Japanese Garrsion - Tarawa
Strength on Betio on 18 November 1943
3d Special Base Force
1059 men
Ministry of the Navy
| Commander: | |
| 2d in Command: | Lt. Comdr. Wataru
Esaka |
| Adjutant: | Lt. Shigeo Fujiisawa
Shigeo |
| Chief Medical Officer: | Lt.
Comdr.Oribe Suzuki (MC) |
| Medical Officer: | Lt. Masanori Hayashi
(MC) |
| Medical Officer: | Lt (jg) Goro Fuikawa
(MC) |
| Medical Officer: | Lt(jg) Yoshiaki
Tamiue (MC) |
| Chief Financial Officer: | Lt. Comdr. Yoshiro
Kobayashi (Fin) |
| Attached: Finance | Lt. Hajime Hiohashi
(Fin) |
| Lt. (jg) Yasukami
Matsubara (Fin) |
|
| Lt. (jg) Toshio
Nakamura (Fin) |
|
| Attached: | Ens.( Reserve)
Tokuya Tometani |
| Ens. (Reserve)
Shigehide Fukuda |
|
| Ens. (Reserve)
Sho’ichi Oide |
|
| Translator: | Shinjo Masfuchi |
| Headquarters Platoon CO: | Lt. Tomeyasu
Otsu |
| South AA Encampment CO: | Lt. Shojji Hiroyuki |
| North AA Encampment CO: | Lt. Tokuya Yonetani |
| Tank Commander |
(Personal included with the 3d Special Base Force)
| Commanding Officer: | Comdr. Matsuo Kagesuke |
| Attached, Special Services: | Lt. Shimpachiro Take |
| Lt. Takeshi Saijo | |
| Lt.(jg) Heiasburo Fujia | |
| Lt.(jg) Yukyu Suzuki |
1520 men
| Commanding Officer | Commander Takeo Sugai |
| Adjutant, also CO Communication Unit | Lieutenant Takashi Okada |
| Adjutant Assistant | Lieutenant (jg) Naosuka Tai |
| Heavy Vehicle Unit | Lieutenant (jg) Matsunami |
| Communication Unit | Ensign Naomasa Izumi |
| AA Unit CO | Lieutenant (jg) Katsumi Tsuboi |
| 1st Platoon CO | Ensign Kiyoyoshi Kamae (Reserve) |
| 2d Platoon CO | Ensign Suehiro Watanabe |
| Medical Unit CO | Lt. (MC) Commander Sadao Hayakawa |
| Medical Unit (Assistant) | Lieutenant (MC) Masao Kog |
| Medical Unit (Assistant) | Lieutenant (jg)(MC) Nobuo Todani |
| Medical Unit (Assistant) | Lieutenant (jg)(MC) Shigeyoshi Yuasa |
| Medical Unit | Warrant Officer (MC) Michiteru Hirose |
| Supply Unit CO | Lieutenant (SC) Makenori Muranaga |
| Supply Unit (Assistant) | Lieutenant (jg) (SC) Kozo Mori |
| Supply Unit (Assistant) | Warrant Officer (SC) Muneo Kizuka |
| Paymaster | Lieutenant (jg) Yotaro Koura |
| Transport Unit | Warrant Officer Yoshibito Ikebe |
| HQ Officer | Lieutenant (jg) Shinichi Miyamoto |
| HQ Officer | Lieutenant (jg) Takatsugu Shimaki |
| Information Platoon | Warrant Officer Masanao Shigemitsu |
| Artillery Unit | Lieutenant (jg) Masasnari Yano |
| Command Battery | Warrant Officer Sadao Yoshitake |
| Command Battery | Warrant Officer Tetso Maruyama |
| Personnel Officer | Warrant Officer Shintaro Kominani |
| Asst Personnel Officer | Warrant Officer Sadao Sakamoto |
| Repair Construction Unit | Warrant Officer (Eng.) Kenji Yoshimura |
| Boat Platoon | Lieutenant (jg) Eizo Mizuguchi |
| AA Defense Ammo Plat. CO | Warrant Officer Kiyohias Osumi |
| Searchlight Platoon | Lieutenant (jg) Shigemori Horinouchi |
| Transportation Unit CO | Lieutenant (jg) Yasuharu Naka |
| Transportation Unit (Asst) | Warrant Officer Hotoshi Armori |
| Transp. Lookout Unit | Warrant Officer Harumatsu Hirata |
| Special Duty Officer | Lieutenant (jg) Masao Otani |
| Special Duty Assistant | Warrant Officer Asaichi Kiuchi |
| 1st Company CO | Lieutenant (jg) Sadao Hayakawa |
| Personnel Officer | Warrant Officer Takahata Imamura |
| Lead Platoon | Warrant Officer Kazuo Koga |
| 1st Platoon CO | Lieutenant (jg) Michio Mukai |
| 2d Platoon CO | Warrant Officer Nihira Fukuda |
| 3d Platoon CO | Warrant Officer Rikimura Kai |
| MG & AA Gun Unit | Warrant Officer Atsushi Ide |
| MG Platoon CO | Warrant Officer Kiyoshisa Ono |
| Warrant Officer Masao Murayama | |
| 2d Company CO | Lieutenant (jg) Tamekichi Taniguchi |
| Personnel Officer | Warrant Officer Sakuba Nakamura |
| 1st Platoon CO | Lieutenant (jg) Eishichiro Takada |
| 2d Platoon CO | Warrant Officer Tishihara Ohara |
| 3d Platoon CO | Warrant Officer Shokichi Komatsu |
| Lead Platoon | Warrant Officer Toshio Shimada |
| MG Platoon CO | Warrant Officer Fumio Takeshita |
| MG & AA Gun Unit | Warrant Officer Sueyoshi Saneto |
| 3d Company CO | Lieutenant (jg) Goichi Minami |
| Personnel Officer | Warrant Officer Tsuruo Yagi |
| Command Platoon | Warrant Officer Shizuo Sakaguchi |
| 1st Platoon CO | Lieutenant (jg) KinosukeMuto |
| 2d Platoon CO | Warrant Officer Takisaburo Suzmura |
| 3d Platoon | CO Warrant Officer ? |
| A MG Platoon CO | Warrant Officer Yoshiro Kiuchi |
| 1st Howitzer Battery | Warrant Officer Tsutu Yoshida |
| 2d Howitzer Battery CO | Warrant Officer Nobuo Taniguchi |
| Anti-Tank Battery CO | Warrant Officer Hosoku Gosho |
| Transport Division Squad | PO2 Kiyashi Ota |
111
th Encampment Corps*
1026 men
Technical Officers 107 men
Assistants: 6 men
Civilian workers 913 men
| Unit Commander | Lt. Tsutomu Murakami (Eng) |
| Adjutant: | Lt. Takeshi Kurokawa |
| Attached: | Lt.Tadashi Matsuyoshi (Tech) |
| Lt.(jg) Takeshi Kurokawa (Tech) | |
| Lt. Hioshi Konoe (MC) | |
| Lt. Yoshitaka Sugimoto (MC) | |
| Adjutant Financial O | Lt. Masataka Shimada (Fin) |
| Attached: | Lt. (jg) Mataichi Kaga (Sp, Svc) |
| Lt. (jg) Sakamori Nagamu | |
| WO Masakatsu Sato (Sp.Svc) |
*(It is believed most of the engineers departed Betio on or before 15 November)
4th Construction Department,
Tarawa Detachment
865 men
| Detachment Commander | Lt. Bo Saga (Eng) |
| Attached | Lt. (jg) Kenzo Mizoma ( Tech) |
| Lt. (jg) Yoshiki Nagao (Tech) | |
| Lt. (jg) Shunkichi Kusmoto (Fin) | |
| Ens. Minoru Inomata (Reserve) | |
| Medical 6 men | |
| Assistant 1 man | |
| Civilian workers 888 men |
755th Naval Air Group
| Commanding | Comdr. Kaoru 70 |
| Attached: | Lt (jg) Tetsuo Tokuhashi (Sp. Svc) |
| Lt. (jg) Shin’ichi Kondo (Sp. Svc) | |
| Lt. (jg) Fujiyoshi Morita (Sp. Svc) | |
| Ens. Shin’ichiro Sato (Sp. Svc) | |
| Attached: 752d Air Unit | Lt. Fukuaburo Ito INAF |
Tateyama Gunnery School, Landing
Force Branch
Commanding: Lt. Kiyotada Sato
(Personnel included with the 3d SBF)
Special Units Attached
| Other workers: | 21 men |
| Transport ship, Hojo Maru | 1 man |
| 4th Weather Observation Unit | 3 men |
| Hydrographic Unit | 3 men |
| Fleet Post Office No. 13, 9th Detachment | 4 men (under 6th Base Force) |
| Yokosuka Naval Supply Detachment | 2 men |
| Yokosuka Naval Radar Unit | 7 men |
| 1st Air Maintenance Unit | 1 man |
Total: 4583 men
Note: There was no such term as Imperial Marines in the Imperial Navy. They are best described as "Rikusentai" derived from Kaigun [TN: Naval] Tokubetsu Rikusentai, "Special Naval Landing Force, SNLF".
Rear Adm. Keiji Shibasaki. IJN, the Base Commander.
(Courtesy War History Office, Japan)
2nd Lt.(MC) Hiroshi Konoe
111th Encampment Corps.
2nd Lt. (MC) Yoshiaki Sugimoto
111th Encampment Corps.
Another picture of 2nd Lt.(MC) Hiroshi Konoe (far right) of Osaka, Japan with other medical personnel. (Jersey collection)
Two unidentified Rikusentai Officers on Betio.
(Jersey collection)
Another unidentified Rikusentai Officer. (Jersey
collection)
Commander Takeo Sugao, 7th Sasebo Special Naval Landing Force and his staff
at Betio, Tarawa (Jersey collection).
Tank Commander, Ens. Nobuo Ohtaniwasin
A Rikusentai with his baby. Was this his son? This man was soon sent to Tarawa.