Fiftieth Army (Japan)

The Japanese 50th Army (第50軍, Dai-gojyū gun) was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army during the final days of World War II.

History

The Japanese 50th Army was formed on June 19, 1945, under the Japanese 11th Area Army as part of the last desperate defense effort by the Empire of Japan to deter possible landings of Allied forces in the northern prefectures of the Tōhoku region of northern Honshū during Operation Downfall. The Japanese 50th Army was based in Aomori Prefecture and consisted mostly of poorly trained and poorly armed reservists, conscripted students, Volunteer Fighting Corps militia and walking wounded. It was demobilized at the surrender of Japan on August 15, 1945, without having seen combat.

	Name	From	To
Commanding officer	Lieutenant General Toshimoto Hoshino	10 June 1945	15 August 1945
Chief of Staff	Major General Kimihide Ota	1 June 1945	1 November 1945

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Japanese Fiftieth Army (1945)
Parent unit	Japanese Eleventh Area Army
Components	157th Infantry Division (Towada) 308th Infantry Division (Aomori) 95th Independent Mixed Brigade (Hachinohe)