Soldiers of The Giretsu Special Forces. formed from Army paratroopers, in November 1944 as a last-ditch attempt to reduce and delay Allied bombing raids on the Japanese home islands.

Giretsu Paratroopers

a Giretsu Kuteitai Paratrooper armed with a Type 100 submachine gun and a katana sword, Kengun Airfield May 1945.


Giretsu Paratrooper

IJA Paratroopers of the teishin shudan 2nd Raiding Brigade. This group was assigned to attack American air bases on Luzon and Leyte on the night of 6 December 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