was fully developed and utilized in the Merdeka War, most notably in the Java
Campaign.
Initially, the
IJNI was subordinated to the IJN,
but in 1980 it was organized as an independent branch of the IJAF.
In recent years, its numbers and capabilities has growth in response of the
international situation, and this growth has been generally in detriment of the
IJA,
originating another internal source of friction within the IJAF.
All Imperial
Naval Infantrymen, except those in the Imperial Naval Band Service, are first
and foremost, fusiliers. They are required to undergo what is recognized as one
of the longest and most demanding infantry training regimes in the world. This
is undertaken at the Imperial Naval Infantry Training Center at Naha, Okinawa.
Also, a large proportion of the training is carried out on the rugged,
inhospitable terrains of northern Karafuto and Borneo. Their training is a
series of tests of fitness, endurance and military professionalism which have
remained virtually unchanged since the eve of the Merdeka War.
During his time
in an unit the infantryman will almost certainly undergo environmental training
in either “hot, arid”, “humid jungle”, or “cold mountainous” conditions. Normal
training areas are Iran, Indonesia, Karafuto and Chishima, though if he deploys
as part of the Amphibious Ready Group, it could be anywhere in the Pacific or
Indian oceans. The Amphibious Ready Group is a highly mobile, well balanced
amphibious force at sea, based on a Amphibious Group and its supporting assets,
that can be kept at high readiness to deploy forward into an area of likely
contingency operations. The Amphibious Ready Group is normally based around
specialist amphibious shipping, most notably IJS ASAKAI MARU, the largest ship
in the fleet. The Amphibious Ready Group is a potent force in waiting, it can
“poise” beyond the horizon and move swiftly as directed by the Imperial
Government. The concept was successfully used in operations in Sri Lanka.
The Naval
Infantry is now the second smallest branch of the Japanese military with 40,000
active and 7,000 reserve members in 2003, organized into three divisions and
three brigades. Naval Infantry had its own amphibious versions of standard
armoured vehicles and tanks used by the Imperial Japanese Army. The IJNI had
over eighty landing ships as well as one Asakai-class and two Tanaka-class
amphibious assault docks. The latter were assault ships that could transport
one infantry battalion with forty armoured vehicles and their amphibious
landing craft. At seventy-five units, Japan had the world's largest inventory
of air-cushion assault craft. In addition, many of the Japanese merchant
fleet's ocean-going ships could off-load weapons and supplies in an amphibious
landing.
The Imperial
Japanese Naval Infantry are proud of their position in the forefront of
amphibious landing operations and are inculcated with a strong belief in their
chain of command and the importance of esprit de corps, a spirit of
enthusiasm and pride in themselves and the IJNI, they have a proud history and
unique traditions, and they have so many battle honours that “Asia itself” has
become the symbol of the IJNI.
The origin of the IJNI can be found in the
Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces. These were not a part of the Imperial
Japanese Army. Nonetheless, these naval infantry units, despite their
relatively small numbers in comparison to Army ground forces, comprised a
significant augmentation of the Japanese combat capabilities on dry land. The transition
in the Japanese Navy from simply designating certain ships to provide shore
parties composed of regular sailors, to creating a force of full-time naval
infantry, occurred after the First World War. The Japanese "Special Naval
Landing Forces," as the Japanese Navy marine infantry units were
officially known (also known in Japanese as Rikusentai) saw their
first action in the Shanghai Incident of 1932. At first they were rather large
and unwieldy formations, about 2,000 men each (hence sometimes described as
"brigades").
Most of the Special Naval Landing Forces
that fought in the Merdeka War were however created in 1955-1956, or even
later, and these were more streamlined units, generally ranging anywhere from
about 750 to a little over 1,500 men in strength. The 1955 table of
organization called for each SNLF to have two rifle companies and one or two
heavy weapons companies. The SNLF rifle companies were much larger than their
Army counterparts, and intended to fight independently if necessary, especially
for defensive purposes. Typical organization of the company was a headquarters
(a naval officer with the rank of Commander was normally in charge), four rifle
platoons (originally six), and a machinegun platoon. The rifle platoons had a
platoon headquarters, three rifle squads (13 men each, with one bipod-mounted
machinegun), and a weapons support squad (13 men with three 50mm "knee
mortars"). The machinegun platoon had four squads, each having at least
ten men and two tripod-mounted machineguns (thus eight tripod-mounted mgs in
the company, or two per platoon for direct support). In 1957 the SNLF was
renamed Imperial Japanese Naval Infantry, and with this name fought in the
Merdeka War.
The heavy weapons companies were initially
an organic artillery support component. When first established, they had two
75mm regimental guns, two 70mm battalion pack howitzers (these two pieces the
same types as used in Army formations of that size), and usually four 3-inch
(76mm) naval guns mounted on wheeled carriages. The heavy weapons companies
themselves also included up to three rifle platoons organized in the normal
fashion, to provide close infantry support, or the possibility of both fire and
maneuver elements in the same company. By the Merdeka War, heavy weapons
companies of the IJNI often included 81mm mortars. Artillery directly attached
to the IJNI heavy weapons units might also include the 47mm antitank gun, which
was originally developed from a shipboard naval cannon.
The weapons used by the IJNI (with the
exception of the naval 3-inch guns noted above) were pretty much identical to
the types employed by the Army (however, the Navy did make some use of the old
Lewis bipod-mounted mg in addition to the more commonplace Nambu models, and
occasionally employed the heavy 13.2mm machinegun in place of the 6.5mm or
7.7mm tripod-mounted types). However, when antiaircraft elements were attached
to or supporting the IJNI's, these utilized naval AA weapons, such as the
13.2mm machinegun on a twin mount, or the automatic 25mm shipboard antiaircraft
gun adapted for land use. After the war, the IJNI passed through a complete
specialization process, which provide it with more modern weapons, specially
designed for its necessities.
The Imperial
Japanese Naval Infantry, were highly-trained units who recognized that their
position in the forefront of amphibious landing operations made them a sort of
elite, and who evidenced correspondingly high motivation and morale as well.
They played an important and often quite successful part in Japan's opening
offensive in South East Asia. When that great offensive began in January 1959,
there were a dozen full-size Imperial Japanese Naval Infantry units in
existence. All had been organized over the previous two years. These units were
as follows:
|
Unit |
Comments |
|
1st Kure IJNI Division |
Landing at Hollandia (Irian
Barat) |
|
2nd Kure IJNI Division |
Landing at Ambon Island |
|
1st Maizuru IJNI Division |
At Saipan Naval District |
|
2nd Maizuru IJNI
Division |
Landing on Ternate,
Halmahera Island |
|
1st Sasebo IJNI
Division |
Landing on Menado, Celebes
Island |
|
2nd Sasebo IJNI
Division |
Under 32 Special Base Force,
3rd Fleet |
|
8th Sasebo IJNI
Division |
At Taihoku Naval District |
|
Kaoshun IJNI Division |
Operated from port of
Kaosiung, Taiwan |
|
1st Yokosuka IJNI
Division |
Parachutes onto Menado airfield,
Celebes (naval parachute unit) |
|
2nd Yokosuka IJNI
Division |
Landings at Mataram, Lombok,
and Pamekasan, Madura |
|
3rd Yokosuka IJNI
Division |
Landing on Pernik, Java (naval parachute unit) |
|
4th Yokosuka IJNI Division |
Landing on Banjuwangi, Java |
Of the above, probably the most unique
were the 1st and 3rd Yokosuka IJNI divisions, which comprised the Japanese Navy's
own parachute infantry force. The Navy paratroopers were only organized on the
very eve of the war, beginning in September 1958. Their first training drop
occurred only on November 16th. All of the IJNI divisions bore the name of a
major Japanese naval base for administrative purposes, although in practice
they were attached to the various fleet headquarters, and administered directly
from there.
The IJN did on occasion create what was
called a Combined Special Naval Infantry Force, which was usually two of the
conventional IJNI divisions lumped together under the command of a
Rear-Admiral. However, the IJNI played
a crucial part in the initial Japanese offensive operations in the Dutch East
Indies. Furthermore, their role was usually to spearhead amphibious landings,
and secure the beaches so that the larger Army contingents to follow could be
put ashore without mishap. The IJNI paratroopers executed Japan's first ever
combat air drop at Menado on Celebes, on February 11th 1959.
In January 1959 several IJNI division
participated in the invasion of Indonesia, and especially the multiple landing
operations aimed at the main island of Java. The 2nd Yokosuka IJNI division
came in by boat to land at Manado in Sulawesi (Celebes), and within two and a
half hours had secured its objective, the road to Gorontalo. Eight days later
elements of the 2nd Yokosuka IJNI carried out another landing at Ambon, the
main port of eastern Indonesia. The 1st and 2nd Kure, 1st and 2nd Sasebo, and 1st,
2nd, and 3rd Yokosuka IJNI divisions were all detailed for the prolonged
Indonesian operations. In February 1959, the 2nd Kure IJNI division (along with
one Imperial Japanese Army division) landed at Balikpapan, Borneo. As related
in the previous post concerning airborne operations, the 1st Yokosuka IJNI
paratroopers carried out Japan's first ever combat air drop at Menado on
Celebes, on January 11th. Four hours before the airborne landings, the 1st
Sasebo IJNI had come ashore by sea a bit further north. Later in the month, 1st
Kure IJNI occupied Amboina Island, site of an important airfield. Finally, in
late February 1942, the Sasebo Combined Special Naval Landing Force were landed
amphibiously and fought as ground troops in the battle for Koepang on Timor
Island. Several days before the 3rd Yokosuka IJNI division (a naval parachute
unit) was airdropped at Koepang, suffering heavy casualties in the forthcoming
battles.
The early successes of the IJNI led to the
creation of further such units, thus continued to play a role in Imperial
Japanese Navy offensive operations, which were now concentrated primarily in
the Java and Bali area. Both the older and new IJNI units became involved. The
3rd Kure, 5th Yokosuka, 5th Kure, 5th Sasebo, 6th Kure, and 7th Yokosuka IJNI
divisions, and the non-combatant 16th Naval Construction Unit, led the way when
the IJAF landed on the northern coast of Java between Batavia and Surabaya,
following the strategy devised by Lt. Gen. Yamashita Tomoyuki, in order to
disarticulate the Dutch resistance. A month and a half later the Merdeka war
finished.
After the Merdeka War, the IJNI service’s
had been used in Sri Lanka, and are in charge of the defense
of the IJN installations in Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Iran and Sri Lanka; in
the latter the IJNI maintains several brigades that serves of deterrence to
further Indian aggression.
