First Area Army

[1] The Japanese 1st Area Army was formed on July 4, 1942 under the control of the Kwantung Army as a military reserve and garrison force to maintain security and public order in northern Manchukuo as many veteran divisions of the Kwantung Army were transferred to the various southern fronts in the Pacific War.It consisted mostly of minimally-trained reservists, conscripted students and home guard militia, without adequate weapons or supplies.The 1st Area Army was headquartered in Dunhua, in what is now the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture of Jilin Province, China.Without adequate armor, ammunition or leadership, many units broke and fled, or surrendered en masse.[2] Many surviving soldiers of the 1st Area Army, including its commanding officer General Seiichi Kita, became prisoners in Siberia and other parts of the Soviet Union after the surrender of Japan on August 15, 1945.
Empire of JapanImperial Japanese ArmyInfantryField ArmyMukdenSoviet invasion of ManchuriaKwantung ArmyJapanese 3rd ArmyJapanese 5th Army122nd Infantry Division128th Infantry Division134th Infantry Division139th Infantry DivisionWorld War IIManchukuoSoviet Unionmilitary reservegarrisonpublic orderPacific Warreservistsconscriptedhome guard militiaDunhuaYanbian Korean Autonomous PrefectureJilin ProvinceRed ArmySoviet Union invaded Manchukuocommanding officerprisonersSiberiasurrender of JapanTomoyuki YamashitaSeiichi KitaKitsuju AyabeTsunamasa Shidei