Teishin Shudan (挺進集団 Raiding Group) are the Japanese paratroopers, able to be dropped behind enemy lines or at strategic locations. Possessing the same fanatical will that all Japanese forces have, they are hardened for the rigors of combat deep behind the lines. Their weaponry leaves a considerable amount to be desired though, having only Heavy Weapons and an anti-tank capacity limited to Satchel Charges. The Teishin are best used for occupying strategic squares, or for daring captures of enemy buildings.
History
The Imperial Japanese Army developed an airborne paratroop force in the late 1930s, but the program did not receive much attention by the Imperial General Headquarters until review of the success of similar German paratrooper units during the Blitzkrieg of 1940.
The army paratroops were first deployed in combat during the Battle of Palembang, on Sumatra in the Netherlands East Indies, on 14 February 1942. The operation was well-planned, with 425 men of the 1st Parachute Raiding Regiment seizing Palembang airfield, while the paratroopers of the 2nd Parachute Raiding Regiment seized the town and its important oil refinery. Paratroopers were subsequently deployed in the Burma campaign.
Following this success, in July 1943, the 1st Glider Tank Troop was formed, with four Type 95 Ha-Go light tanks. This unit was eventually expanded to battalion size, with a tank company using 14 Type 2 Ke-To light tanks, an infantry company, and a motorized transport company.
However, as with similar airborne units created by the Allies and other Axis powers, the Japanese paratroopers suffered from a disproportionately high casualty rate, and the loss of men who required such extensive and expensive training limited their operations to only the most critical ones. For the most part, the Teishin Shudan was deployed as elite light infantry.
Two regiments of Teishin Shudan were formed into the 1st Raiding Group, commanded by Major General Rikichi Tsukada under the control of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group, during the Philippines campaign. Although structured as a division, its capabilities were much lower, as its six regiments had manpower equivalent to a standard infantry battalion, and it lacked any form of artillery, and had to rely on other units for logistical support. Its men were no longer parachute-trained, but relied on aircraft for transport.
Some 750 men, mainly from the 2nd Raiding Brigade, of this group were assigned to attack American air bases on Luzon and Leyte on the night of December 6, 1944. They were flown in Ki-57 transports, but most of the aircraft were shot down. Some 300 commandos managed to land in the Burauen area on Leyte. The force destroyed some planes and inflicted numerous casualties, before they were annihilated. The remainder of Teishin Shudan remained based in the Philippines until the end of the war.
Pros & Cons
+Heavy infantry firepower but at the price of light (french) airborn
-You would expect them to use Type 4 or Type 5 recoilless rifles against tanks but they only have charges.
-Like all infantry fighting armor with Satchel Charges, they tend to miss moving targets and by so loosing the element of surprice as well as doing no damage in the process.
Weapons
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Satchel charge |
563 | 94 | 47 | 38 | 23 | 15 | 150m |
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Heavy grenade |
33 | 33 | 33 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 70m |
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Heavy. weapons |
80 | 80 | 150m |
See also
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