Between 1937 and 1945 the Japanese Imperial Army formed 126 Independent Mixed Brigades (numbered 1–136 with some gaps), typically composed of various units detached from other formations. Some were composed of separate, independent assets (usually Independent Infantry Battalions). These brigades were task organized under unified command and were normally used in support roles, as security, force protection, POW and internment camp guards and labor in occupied territories. An Independent Mixed Brigade had between 5,000 and 11,000 troops.

History The first two of these Independent Mixed Brigades formed by the Kwantung Army in the 1930s were the IJA 1st Independent Mixed Brigade and the IJA 11th Independent Mixed Brigade. Each of these brigades was organized in a unique manner; the 1st was disbanded in 1937 while the 11th was formed into the IJA 26th Division in 1938.

Later a series of Independent Mixed Brigades were formed for the purpose of garrisoning the large territories of China captured in the early phase of the Second Sino-Japanese War.Rottman Japanese Army in World War II, The South Pacific and New Guinea, p. 18 This variety for China was usually organized with five infantry battalions, an artillery unit, and labor troops. In the Pacific theater they had different and more varied configurations of subordinate units.

The Hong Kong Defence Force, which was established in 1942 to occupy Hong Kong, was equivalent to an Independent Mixed Brigade.

List of Independent Mixed Brigades Kwantung Army IJA 1st Independent Mixed Brigade (posted at Chichi-jima) IJA 11th Independent Mixed Brigade (became 26th division)

Brigades formed for the Second Sino-Japanese War and Pacific War Number Timeline Notes 1 Taiyuan, 1937 – Iwo Jima, 1944- 2 Iwo Jima, 1944split from 109th division 3 North China, 1941–1945, 1st Army- 4 Taiyuan, 1943became 62nd division 5 Shandong, 1939–1941, 12th Army- 6 Taiyuan, 1941–1943, 12th Armybecame 62nd division 7 1941, 12th army – 1944, Henanbecame 115th division 8 North China, 1941 – Chengde, 1945- 9 North China, 1941- 10 Jinan, 1941, 12th Army- 11 Taiyuan, 1937; Battle of West Henan–North Hubei, 19452 separate units, formed in 1937 and 1939 12 Taiyuan, 1937, Chuzhou, 1939- 13 Lu'an, 1943became 65th Division 14 Jiangxi, 1942became 68th Division 15 Taiyuan, 1937- 16 Linfen, 1942became 69th Division 17 1941, 13th Army – 1945, 6th Area Army- 18 Dangyang, 1940- 19 Guangzhou, 1941, 23rd Armybecame 129th and 130th Divisions 20 Ningbo, 1942became 70th Division 21 French Indochina, 1941detached from 104th Division 22 Guangzhou, 1941, 23rd Army- 23 1945, 23rd Army- 24 Myitkyina, 1944- 25 Sumatra, January 1944, 25th Army25th Independent Mixed Brigade (Ban)- 26 south Sumatra, January 1944, 25th Army – Singapore, May 194526th Independent Mixed Brigade (Gaku)- 27 Jakarta, 1944, 16th ArmyTaiwan mixed brigade 28 eastern Java, 1944, 16th Army28th Independent Mixed Brigade (Kei)- 29 Bangkok, December 1943 – Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, August 194429th Independent Mixed Brigade (Tai)- 30 Shanghai, 1943 – Mindanao, 1944IJA Landing Craft Depot Ship SHINSHU MARU: Tabular Record of Movementbecame 100th Division 31 Bohol, June 1944IJN LST T.101: Tabular Record of Movementbecame 102nd Division 32 Baguio, July 1943103rd Division (Shun)became 103rd Division 33 Luzon, 1944IJN TEIA MARU: Tabular Record of Movementbecame 105th Division 34 Nanjing, 1943 – Saigon, 194434th Independent Mixed Brigade (Iku)- 35 Tokyo, 1944 – Andaman Islands, 1945, 29th Army do not confuse with Kawaguchi Detachment 36 Tokyo, 1944 – Nicobar Islands, 1945, 29th Army- 37 Osaka, 1944 – Malaysia, 1945, 29th Army- 38 Bouganville, 1944- 39 Solomon Islands, 1944 – 1945, 41st Army- 40 Solomon Islands, 1944- 43 Iturup, 1945became 89th Division 44 Okinawa, 1945- 45 Okinawa, 1945- 46 Taipei, 1944became 66th Division 47 Saipan, 1944- 48 Guam, As Sombreru Pillboxes, 1944- 49 Palau minor islands, Yap and Fais Island, May 1944- 50 Woleai- 51 Chuuk Lagoon, Mortlock Islands- 52 Ponape Island, May 1944- 53 Palau Islands- 54 Leyte, 1944, 14th Area Army- 55 Leyte, 1944, 14th Area Army- 56 Borneo, 1944- 57 Jolo, 1944IJA Transport MEXICO MARU: Tabular Record of Movement- 58 Luzon, 1944, 14th area armysplit from 47th Division 59 Okinawa, 1945- 60 Mudanjiang, August 1944 – Miyako-jima, September 194460th Independent Mixed Brigade (Koma)- 61 China, 1944 – Taiwan, August 1944KENJO MARU Tabular Record of Movement – Luzon, 1944, 14th Area Army – July 1945, Babuyan Islands, 10th Area Army61st Independent Mixed Brigade (Yoroi)- 62 Fuzhou, 1944RISING STORM – THE IMPERIAL JAPANESE NAVY AND CHINA 1931–1941- 64 Yamaguchi, 1944 – Amami Ōshima, 194564th Independent Mixed Brigade (Tama)- 65 Hiroshima, 1941 – Guadalcanal, 1942 – Rabaul, 194465th Independent Mixed Brigade (Natsu)- 66 1945, 6th army – August 1945, Nii-jima, 12th Area Army- 67 August 1945, Hachijō-jima, 12th Area Army- 68 Keelung, July 1944 – Leyte, December 194468th Independent Mixed Brigade (Hoshi)- 69 Hokkaido, 1945became 89th Division 70 Saigon, December 1944 – Malaysia, 1945, 29th Army70th Independent Mixed Brigade (Kakan) 71 Kota Kinabalu, May 1944 – Kuching, February 194571st Independent Mixed Brigade (Kanto)- 72 Thanbyuzayat, 194472nd Independent Mixed Brigade (Kantetsu)- 73 Sunwu County, October 1944became 123rd Division 75 Hengchun, 26 October 1944IJN Subchaser CH-38:Tabular Record of Movement – Penghu, January 1945, 40th army – Hsinchu, June 194575th Independent Mixed Brigade (Kyo)forced beaching at Hengchun 76 Keelung, January 1945, 10th Area Army76th Independent Mixed Brigade (Tsu)- 77 Taiwan, 1944became 135th Division 78 Jiamusi, July 1945became 134th Division 79 Mudanjiang, March 1945, 3rd Area Army79th Independent Mixed Brigade (Jobu)- 80 Hailar, April 1945 – Jalainur, August 1945, 4th Army80th Independent Mixed Brigade (Eihou/Hikari)- 81 Xiangtan, March 1945, 20th Army81st Independent Mixed Brigade (Shikyo)- 82 Zhuzhou, March 1945, 20th Army82nd Independent Mixed Brigade (Shiretsu)- 83 Hankou, March 1945, 6th Area Army83rd Independent Mixed Brigade (Shimou)- 84 Jiujiang, March 1945, 6th Area Army84th Independent Mixed Brigade (Shiyu)- 85 Yingcheng, March 1945, 6th Area Army85th Independent Mixed Brigade (Shiketsu)- 86 Xiangxi, April 1945, 20th Army86th Independent Mixed Brigade (Shusou)- 87 Hengyang, April 1945, 20th Army87th Independent Mixed Brigade (Shindo)- 88 Guangxi, April 1945, 11th Army88th Independent Mixed Brigade (Chuten)- 89 Jinhua, August 1944 – Fenghua, August 1945, 6th Armysplit from 60th Division89th Independent Mixed Brigade (Shijun) 90 Yangzhou, February 1945, 10th army90th Independent Mixed Brigade (Shinrai) or 13th ArmyJapanese China Expeditionary Army Forces in China Late April 1945contradictory data 91 Ningbo, February 1944, 6th Army91st Independent Mixed Brigade (Chiku)- 92 Datong, February 1945, 13th Army – Xuzhou, August 194592nd Independent Mixed Brigade (Shiken)- 95 Hachinohe, 1945, 50th Army- 96 6 February 1945, Tokyo – August 1945, Tateyama, Army of Tokyo Bay- 97 Fujieda, Shizuoka, 1945, 54th Army- 98 Koyama, 1945, 57th Army- 100 Kaohsiung, 1945, 10th Area Army100th Independent Mixed Brigade (Banjaku)- 101 Shibetsu, February 1945 – Hayakita, Hokkaido, 7 May 1945, 5th Area Army101st Independent Mixed Brigade (Tatsu)assigned to 77th Division, 11 February 1945 102 Hualien, February 1945, 10th Area Army102nd Independent Mixed Brigade (Hachiman)split from 66th Division 103 Kaohsiung, February 1945, 10th Area Army – Taipei, May 1945103rd Independent Mixed Brigade (Hachiku)- 105 Yangon, February 1945105th Independent Mixed Brigade (Kan'i)- 107 Gotō, Nagasaki, 1945, 16th Area Army- 108 Jejudo, April 1945, 58th Army108th Independent Mixed Brigade (Sui)- 109 Tanegashima, 1945, 57th Army- 112 Yilan, April 1945, 10th Area Army112th Independent Mixed Brigade (Raijin)- 113 Iwaki, 1945, 11th Area Army- 114 23 May 1945, Nagano- August 1945, Yokosuka, Army of Tokyo Bay- 115 Shibasaki, 1945, 51st Army- 116 Hokota, 1945, 51st Army- 117 Numazu, Shizuoka, 1945, 53rd Army- 118 Saiki, Ōita, 1945, 16th Area Army- 119 Shizuoka, Shizuoka, 1945, 54th Army- 120 Shimizu, Shizuoka, 1945, 54th Army- 121 Gobō, Wakayama, 1945, 15th Area Army – Tokushima, August 1945, 55th Armyreplaced by 123rd Independent Mixed Brigade in Gobō 122 Nagasaki, 1945, 16th Area Army- 123 Gobō, Wakayama, 23 May 1945, 15th Area Army- 124 Shimonoseki, 1945, 59th Army- 125 Ibusuki, Kagoshima, May 1945, 40th Army- 126 Amakusa, 1945, 16th Area Army- 127 Busan, May 1945 – Ulsan, August 1945127th Independent Mixed Brigade (Sodan)- 128 north-east Halmahera, May 1945128th Independent Mixed Brigade (Kai)- 129 Urup, 1945129th Independent Mixed Brigade (Takane)split from 42nd Division 130 Liaoning, July 1945, 3rd Area Army130th Independent Mixed Brigade (Fun'yaku)- 131 Harbin, July 1945, 4th army131st Independent Mixed Brigade (Funshin)- 132 Dongning, July 1945, 3rd Army132nd Independent Mixed Brigade (Funsen)assigned to 128th division, August 1945 133 Siping, July 1945, 34th Army133rd Independent Mixed Brigade (Fukuju)- 134 Jinzhou, July 1945, 3rd Area Army134th Independent Mixed Brigade (Funrei) – Linjiang, August 1945assigned to 125th DivisionRecord of Operations Against Soviet Russia Northern and Western Fronts (August–September 1945), p. 69 135 Aihui, July 1945, 4th Army135th Independent Mixed Brigade (Fukyu)- 136 Nencheng, July 1945 – Qiqihar, August 1945, 4th Army136th Independent Mixed Brigade (Fun'yaku)-

(list is believed to be complete)

See also List of Japanese Infantry divisions List of IJA Mixed Brigades

Bibliography Victor Madej: Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937–1945. Game Publishing, 1981, , . Philip Jowett: The Japanese Army 1931–45 (1) Osprey Publishing, 2002, Gordon Rottman: Japanese Army in World War II, Conquest of the Pacific Osprey Publishing, 2005, Gordon Rottman: Japanese Army in World War II, The South Pacific and New Guinea, 1942–43 Osprey Publishing, 2005,

References