Satō Kōtoku

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Satō Kōtoku ( Japanese 佐藤 幸 徳 ; * March 5, 1893 in Yamagata Prefecture , Japan ; † February 26, 1959 ) was a lieutenant general of the Imperial Japanese Army .

Life

Satō was born in Yamagata Prefecture. In 1913 he graduated from the military academy as a first lieutenant . In 1921 he graduated from the General Staff Academy. In 1932 he was promoted to colonel and served in the 11th regiment of the 5th division . In 1934 he was transferred to the staff of the 6th Division . In 1937 he took command of the 75th regiment in Manchuria . A year later, command of the 8th Border Guard Unit followed, also in Manchuria. With the promotion to major general in 1939 he was appointed commander of the 23rd Brigade, from which he was transferred to the 54th Division in 1941 . A short time later he was entrusted with the 67th Independent Mixed Brigade, which he led until 1943. On March 25, 1943 he took over the leadership of the newly established 31st Division , which was subordinate to the 15th Army .

At the end of 1943, the commander of the 15th Army, Lieutenant General Mutaguchi Renya , had plans to invade India from Burma. Ultimately, Mutaguchi's superior, General Kawabe Masakazu , commander of the Burma Regional Army , gave his approval. The company was christened Operation U-gō and provided that the 33rd and 15th Divisions should attack, besiege and take Imphal , while the 31st Division had Kohima as its target. Kohima was an important supply post for Imphal for the Allies and taking the former would drastically increase the chances of success.

On March 15, 1944, Satō and his division, which at that time numbered around 15,000 men, set out on the 100 km long route across the jungle of Burma. All loads, weapons, food and ammunition had to be transported by his men or beasts of burden. For the duration of the operation, a steady flow of supplies, as is usual, was not provided and left the company on thin stilts. Satō was a determined and aggressive commander and thus predestined for this task, but had been against Mutaguchi's plan not only for logical reasons, but also for personal reasons. He had long been a bitter political opponent of Mutaguchi and expressed this at every opportunity.

On March 19, the advance guard of the 31st Division surprised and drove the 50th Indian Paratroop Brigade stationed at Sheldon's Corner . On March 22nd, the 31st Division had made its way to Sangshak and attacked the withdrawn remnants of the 50th Paratrooper Brigade in several waves of attack.

On April 4, the first troops of the 31st Division, exhausted by marching and fighting, reached Kohima. The British and Indian troops expanded their positions with bunkers and trenches near Kohima, which lies on a ridge. The Japanese immediately began bombarding the Allied positions with their Type 94 75 mm mountain guns. By April 17, the 31st Division was able to tighten the ring around Kohima, whereby the overall shortage of supplies, but especially for artillery shells , became more and more serious. The flagging Japanese attack made it possible for the British to bring supplies and relief to Kohima on April 18 for the first time since the attacks began - including some Lee Grant tanks . On April 20, the British 2nd Infantry Division arrived and let the number of defenders increase again. In view of the renewed Allied reinforcement, Lieutenant General Satō saw himself compelled to complain to the headquarters of the 15th Army about a lack of supplies.

On April 23, Satō ordered in a last-ditch effort to take Kohima, but it failed. Then the 31st division went on the defensive. With the help of the tanks, the Allies then went on the offensive and gradually cleared the Japanese bunkers. On May 25, after two months of uninterrupted fighting and virtually no supply, Satō radioed Mutaguchi for permission to withdraw, which he did not, however, grant him. Six days later, Satō sent the following radio message to Mutaguchi:

「善 戦 敢 闘 六十 日 に お よ び 人間 に 許 さ れ た る 最大 の 忍耐 を 経 て し か も 刀 折 れ 矢 尽 き た り. い ず れ の 日 に か 再 び 来 た っ て 英 霊 に 託 び ん. こ れ を 見 て 泣 か ざ る も の は 人 に あ ら ず. 」

“We fought with the greatest bravery for over two months and reached the limits of human strength. Our swords are broken and the arrows fired. We withdraw from Kohima, crying bitter tears. "

On May 31, Satō withdrew his division, which had shrunk to approx. 8,000 men, on his own responsibility from Kohima and went on retreat. Satō's insubordination had consequences and led to his recall. On July 5, 1944, he was replaced by Lieutenant General Kawada Tsuchitarō .

At the end of 1944 he was appointed to the headquarters of the 16th Army . In 1945 he served in the headquarters of the Northern District Regional Army until the end of the war . After the surrender of Japan , he retired.

Satō died on February 26, 1959.

Web links

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Sato Kotoku (1893-1959). The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia, accessed August 16, 2016 .
  2. ↑ Lyman, p. 13
  3. ↑ a b Lyman, p. 9
  4. ↑ a b Lyman, p. 10
  5. ↑ a b Lyman, p. 11
Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . Thus, Satō is the family name, Kōtoku the first name.
personal data
SURNAME Satō, Kōtoku
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 佐藤 幸 徳 (Japanese)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Japanese lieutenant general
DATE OF BIRTH March 5, 1893
PLACE OF BIRTH Yamagata Prefecture , Japan
DATE OF DEATH February 26, 1959