Eighth Area Army

The Eighth Area Army (第8方面軍, Dai-hachi hōmen gun) was a field army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. The army was formed on 9 November 1942, becoming effective on 26 November at Rabaul as part of the Southern Army. The army was disbanded in September 1945.

Eighth Area Army
Disabled Japanese tank at Biak
Active	November 16, 1942 – August 15, 1945
Country	Empire of Japan
Branch	Imperial Japanese Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Field Army
Garrison/HQ	Rabaul
Nickname(s)	剛(Gō = “strength”)
Engagements	Solomon Islands campaign New Guinea campaign Proposed invasion of Australia

History

The Japanese 8th Area Army was formed on November 16, 1942 under the Southern Expeditionary Army Group for the specific task of opposing landings by Allied forces in Japanese-occupied Solomon Islands and New Guinea.^[1] It had its headquarters at Rabaul, New Britain and saw considerable combat in the Solomon Islands campaign, Bougainville campaign and New Guinea campaign.^[2]

Organisation

• Seventeenth Army^[3]
• Eighteenth Army
• 6th Division
• 1st Independent Mixed Brigade
• 12th Air Brigade
• Part of the 5th Division (20 November 1942)
• 6th Air Division (25 November 1942)
• 7th Air Division (29 January 1943)

List of commanders

	Name	From	To
Commanding officer	General Hitoshi Imamura	9 November 1942	15 August 1945
Chief of Staff	Major General Rimpei Katō	9 November 1942	15 August 1945