Memorial held for WWII naval strategist Yamamoto

[Aepsilons]

NAGAOKA, NIIGATA PREF. – About 100 people remembered Isoroku Yamamoto, commander in chief of the former Imperial Japanese Navy’s Combined Fleet, and prayed for peace at a memorial service on Saturday.

The event, held at the park marking the site of Yamamoto’s birthplace in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, commemorated the anniversary of his death in during World War II in 1943.

“There are signs of danger in world affairs, although the situation is different from when my grandfather was alive,” said Gentaro Yamamoto, a 53-year-old grandson of the late navy chief. “My wish for peace never changes no matter how many years pass.”

Yamamoto was appointed commander in chief of the Combined Fleet in 1939 despite his opposition to war with the United States and Britain. He eventually planned and orchestrated the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in December 1941 and the Battle of Midway in June 1942.

Yamamoto was killed in April 1943 when the plane carrying him was shot down by U.S. fighters above the island of Bougainville, now part of Papua New Guinea.

His death dealt a major blow to Japanese morale during the war. A state funeral was held later in 1943 for Yamamoto, who was posthumously awarded the title of gensui (marshal-admiral).


Memorial held for WWII naval strategist Yamamoto | The Japan Times

 

[Armstrong]

@Nihonjin1051 - Was Mr.Yamamoto killed randomly or was it a planed assassination ?

 

[Aepsilons]

Rest peacefully, Kaigun Taisho....

@Nihonjin1051 - Was Mr.Yamamoto killed randomly or was it a planed assassination ?

He was ambushed.

 

[Armstrong]

He was ambushed.

You mean assassinated ?

 

[Shotgunner51]

He is a respectable career naval admiral, his brilliance in profession shall be be overshadowed by his country's strategic mistake.

 

[Aepsilons]

You mean assassinated ?

Yes.

 

[scholseys]

Might as well as hold one for Tojo...

 

[Aepsilons]

Might as well as hold one for Tojo...

The difference here is that the late Admiral was not a politician, in fact, he was even called a traitor when he corrected the Military High Command that an attack on the United States was a foolish mistake. Nevertheless, the burden of duty is heavy, and he did as he was ordered. Tojo , on the other hand, was a politician , and he was responsible for the prosecution of the war, even in the failure to see the futility of fighting on well after 1944. The difference here is that while Tojo survived the war, the late Admiral did not.The latter died honorably and gallantly in the field of honor.

 

[scholseys]

The difference here is that the late Admiral was not a politician, in fact, he was even called a traitor when he corrected the Military High Command that an attack on the United States was a foolish mistake. Nevertheless, the burden of duty is heavy, and he did as he was ordered. Tojo , on the other hand, was a politician , and he was responsible for the prosecution of the war, even in the failure to see the futility of fighting on well after 1944. The difference here is that while Tojo survived the war, the late Admiral did not.The latter died honorably and gallantly in the field of honor.

There would be an outrage in Germany and Europe if one were to be held for Rommel.

 

[Aepsilons]

Yamamoto Isoroku , as a military attache and student in the United States

Yamamoto Isoroku, Japanese naval attaché in Washington, D.C., U.S. Secretary of the Navy Curtis D. Wilbur, another Japanese naval officer, and Adm. Edward.

Yamamoto Isoroku (as a young Imperial Naval officer) in the center. In a training with US forces.

A young Yamamoto Isoroku, a student at Harvard University from 1919-1921

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

You mean assassinated ?

Admiral Yamamoto was a very methodical man who ran his military like an expensive swiss watch.
So precise that when he announced a trip to inspect troops (that was decoded) the US plotted his route right down to the second of where he would be in the air. They planned an intercept point at 9:34am and got there at 9:33am. He was intercepted by P-38's and shot down.

 

[Aepsilons]

Admiral Yamamoto was a very methodical man who ran his military like an expensive swiss watch.
So precise that when he announced a trip to inspect troops (that was decoded) the US plotted his route right down the second of where he would be in the air. His absolute precision was his downfall. He was intercepted and shot down.

He was a very methodical and was also a man of high principle. As the Admiral of the Imperial Navy, and Commander of the Combined Fleet of the Imperial Navy, his will was the Imperial Navy's. One of the reasons why he was so hated by the Imperial Army was because in a conversation in the Imperial Privy Council back in 1936, he had publicly reprimanded the Military Government, many of Tojo's colleagues (who was from the Imperial Army) were also incensed at Yamamoto's public and vehement opposition to the war in China. He even counseled the Imperial Privy Council's representative to the Emperor of the error in warring with China. The Imperial Military Command censored him and even threatened him if he should continue his opposition to the policy in China.

This was one of the very reason why there was poor coordination between the Imperial Navy and Imperial Army. Yamamoto pursued the enemy (USA) with diligence and with all his powers, while the Army focused most of its forces in China. And you know what, Yamamoto was correct in his predictions and concerns; both the invasion of China and the attack on the United States would be blunders for the Japanese Empire. As a man who was educated in America's prestigious Harvard University, and trained in the United States, he was very much influenced by the American culture , and rational thinking. Unlike members of the Imperial Army who were very much influenced by radical propaganda of 'Divine Right'.

He was a man of high principle and strong moral caliber. A legend in his own right.

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

Probably the first and only (not counting 9/11) foriegn attack on US soil!

Pearl harbour was one helluva ....


Kamakaze pilots deserve a lot of respect (the had some balls)... They kinda remind me of our troops in 65 who laid infront of indian tanks with mines..

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Probably the first and only (not counting 9/11) foriegn attack on US soil!
.

Well...technically...back then it was somewhat like how Puerto Rico (or American Samoa) is right now.

Territories of the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Aepsilons]

The last photograph of the late Admiral before his ill fated journey,

If you notice in his hand is his katana (a family heirloom and one that was part of his clan; he was of Samurai family background). When soldiers located his plane , the found the body of the Admiral, still sitting, hands still holding onto his katana, and his head nodding down -- as if he was asleep. News of his death was devastating for the entire Imperial Navy.