Iimura Jō

Iimura Jō

Iimura Jō ( Japanese 飯 村 穣 ; * May 20, 1888 in Ibaraki Prefecture , Japan ; † February 21, 1976 ) was a Lieutenant General of the Imperial Japanese Army .

Life

Born in Ibaraki Prefecture, Iimura graduated from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1909 and joined the 3rd Regiment of the Imperial Japanese Guard . At the same time he attended the Foreign Language University of Tokyo , where he graduated in French in March 1917 . He then attended the Imperial Japanese Army University , which he left in 1919 with the rank of captain of the infantry. After a brief assignment with the Chosen Army , he served as an instructor at the Army Staff College. After a promotion to lieutenant colonel, he was a military attaché in the Turkey sent.

Upon returning to Japan, Iimura was promoted to colonel in August 1932 and served in several staff positions within the Imperial Japanese General Staff . In March 1935 he received his first field command with the command of the 61st Infantry Regiment.

Shortly before the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War , he was promoted to major general in March 1937 . From 1938 to 1939 he was in command of the Army Staff College before he was transferred to Manchukuo to become Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army , a position he held until the end of 1940. He then switched to the 5th Army, which was also stationed in Manchukuo, until 1943, where he became Commander-in-Chief.

Iimura was ordered back to Japan in 1943, where he was again commander of the Army Staff College. As early as 1944, however, he was transferred back to the front, where he was first Chief of Staff of the Southern Army until 1945 and then Commander-in-Chief of the 2nd Regional Army , which was stationed on Sulawesi .

Shortly before the end of the war, he returned to Japan to take command of the Tokyo Defense Army and the Tokyo Division District and thus counteract a feared Allied invasion . Immediately before the capitulation of Japan , he was appointed Marshal of the Military Police.

literature

• Richard Fuller: Shokan: Hirohito's Samurai , Arms and Armor, London 1992, ISBN 1-854-09151-4 .

Web links

• Iimura Jo in the database of the generals of World War II (Engl.)
• Iimura Jo in the Encyclopedia of the Pacific War (Engl.)

Remarks

1. ^ Budge, The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
2. ↑ Ammenthorp, The Generals of World War II
3. ^ Wendel, Axis History Database
4. ^ Wendel, Axis History Database

Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . Thus, Iimura is the family name, Jō the first name.