“If the enemy chooses to attack the mainland a combined force of 100 million Tokko, special attack soldiers, will obliterate them. They will, with absolute certainty, defend this imperial land.”

National Resistance Manual, as published in the Chubu Nihon newspaper on Jun. 19, 1945.
Defense of the Japanese Homeland translated by Eric Strahan

 

“If we are prepared to sacrifice 20 million Japanese lives in a special attack effort, victory shall be ours!”

-Vice Admiral Onishi Tikijiro, vice chief of the Navy General Staff

Aug. 13, 1945

 

Despite Onishi’s bold statement, made days after two atomic bombs and the Soviet declaration of war, Emperor Hirohito would agree to the Potsdam Declaration. Thankfully, the war would end on Sept. 2, 1945 but in Bolt Action we’re given the option to play out what could have happened if Onishi and others like him had their way.

With the new edition of Bolt Action’s Armies of Japan and new Japanese infantry coming out next month, I’ve decided to turn my existing pile of untouched Japanese plastic into civilian militia to defense the home islands with a few weapons and lots fighting spirit.

 

Kokumin Giyutai (National or People’s Volunteer Corps)

“…modern war” was not what the army wanted from the People’s Volunteer Corps [Kokumin Giyutai]. They wanted an enraged populace willing to sell their lives while bleeding, and distracting, the invaders much as the armies of revolutionary France used its peasant levees and skirmishers against their far better trained and equipped  foes in the eighteenth century.”

-D.M. Giangreco, “Hell to Pay”

On Jun. 23, 1945, the Volunteer Military Service Law was passed and military service became mandatory for all males 15-60 and unmarried females 17-40 in the Kokumin Giyutai (National or People’s Volunteer Corps). This theoretically added 28 million to Japan’s military strength, in addition to the 3.5 million civilians already working for the army and navy.

I made male troops from my existing sprues by… changing nothing. At the time, men were strongly encouraged to wear kokumin fuku (National Clothes). These civilian suits were modeled on military uniforms and came in the only colors that mattered, National Defense Color. National Defense Color is the shades of green and khaki used in military clothing. These were worn with military-style field caps and even puttees or legging to complete the soldierly appearance of your average civilian. Going further, some schools even changed to modern military-style uniforms in National Defense Color, further mudding the waters between civilian, student, and soldier. Though never compulsory, about 70% of men wore kokumin fuku.

Since all of my troops personally purchased their non-uniforms, I used about six different shades of green and khaki for the bulk and some too light outliers to give a non-uniform appearance. Caps also don’t always match the suit color itself. Most have caps but a few are wearing civil defense helmets, which were private purchase items and so I’ve ranged their colors from greens to Vallejo English Uniform to match the color of Imperial Japanese Army helmets.

Another small detail to add color and personality can be the bread bag. Paint it a non-military color, more on this below with monpe, as if it was made from old kimono or other cloth by the soldier’s wife, mother or sister.

Since none of these fighting men are technically in uniform, they all have on a white arm band theoretically denoting Kokumin Giyutai membership and their assigned unit, similar to arm bands already in use for civil defense.

My troops are all armed with regular Type 38 or Type 99 military rifles, but there’s room for kitbashing too. When Prime Minister Suzuki Kentaro inspected a Kokumin Gyutai armory, he was shown their fine collection of matchlock muskets, bows, naginata pole arms, farming implements, and bamboo spears. Since these “old” Japanese kits have weaponless arms, I could try pulling a tanegashima matchlock or three from Warlord’s samurai missile troops kit for some historical accuracy.

Though bamboo spears would be the most available weapon, I can also say this about rifles….

“Thirty-nine unreported rifles where found in the [Hirado] elementary school. It was explained these were used to teach [students] military drill and bayonet fencing.”

Fifth Marine Division Operation Report: Occupation of Japan
Oct. 6, 1945

Because military drill had become a mandatory part of the curriculum in the previous decade, schools sometimes had enough military rifles to arm the odd platoon of locally raised militia. Some schools only had wooden rifles and bamboo spears, but real weapons turned up while the Fifth Marines were disarming the population, one elementary school, police station or cave at a time.

For hair it’s a mix of grey hair and black. While those up to age 60 were liable to serve, there were still many working age men and boys not already in military service that would have been called.

The “x” shapes on the uniforms are for canteen and bread bag straps. I wanted most of the troops to look like they’d been given a bare minimum, so they have neither. I made these Vallejo Deck Tan so they’ll be “cloth” color. Not adding these little bits also sped up painting! To make leaders stand out, I painted them as Keiboudan (Civil Defense Corps) volunteers, but more on them later.

To make the militiamen most easily stand out from my regular troops, they are all standing on Vallejo Medium Grey painted bases, and the regulars will likely be on Vallejo Flat Earth. Yeah, this is probably the one good idea anyone is going to pull from this ramble.

 

Teishin Kirikomi (Volunteer Special Attack Units)

“The Teishin Kirikomi are a glorious reflection of the Imperial [Japanese] Army, which is renowned all over the world for its style of fighting. Our officers and men have spread the blazing red fires of war and caused the blood of our enemies to hemorrhage all over the battlefields throughout Asia.”

National Resistance Manual, as published in the Chubu Nihon newspaper on Jun. 21, 1945.
Defense of the Japanese Homeland translated by Eric Strahan

Within Bolt Action are the Suicide Anti-Tank Teams and now suicide anti-infantry teams named Kirikomi-tai. In game, these have been composed of three individual lunge mine soldiers occupying a single anti-tank weapon slot. The new rules cut this down to two, in any combination or anti-tank or anti-personnel.

According the National Resistance Manual’s example, teams were to be composed of three personnel. All would carry a personal weapon such as a bamboo spear, rifle, sword, etc., two hand thrown explosives, two kaenbin (Molotov cocktails), and seven hand grenades. Additionally, one would be armed with a lunge mine and another armed with a futon bomb (like a satchel charge).

Intended for anti-tank duties, they are armed with the same explosive you would use for making the game’s anti-personnel “team.”

I put my three lunge mine troops together before the updated unit information was teased, but I recommend recreating the other team members using bits from the new Soviet infantry platoon such as the Molotov cocktail and various bags. Some backpacks on the Soviet sprue are identical to ones that were used in Japan, so it would be historically accurate if that’s your concern. If not being used as part of these special teams, the kaenbin (Molotov cocktail) and grenade throwers make for some nice variety within your regular squads.

Now, stay calm and remember to pull the safety pin before you attack. (This reminder is in the manual)

 

Bamboo Spear Fighters

“We practiced with bamboo spears on the school grounds under the blazing hot sun. Some fainted because of the heat…We wrapped our heads with hachimaki and sash of the National Defense Women’s Association across our chests. We did our best.”

-Tanaka Tokyo, Japan at War: An Oral History

 

The dreaded bamboo spear spam hordes have been defanged in the upcoming edition and personally, I think it better reflects the realities of sending bamboo spear-armed civilians charging at a modern military force. In game, they’ve been named boeitai (defense corps) and the refreshed entry is modeled on the Okinawans used for labor and as fodder in the 1945 Battle of Okinawa. Despite the differences in mentality between Okinawans and mainlanders, I believe the end result would be the same once shooting starts.

These spear troops are my own Sakuragi Miniatures National Volunteer Corps I and Keiboudan I with bamboo spears.

Unlike the hordes in “National Defense Color,” these female spear fighters are wearing monpe pants made from old kimono and their personal clothing. This means I could have fun with colors and patterns, minding that none are “too flashy” as women had been reminded since the war began in 1937, “luxury is the enemy.”

Keiboudan

Two of the spear fighters are Keiboudan (civil defense corps) volunteers, one directing with a megaphone and the other demonstrating a proper thrust. They wear a uniform with black collar and brass buttons, black police leggings and black shoes, and a police-issue helmet with insignia.

Keibodan (Civil Defense Corps) were volunteer police and fire auxiliaries who assisted in matters pertaining to air raids and civil defense. Broken down into specialized sub-units, their responsibilities included fighting fires, giving air raid warnings and directing evacuations, carrying out relief efforts, enforcing blackouts, supporting post-air raid cleanup, and reporting disloyal activities and speech. Outside of air raids they gave training and led neighborhood association air raid drills. In rural areas, they even organized bamboo spear-armed hunts for downed Allied airmen. For my miniatures, I thought it would be logical for the army to continue passing their directions through these established local leaders. The rifle-armed squads are also led by troops in green helmets painted as Keiboudan.

My officer substitute and his supporters area also keiboudan, but wearing the black police field cap with brass insignia and buttons. It gives off the impression the army can’t spare real officers to direct this particular group of local levees.

 

Medic

Last but not least is the medic, which is a Sakuragi Miniatures Okinawan Student Nurse Assistant. Her Battle of Okinawa origin aside, a girl in monpe and an army soldier’s undershirt is still a practical medical assistant on the mainland. According to the Shashin Shuho official government propaganda magazine, the Japanese Red Cross trained 4 million students at 10,000 schools in basic first aid, which was applied those skills at 38 Red Cross hospitals and in supporting responders during air raids. While the source needs to be taken with a grain of salt, training did happen. On Okinawa, over 500 teenage girls were army nurse assistants during the battle.

Other than the khaki soldier’s shirt and her medical backpack, she’s painted like the other females in monpe. White flowers on her base represent lilies, the symbol of the Himeyuri Gakutotai.

I hope this gives you some ideas for painting and building your own troops. Since I live in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, I’m going to add local troops to my force such as sailors from the Sasebo Kaiheidan (boot camp and technical schools) and Special Naval Landing Force, and Type 3 tanks from the 4^th Tank Division from Fukuoka.

For scenario ideas, I recommend reading D.M. Giangreco’s “Hell to Pay” as he covers the plans for the landings on Kyushu and Honshu as well as Japan’s defense strategies. More than just painting and building toy soldiers, I hope this article generates some interest in Japan’s plans for the invasion that never came.*

 

*Except for that time USS Barb (SS-220) sent eight sailors ashore on a night mission to blow up a train. That was the only time American troops went ashore on the home islands in war time.

 

References:

Defense of the Japanese Homeland translated by Eric Strahan

Fifth Marine Division Operation Report: Occupation of Japan

Hell to Pay by D.M. Giangreco

Japan at War: An Oral History by Haruko Taya Cook & Theodore F. Cook

The Japanese Home Front 1937-45 by Philip Jowett

USS Barb (SS-220)
https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/ships/submarines/barb-ss-220.html

Warlord Games: Armies of Imperial Japan: New & Improved Units by Marcus Vine
https://warlord-community.warlordgames.com/armies-of-imperial-japan-new-improved-units/