Kajioka Sadamichi
Kajioka Sadamichi ( Japanese 梶 岡 定 道 ; * May 18, 1891 in Sendai , † September 12, 1944 in Yokosuka ) was a Japanese Vice Admiral (Kaigun-chūjō).
Life
Kajioka graduated from the Naval Officer's Academy in 1911 and then served as a midshipman on the cruisers Aso and Tokiwa . After being promoted to ensign at sea , he served on the cruiser Akitsushima . Specializing in navigation, he served as a lieutenant at sea as chief navigator on the cruisers Chikuma and Kasuga .
1924 Kajioka was promoted to Kaigun-shōsa ( Lieutenant Commander ) and served on the cruisers Asama and Nachi and the battleship Mutsu in turn as chief navigator.
In December 1935 he was promoted to Kaigun-daisa ( sea captain ), which was connected to his first command, the light cruiser Nagara . Further commands on the cruisers Kasuga and Kiso followed.
In November 1940 Kaigun-Shosho ( Rear Admiral promoted), he became the sixth destroyer - Flotilla (4th fleet), with its flagship light cruiser Yubari was. In November he received an order from his fleet commander , Admiral Inoue , to attack the US base on Wake . After Wake was bombed by naval aviators , Kajikoka was reported to have destroyed all US aircraft and coastal batteries . However, Kajikoka's first attempt to attack Wake on December 11, 1941 failed miserably, as the American coastal guns , which were still functional, sank the two Japanese destroyers Hayate and Kisaragi and severely damaged several other ships. Kajioka then had to retreat.
Unusually for the Japanese Ministry of Navy , Kajioka was not replaced, but equipped with troop and ship reinforcements for a renewed attack on Wake. On December 23, the second and successful landing and conquest of Wake took place. It is believed that the surviving defenders on Rear Admiral Kajioka's intervention were not executed.
In March 1942, Kajioka commanded the invasion force for Lae in New Guinea . This action also almost led to disaster when Kajioka's units were caught by American airmen at sea. However, the majority of the landing forces had already gone ashore and successfully completed the invasion.
Rear Admiral Kajioka took part as escort for transport ships in Operation MO for the conquest of Port Moresby , when during the battle in the Coral Sea the air sovereignty was lost to the Allies and his unit had to turn back.
In October 1943 he was asked to resign, but in January 1944 he was reactivated and deployed in escort protection.
In April 1944, Kajioka was posted to protect the Take Ichi convoy , which was to transport parts of two army divisions from Shanghai to New Guinea. By deciphering the Japanese naval code, American submarines were able to locate the convoy and sink four transport ships, over 4200 soldiers drowning and large amounts of material being lost.
On September 12, 1944, his flagship , the destroyer Shikinami , was torpedoed and sunk by the American submarine USS Growler on the voyage from Singapore to Japan . Kajioka was killed in the sinking and was posthumously promoted to Kaigun-chūjō ( Vice Admiral ).
literature
- Moran, Jim: Wake Island 1941: A battle to make the gods weep (Campaign). Osprey Publishing, 2011. ISBN 978-1-849086035
Web links
- Kajioka Sadamichi (1891-1944). The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia, accessed September 24, 2018 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Moran, p. 17
- ↑ Kajioka Sadamichi (1891-1944). The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia, accessed September 24, 2018 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kajioka, Sadamichi |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | 井上 成 美 (Japanese) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Japanese Vice Admiral |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 18, 1891 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Sendai |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 12, 1944 |
| Place of death | Yokosuka |