Data on IJN personnel 1937-1945 (translated from Japanese)

Data on JN personnel 1937-1945 from Senshi Sosho, Volume 88

Translated from Japanese by Eugen Pinak

Various data on IJN personnel from the Appendix 2 to the Volume 88 of the official Japanese war history.

Appendix 2

Part 2

1. Increase in military personnel strength since December 1936

Year	Officer	Special officer	Warrant Officer	Subtotal	Petty officer	Sailor	Subtotal	TOTAL
December 1936	5530	1820	2399	9739	25594	72124	97722	107461
December 1937	5861	2175	2993	11029	32880	90104	122984	134013
December 1938	6706	2563	3450	12719	39371	107043	146414	159133
December 1939	7764	2817	4459	15040	45142	119916	165058	180098
December 1940	9145	3156	5812	18113	54529	150531	205060	223173
December 1941	11115	3954	8814	23883	77746	209730	287476	311359
December 1942	17491	6143	11135	34769	114310	280289	394599	429368
December 1943	33313	7742	17987	59082	179553	469564	649117	708159
December 1944	51428	13292	21360	86084	257407	951683	1209045	1295125
1 June 1945	66852	38521		105373	1496557		1496557	1601930
15 August 1945	46716	42907		89623	1603600		1603600	1693223

Note 1: The survey for each fiscal year is conducted at the end of December.

Note 2: The total number is composed of those in active service, those deferred, and conscripts.

Note 3: As of 15 August 1945 the number of reports was compiled (by the Personnel Bureau) from the prefectural preparatory headquarters, the central military office, and the heads of schools, including those, who served as reserve troops at the time of the end of the Pacific War.

The above number includes the following:

(a) 444784 petty officers and sailors undergoing training at various marine corps.

(b) Injured, sick, missing, etc.: 1040 commissioned officers, 6316 special officers, 155035 petty officers and sailors, total: 162391 men.

Note 4: Number of naval personnel killed during the Pacific War:

1941 - 1787

1942 - 19880

1943 - 29871

1944 - 132662

1945 - 134877

Total: 319077.

Note 5: There is an unexplainable decrease of about 20136 officers between 1 June and 15 August 1945, but the data is presented as it is.

2. Changes in the number of naval volunteers and conscripts since 1937

Year	Volunteers					Conscripts				TOTAL	% of volunteers to conscripts	Reserve, National Army (=Militia)
Year	Line	Air	Mainte-nance	Engineer	Total (incl. other branches)	Line	Mainte-nance	Engineer	Total (incl. other branches)	TOTAL	% of volunteers to conscripts	Reserve, National Army (=Militia)
1937	4735	1030	―	2690	9174	9176	996	5279	17320	26494	53	一
1938	5770	1715		2820	11102	9835	1307	5991	18414	29516	60	一
1939	5270	3153		2360	12003	10951	4656	5874	24037	36040	50	一
1940	7201	4891		2720	16554	17165	4815	6485	32178	48732	51	一
1941	13091	3812	3990	4376	28004	33095	7699	9479	56091	84095	49	一
1942	27268	8100	13390	9490	63629	32099	7566	8719	54038	117667	115	一
1943	32944	42339	18054	10144	111739	24870	12800	8800	53000	164739	210,8	93910
1944		106660			208660				135980	344640	153,4	184050
1945		88600	Final enlistment 23540		177600				88000	265600	201,8	204060

Note 1: In the volunteers section, line branch sailors include signal and surveyors who were called young sailors (or boy sailors), and air sailors include the total of Class A and Class B flight preparatory school trainees (“Yokaren” program) and sailors who became aviation soldiers.

Note 2: The total numbers of volunteers and conscripts includes guard soldiers, accounting soldiers, artificers soldiers, etc.

Note 3: For 1944 and 1945, there is no accurate data remaining on the breakdown of figures for maintenance and engineer branches, so it was decided to only deal with total numbers.

3. Changes in the number of IJN officer cadets recruited and graduated after the Sino-Japanese War begun

Enrollment date	Graduation date	Naval Academy		Engineer Academy		Paymaster Academy		Notes
Enrollment date	Graduation date	Number enrolled	Number gradu-ated	Number enrolled	Number gradu-ated	Number enrolled	Number gradu-ated	Notes
April 1937	August 1940	300	288	80	78	30	26
April 1938	March 1941	354	342	80	76	30	30
December 1938	November 1941	455	432	100	93	36	36	Graduated just before the Pacific War began
December 1939	November 1942	601	581	121	115	45	42
December 1940	September 1943	651	623	119	107	48	51
December 1941	March 1944	904	898	172	173	75	66	Enrolled just before the Pacific War began
December 1942	March 1945	1028	1072	320	318	104	100
December 1943	(October 1945)	3498	(3277)	504	(464)	250	(249)	Attended academies at the end of the Pacific War
December 1944	(October 1945)	3556	(3517)	@600	(524)	500	(498)	Attended academies at the end of the Pacific War
April 1945	(October 1945)	3756	(3756)	@600	(688)	@500	(523)	Attended academies at the end of the Pacific War
April 1945	(December 1945)	4135	(4062)			@601	(601)	Preparatory students at the end of the Pacific War

Note 1: April 1937 – Maru-3 shipbuilding plan launched

Note 2: April 1939 – Maru-3 shipbuilding plan launched

Note 3: 1940 – War preparations began.

Note 4: December 1941 – the Pacific War began.

Note 5: Those who enrolled in December 1943 or later were considered to have completed their studies in October 1945.

The mark @ indicates the planned number of enrolled cadets.

Note 6: The Engineer Academy was integrated into the Naval Academy on 1 October 1944.

4. Number of Naval War College Class A students and Engineering students who graduated in the early Showa era

Naval War College Class A students			Engineering students
Enrollment date	Graduation date	Number of graduates	Enrollment date	Graduation date	Number of graduates
December 1925	November 1927	20	December 1925	November 1927	10
December 1926	December 1928	22	December 1926	November 1928	10
December 1927	November 1929	20	December 1927	November 1929	13
December 1928	November 1930	20	December 1928	November 1930	15
November 1929	November 1931	20	November 1929	November 1931	17
December 1930	November 1932	21	December 1930	November 1932	17
December 1931	May 1933 March 1934	23 1	December 1931	May 1933	14
December 1932	July 1934	22	December 1932	July 1934	13
November 1933	November 1935	24	November 1933	November 1935	12
November 1934	December 1936	29	November 1934	December 1936	12
November 1935	July 1937	30	November 1935	July 1937	10
December 1936	September 1938	24	December 1936	September 1938	10
December 1938	April 1940	30	December 1938	April 1940	20
April 1940	October 1940 (education interruption)	一	April 1940	October 1940 (education interruption)	一
(re-enrollment) December 1942	June 1943	25	(re-enrollment) December 1942	June 1943	7
July 1943	March 1944	25	July 1943	March 1944	12

Note 1: Due to the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in July 1937, training was stopped after 28 July and students were transferred to units and later advanced to graduation.

Note 2: Those who entered in December 1936 were temporarily transferred to units as unit staff for four months during the training period, and training was suspended.

Note 5: Those who entered in April 1940 were transferred to units in October of the same year, and training was suspended. They were re-entered during the second phase of the Pacific War, and were allowed to graduate after supplementing their training.

Note 6: Those who entered in July 1943 were transferred to units without sufficient training due to the worsening war situation, and were allowed to graduate.

Note 7: The small number of graduating students was the reason for the severe shortage of staff personnel for newly established headquarters increased rapidly after the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

5. Number of two-year active duty commissioned officers recruited since 1941

Note 1: The number marked with @ indicates the number of people planned for recruitment, but was not actually recruited due to the end of the war.

Note 2: Until August 1941, those who served under the previous system were promoted to sub-lieutenants.

Note 3: Those who were recruited in 1942 revised system were divided into the following two categories:

Trainee > Acting Sub-Lieutenant cadet > Commissioned as an Acting Sub-Lieutenant

Note 4: Those who were recruited in September 1943, 572 were re-recruited from among those who had joined the navy as students due to the suspension of conscription deferral.

Note 1: The number marked with @ indicates the number of people planned for recruitment, but was not actually recruited due to the end of the war.

The reserve officers from students system began in October 1934 and was initially limited to the aviation department, but in April 1938 it was expanded to include the maintenance department and in 1942 it was expanded to include the general line department.

Note 1: The number marked with @ indicates the number of people planned for recruitment, but was not actually recruited due to the end of the war.

Note: A shortage of specially trained sailors means a significant decline in combat power. Specially trained sailors are those who are skilled in technical training (both petty officers and sailors) who have acquired their respective special skills at schools, etc.

2. Situation regarding the shortage and surplus of special commissioned officers and warrant officers as of 1 March 1945

3. Situation regarding the shortage and surplus of petty officers and sailors as of 1 March 1945

Date	Medical	Pharmacy	Dental	Accounting	Technology	Legal Affairs	Total
May 1941 September 1941	250	15		208	251		724
January 1942 September 1942	250	37	45	776	1910	31	3324
September 1943	524	37	45	1769	2122	45	4042
1944	1050	45	90	750	2,500	50	4485
1945	@500	@166	@296	@400	@1910	@296	@3322

Branch	Authorized number	Fillable number			Excess or shortage
Branch	Authorized number	Officers	Reserve Officers	Special Officers	When only officers and reserve officers are assigned	When special and quasi-special officers are also assigned
All branches	23950	16211	3594	2504	( - ) 4145	( - ) 1641
Military Officers (Line)	14324	4309	2643	1588	( - ) 7372	( - ) 5784
Military Officers (Air)	3829	1498	950	790	( - ) 1381	( - ) 591
Medical Officers	2493	2943			( + ) 450
Accounting Officers	2048	2516			( + ) 468
Technical Officers	2003	4569			( + ) 2566
Special and Warrant Officers	27693			22563		( - ) 5130
Petty officers and Sailors	504106	476860			( - ) 27246
Specially trained Petty officers and Sailors	243639	199587			( - ) 44052

By department	Service number (A)	Authorized number (B)	Fillable number (C)	B/A%	C/A%
Line	16141	17041	14463	- 1678	90
Maintenance	3857	3401	3279	- 578	85
Engineering	4578	6979	5708	+ 1130	125
Artificers	1239	1434	1301	+ 62	105
Military Music	17	131	127	+ 110	74
Medicine	931	900	811	- 120	97
Accounting	1860	1833	1657	- 203	89
Technical	289	346	328	+ 39	113
Total	28912	32066	27674	- 1238	86

By department	Service number (A)	Authorized number (B)	Fillable number (C)	C - A	C/A%
Line	390660	570787	395359	146	101
Air	17285	179987	25167	104.1	145
Maintenance	152433	242937	170410	159	111
Engineering	86104	160016	114181	183	132
Artificers	45948	80842	48216	175	104
Military Music	307	799	416	250	135
Medicine	18879	16761	19344	141	102
Accounting	44619	67193	49136	150	110
Total	756239	1329322	822229	182	108

Year	Medical, Pharmacy	Dental	Technology	Legal Affairs	Total
1937	25		35		60
1938	26		91		117
1939	27		61		88
1940	29		112		141
1941	51	7	186		244
1942	105	47	433	2	587
1943	460	40	438	1	939
1944	900	15	1639	0	2554
1945	@835	15	0	0	15 @835

Nippon Rikukaigun - Imperial Japanese Army and Navy research... not just by Eugen Pinak

Data on JN personnel 1937-1945 from Senshi Sosho, Volume 88