60th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)

60th Division
Active	1942–1945
Country	Empire of Japan
Branch	Imperial Japanese Army
Type	Infantry
Size	12,080
Garrison/HQ	Shanghai
Nickname(s)	Pike Division
Engagements	Second Sino-Japanese War

The 60th Division (第60師団, Dai-rokujū Shidan) was an infantry division of the Imperial Japanese Army. Its call sign was the Pike Division (矛兵団, Hoko Heidan). It was formed on 2 February 1942 at Shanghai as a security (class C) division, simultaneously with 58th and 59th Divisions. The nucleus for the formation was the 11th Independent Mixed Brigade. As a security division, the 60th Division's backbone consisted of independent infantry battalions, and it did not include an artillery regiment. Its men were drafted from Sakura. The division was permanently assigned to the 13th Army.

Upon formation, the 60th Division assumed the security duties of the 11th Independent Mixed Brigade. The division's area responsibility stretched from Shanghai to Suzhou. On 10 August 1944, the 89th Independent Mixed Brigade was split from the 60th Division in Jinhua.^[1] The 60th Division was still building fortification in the area in anticipation of an Allied landing at Shanghai, until the surrender of Japan 15 August 1945.

Afterward, the 60th Division embarked ships in Shanghai and returned to Sasebo and Fukuoka. The 60th Division dissolution was complete 6 June 1946.^[2]

• List of Japanese Infantry Divisions
• Independent Mixed Brigades (Imperial Japanese Army)

• This article incorporates material from Japanese Wikipedia page 第60師団 (日本軍), accessed 13 June 2016
• Madej, W. Victor. Japanese Armed Forces Order of Battle, 1937-1945 [2 vols]

Allentown, PA: 1981