46th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)


The 46th Division was an infantry division of the Imperial Japanese Army. Its call sign was the Serene Division

Origins

The 46th Division was formed 14 May 1943 in Kumamoto, simultaneously with 42nd, 43rd and 47th divisions. The formation nucleus was the 66th Independent Infantry Brigade and headquarters of the 6th division. Troops were drawn from the Kumamoto Divisional District which consisted of Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima prefectures.

Deployment

The 46th division was initially assigned to Western District Army to strengthen the mainland defenses.
The 46th division was temporarily assigned to 16th Army and ordered to move south in October 1943. The 46th artillery regiment was detached and left behind that time.
The Division's 123rd Regiment landed in Sumba of the Lesser Sunda Islands in late November 1943. Soon the 46th division was reassigned to 19th army. In February 1944, the 147th Regiment landed in nearby Sumbawa island. The divisional headquarters were established on the Sumbawa island. The remaining 145th Regiment was unable to be transported and instead was diverted from Saipan in June 1944 to Iwo Jima under the Lieutenant General Tadamichi Kuribayashi's Ogasawara Corps where it was wiped out in the Battle of Iwo Jima in February - March 1945.
The 19th Army was disbanded on 1 March 1945 and the 46th division was transferred to the 7th Area Army. Consequently, the 123rd and 147th infantry regiments were removed from Sumba and Sumbawa islands, respectively, and sent to Malay Peninsula in April 1945, landing in Singapore. These were disbanded at Kluang, Johor province after the surrender of Japan 15 August 1945.

Commanders