The was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.
History The Japanese 37th Army was formed as the Borneo Defence Army, a garrison force organised on 11 April 1942 under the Southern Expeditionary Army Group following the Japanese invasion and occupation of the British protectorates of Sarawak, Brunei, North Borneo on the island of Borneo.
On 12 September 1944, with the threat of possible landings of Allied forces to retake the former colonial territories in Southeast Asia increasing, the organisational structure of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group changed, and the Borneo Defence Army was re-designated the Japanese Thirty-Seventh Army.
The Japanese 37th Army was undermanned and poorly equipped, with most equipment and experienced units shifted toward more critical areas of the Southwest Pacific front. Nonetheless, it put up a stiff resistance to landings by Australian troops in the Borneo campaign of 1945, notably during the Battle of North Borneo.
The Japanese 37th Army was demobilised at the surrender of Japan on 15 August 1945 at Kuching.
List of commanders
Commanding officer Name From To1 General Toshinari Maeda 11 April 1942 5 September 1942 Borneo Defence Army2 General Masataka Yamawaki 5 September 1942 22 September 1944 Borneo Defence Army3 Lieutenant General Masao Baba 26 December 1944 September 1945 Japanese 37th Army
Chief of Staff Name From To1 Major General Satoshi Makoto 11 April 1942 22 September 1944 Borneo Defence Army2 Lieutenant General Keishin Managi 22 September 1944 24 February 1945 Japanese 37th Army3 Major General Shigeru Kuroda 24 February 1945 September 1945 Japanese 37th Army
See also Borneo campaign (1945) order of battle Batu Lintang camp
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