Nobutake Kondo ( Japanese 近藤 信 竹 Kondo: Nobutake , September 25, 1886 , Osaka - February 19, 1953 ) - Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II . Commander of the 2nd Fleet. In fact, by the beginning of the war he became the second person in the fleet after Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto .
| Nobutake Kondo | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 近藤 信 竹 | |||||
 Nobutake Kondo | |||||
| Date of Birth | September 25, 1886 | ||||
| Place of Birth | Osaka | ||||
| Date of death | February 19, 1953 (66 years old) | ||||
| Affiliation |  Japanese imperial fleet | ||||
| Type of army | |||||
| Years of service | 1907-1945 | ||||
| Rank | admiral | ||||
| Battles / wars | |||||
| Awards and prizes |
| ||||
Content
Biography
Kondo is a native of Osaka. He graduated from the Military Academy of the Imperial Navy of Japan as part of the 35th issue of the first of 172 cadets. As a cadet, he initially served on the Itsukushima cruiser and the Mikasa battleship . After he became an officer, he served on the cruiser Aso , the destroyer Kisaragi, and the battleship Congo . In 1912-1913 he served as a naval attache in the UK. After he returned to Japan, he served in the Fuso battleship for a short time.
With the outbreak of World War I, he served in various positions until in 1916-1917 he became a senior artillery officer on the cruiser Akitsushima .
After the war, Kondo studied at the Higher Military Academy of the Imperial Navy of Japan , after which on December 1, 1919 he was promoted to captain of the 3rd rank .
In 1920-1923, Kondo was in Germany as part of the Japanese delegation, the purpose of which was to make sure that Germany was complying with the Treaty of Versailles . Upon his return on December 1, 1923, he was promoted to captain of the 2nd rank and sent for six months to the battleship Mutsu . In 1924-1925, he was an adjutant to Crown Prince Hirohito . Kondo then becomes a teacher at the Imperial Navy Military Academy and receives the rank of captain of the 1st rank. Serves in several positions in the General Staff of the Navy of Japan . In 1929-1930 he was the captain of the cruiser , and in 1929-1930 - the battleship Congo .
Kondo received the title of Rear Admiral on November 15, 1933, Chief of Staff of the United Fleet in 1935 and Vice Admiral on November 15, 1937.
World War II
After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in 1937, Kondo took command of the 5th Fleet of the Japanese Empire in and .
By the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Kondo commanded the 2nd Fleet of the Japanese Empire in particular, in the invasion of Malaya , the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies [1] . He commanded a raid into the Indian Ocean [1] and during the Battle of Midway . His forces played a major role in the battles for Guadalcanal , the battle of the eastern Solomon Islands (August 23–25, 1942), and the battle of the Santa Cruz Islands (October 26–27). Kondo also led Japanese forces in the battle for the island of Savo (November 14-15, 1942).
After the last battle for Guadalcanal (November 15, 1942), Kondo personally led the battle cruiser Kirishima along with the cruisers , , , in an attack on Honiara airport . The Kondo fleet entered the battle with the American ships South Dakota and Washington and lost it, losing Kirishima. This defeat changed the course of the confrontation for Guadalcanal [1] .
The condo was demoralized by the defeats of the Guadalcanal campaign, and soon he was removed from all posts involving real power. He was sent to the Truk Islands [2] .
Kondo was appointed deputy commander of the United Fleet in October 1942, and on April 29, 1943, he was given the rank of full admiral. Kondo became commander in chief of the Chinese Navy in December 1943 and remained in that post until May 1945, when he won a seat on the Supreme Military Council .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 L, Klemen Vice-Admiral Nobutake Kondo . Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941-1942 (1999-2000). Archived December 3, 2012.
- ↑ Hara, Japanese Destroyer Captain , 157, 171.
- Nishida, Hiroshi Imperial Japanese Navy (2002). Archived on November 20, 2012.
- L, Klemen Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941-1942 (1999-2000). Archived on June 27, 2012.
Literature
- D'Albas, Andrieu. Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II. - Devin-Adair Pub, 1965. - ISBN 0-8159-5302-X .
- Dull, Paul S. A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941-1945. - Naval Institute Press, 1978. - ISBN 0-87021-097-1 .
- Dupuy, Trevor N. Encyclopedia of Military Biography. - IB Tauris & Co Ltd, 1992. - ISBN 1-85043-569-3 .
- Parrish, Thomas. The Simon and Schuster Encyclopedia of World War II. - New York: Simon and Schuster, 1978. - ISBN 0-671-24277-6 .
- Van Der Vat, Dan. Pacific Campaign: The US-Japanese Naval War 1941-1945. - New York: Simon and Schuster, 1978. - ISBN 0-671-79217-2 .