Isoroku Yamamoto (4 Apr. 1884 - 18 Apr. 1943)
Yamamoto became an Admiral in November of 1940. He was an old opponent of Tojo, and despite fears that he would be removed from his military rank, he remained. In the lead-up to the attack on Pearl Harbour, Yamamoto was opposed to war with the United States, believing that the Americans would not surrender until Washington, D.C. had been taken.
Despite his apprehension, Yamamoto quickly planned for strikes against the U.S., aiming to destroy their fleet at Pearl Harbour. He also devised plans to capture resource-rich areas of South East Asia, such as Borneo and the Dutch East Indies. He is remembered as an innovative commander, who helped to further Japanese naval aviation, as well as overhauling Japanese naval tactics which would lead to the pre-emptive assault on Pearl Harbour. The General Staff were sceptical, but accepted his plans when Yamamoto threatened to resign.
The assault on Pearl Harbour was a military success for Yamamoto, dealing a heavy blow to the American Navy, but the political fallout was incredible: the American belief that this was a sneak-attack, and no formal declaration of war, meant that the Americans declared war with full support – however it is debatable as to whether the United States would have involved themselves in the war should Japan have not attacked them.
Yamamoto was highly successful, though, in South East Asia, capturing the Philippines and Dutch East Indies by March 1942. The Japanese now paused to consider their future moves. The Japanese pushed into Burma and south to Papua New Guinea, but were attacked by American ships and this invasion was unsuccessful. Yamamoto planned to rout the American Navy at the Midway Islands in June 1942, however this failed due to American cryptographers learning Yamamoto’s battle plan by breaking their code. American ships attacked Yamamoto earlier than he expected them to arrive, and he ordered a withdrawal.
His continued assaults on American naval units were damaging to American forces, but more damaging to the Japanese. With poor coordination between land and sea units, and overstretching of Japanese forces, the navy was unable to mount a successful, heavy offense. Yamamoto was killed when his plane was shot down by American aircraft over Bougainville in April 1943.
Bester, John, trns. Agawa Hiroyuki. The Reluctant Admiral (New York: Kodansha), 1979.
Hoyt, Edwin P. Yamamoto: The Man Who Planned Pearl Harbour (New York: McGraw-Hill), 1990.
Despite his apprehension, Yamamoto quickly planned for strikes against the U.S., aiming to destroy their fleet at Pearl Harbour. He also devised plans to capture resource-rich areas of South East Asia, such as Borneo and the Dutch East Indies. He is remembered as an innovative commander, who helped to further Japanese naval aviation, as well as overhauling Japanese naval tactics which would lead to the pre-emptive assault on Pearl Harbour. The General Staff were sceptical, but accepted his plans when Yamamoto threatened to resign.
The assault on Pearl Harbour was a military success for Yamamoto, dealing a heavy blow to the American Navy, but the political fallout was incredible: the American belief that this was a sneak-attack, and no formal declaration of war, meant that the Americans declared war with full support – however it is debatable as to whether the United States would have involved themselves in the war should Japan have not attacked them.
Yamamoto was highly successful, though, in South East Asia, capturing the Philippines and Dutch East Indies by March 1942. The Japanese now paused to consider their future moves. The Japanese pushed into Burma and south to Papua New Guinea, but were attacked by American ships and this invasion was unsuccessful. Yamamoto planned to rout the American Navy at the Midway Islands in June 1942, however this failed due to American cryptographers learning Yamamoto’s battle plan by breaking their code. American ships attacked Yamamoto earlier than he expected them to arrive, and he ordered a withdrawal.
His continued assaults on American naval units were damaging to American forces, but more damaging to the Japanese. With poor coordination between land and sea units, and overstretching of Japanese forces, the navy was unable to mount a successful, heavy offense. Yamamoto was killed when his plane was shot down by American aircraft over Bougainville in April 1943.
Bester, John, trns. Agawa Hiroyuki. The Reluctant Admiral (New York: Kodansha), 1979.
Hoyt, Edwin P. Yamamoto: The Man Who Planned Pearl Harbour (New York: McGraw-Hill), 1990.