Slitherine

quote:

ORIGINAL: el cid again

A very much unknown airborne element is the Koaru Raiding Unit
This was actually the most elite formation in IJA, never mind it was not even
ethnic Japanese!
Rather, its members were Taiwanese tribesmen.
Seems IJA had a policy of "combat training" vs the rural natives.
They ran into one obscure group who fought to the death.
Ultimately they were recruited for use as raiders. The tribesmen loved the
chance to use modern weapons - and had very similar ideas about death and
honor as IJA did.
Anyway - these were sort of special forces - and they were organized as follows:
2 line companies (18 parachute squads - 9 per company - 3 per platoon
with a "heavy weapons platoon" of 3 7.7 mm HMG per company = 6 HMG
as well as 3 Type 99 20mm AT Rifles = 6 ATR)
That is, the "heavy weapons" - weak as they are - are more plentiful per co
than in the regular IJA airborne!
1 assault engineer platoon (2 assault engineer squads)
These might be better described as sappers or demolition teams.
20 support squads total (10 per company)
The unit could - and usually did - break down - a company on a mission.
The unit was available for operations about 431215.

quote:

ORIGINAL: el cid again

That is very interesting. The book I have on Japanese Airborne which describes the unit
fails to say that. It may be the author did not know it. Do you have any details about
where it trained, where it based, or any of its missions? It seems odd to list it in a book
ONLY describing airborne units if it isn't one - but it may be that isn't clear to the writer?
He did include a photograph of a section inside a light transport plane - very nicely fitted
out - and they LOOK like paras.

quote:

ORIGINAL: el cid again

We are given the interesting detail that the German advisors suggested
creating a unified command for aircraft and airborn troops - which advice
was adopted. This is amplified by the comment that the German's
themselves were not able to adopt the concept, never mind it is widely
recommended by airborn experts in many countries. It seems unlikely
that a suggestion would be attributed to advisors who didn't exist.
Francillon is writing a reference book which mainly presents data as strings
of facts - either text or tabular - supplimented by photographs. I fail to
see what would make his presentation "persuasive" for you? Either you
accept his facts, or you do not. He isn't assuming they will be disbelieved
and somehow need to be supported by citations. In my experience, to
write citing sources exhaustively takes 500% more pages and 1000% more
time. I am sure the book could not have been published if done in that way.

quote:

ORIGINAL: el cid again

Francillon - who is highly respected - reports no less than a 110 man training detachment of German
parachutists. I have papers and books claiming that BOTH IJA and IJN programs were ENTIRELY
designed and run by the German trainers - who, however, remained at the schools, and did not ever
go into the field. It would be surprising if the Japanese were able to organize effective units without
help of this sort. Since the reports are multiple, and from respected sources, I think they are
generally accepted by historians. I seem to remember Green mentioning them. Note that one of the
German greats spent years in Japan, deigning aircraft, at Hitachi as I recall, ending just before the
war began. Certainly aviation industry technical assistence was rendered. I suspect airborne training
was as well.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Kereguelen

quote:

ORIGINAL: el cid again

Francillon - who is highly respected - reports no less than a 110 man training detachment of German
parachutists. I have papers and books claiming that BOTH IJA and IJN programs were ENTIRELY
designed and run by the German trainers - who, however, remained at the schools, and did not ever
go into the field. It would be surprising if the Japanese were able to organize effective units without
help of this sort. Since the reports are multiple, and from respected sources, I think they are
generally accepted by historians. I seem to remember Green mentioning them. Note that one of the
German greats spent years in Japan, deigning aircraft, at Hitachi as I recall, ending just before the
war began. Certainly aviation industry technical assistence was rendered. I suspect airborne training
was as well.

Does Francillon offer any source or reference for his report? This would be interesting!

Don't know what the truth is here, but I could not find any statement in any German source/book that refers to any Fallschirmjaeger send to Japan in 1940 or 1941.

This alone - not finding any reference in German sources - does not tell much. However, given the fact that is quite easy to find references to much more obscure dealings between Japan and Germany in WW2, it seems quite unlikely that such a thing would not have been mentioned in German sources about the Fallschirmjaeger in WW2 (lots of stuff about them in German language books).

After all, the instructors would probably have written something about being in Japan in 1940/41 or their relatives would have started inquiries about them if they would not have returned.

IMHO, the statement that German Fallschirmjaeger trained Japanese paratroopers, seems to be a similar myth like the old myth that German instructors trained the Japanese 4th Armored Division along the lines of Panzerlehrdivision.

quote:

ORIGINAL: el cid again
NAVY AIRBORNE SNLF
this is the ONLY triangular organization - 3 companies
if companies they be - three platoons too - of 3 squads
plus TINY support

3x3x3 squads = 27 airborne squads
Each company gets a "platoon" of 2 7.7mm HMG = 6 in the battalion
[AE has interpreted "HMG" as a bigger AAMG - which it is not - although it IS an AAMG]
each company gets a "platoon" of 2 Type 98 20mm ATG - not sure these are in the game?
There is a Type 98 AA 20 mm gun - but I think that is the wheeled one - not the rifle.