The was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army initially based in Manchukuo as a garrison force under the overall command of the Kwantung Army. At the end of World War II it was active in east China.
History The Japanese 6th Army was initially raised on August 4, 1939 in Manchukuo as a garrison force to guard the western borders against possible incursions by the Soviet Red Army. It was a major participant in the Nomonhan Incident, during which time it took severe casualties. Afterwards, it was initially assigned to Hailar, in Inner Mongolia which was also the site of an extensive Japanese static military fortification system. During much of the Second Sino-Japanese War, it remained a reserve and training garrison force.
On January 26, 1945, the Japanese Sixth Army was reassigned to the control of the China Expeditionary Army, and was sent south to bolster Japanese forces in the strategic Wuhan-Changsha front, filling the gap left by the departure of Japanese forces in the southward Operation Ichi-Go thrust. At the surrender of Japan, it was disbanded at Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China.
List of commanders
Commanding officer Name From To1 Lieutenant General Rippei Ogisu1 August 1939 6 November 19392 Lieutenant General Touji Yasui6 November 1939 15 October 19413 Lieutenant General Seiichi Kita15 October 1941 1 March 19434 Lieutenant General Teizo Ishiguro1 March 1943 7 January 19445 Lieutenant General Jiro Sogawa7 January 1944 September 1945
Chief of Staff Name From To1 Lieutenant General Tetsukuma Fujimoto1 August 1939 2 December 19402 Lieutenant General Minoru Sasaki2 December 1940 1 July 19423 Lieutenant General Takeshi Mori1 July 1942 3 February 19434 Major General Takashi Iketa3 February 1943 25 February 19445 Major General Ryoichi Kudo25 February 1944 September 1945
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