The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
|
| Previous: Sakhalin | Table of Contents | Next: Sakuma Ryozo |
Sakonju Naomasa began the war as the Japanese naval attaché to Thailand.
He was a rear admiral in
command of
Cruiser
Division 16 in March 1944. While on a commerce raid that month,
Sakonju ordered the
beheading of
69
passengers from the British
merchant ship Behar.
On 7 June 1944, Sakonju's cruiser division escorted
a force attempting a
counterlanding on Biak. His force spotted a
superior Allied
force on radar
just in time to escape.
Sakonju again led a reinforcement attempt on 23 October 1944, during the battle of Leyte. His force lost a light cruiser and a destroyer to air attack on 26 October, but succeeded in transporting about 2000 troops from Mindanao to Ormoc. He continued leading "Tokyo Express" reinforcement runs into Leyte until the end of the campaign.
Sakonju was hanged by the British in 1948 for
the Behar atrocity.
| 1890-6-6 | born | |
| 1912-7-17 | Midshipman |
Graduates from Naval Academy, standing 98 in a class of 144. Assigned to Soya |
| 1913-5-1 | Suwo | |
| 1913-12-1 | Ensign | |
| 1914-3-23 | Hashidate | |
| 1914-12-1 | Torpedo
School Basic Course |
|
| 1915-5-26 | Gunnery
School Basic Course |
|
| 1915-12-13 |
Lieutenant junior
grade |
Kasuga |
| 1916-12-1 | Maizuru
Sailor Corps |
|
| 1917-12-1 | Niitaka | |
| 1918-1-25 | Adzuma | |
| 1918-9-4 | Harukaze | |
| 1918-12-1 | Torpedo School Advanced Course |
|
| 1919-12-1 | Lieutenant | CL Tenryu |
| 1920-12-1 | 1 Naval District |
|
| 1921-7-11 | Chief, Chichijima Radio Station | |
| 1922-8-19 | Sasebo
Air Group |
|
| 1922-12-1 | BB Mutsu | |
| 1923-12-1 | Wakamiya | |
| 1924-12-1 | Instructor, Torpedo School |
|
| 1925-12-1 | Lieutenant commander |
|
| 1926-12-1 | Staff, Destroyer
Squadron 1 |
|
| 1927-12-1 | Staff, Destroyer Squadron 2 |
|
| 1929-2-1 | Staff, Training Fleet | |
| 1929-12-24 | Instructor, Torpedo School |
|
| 1930-6-1 | Instructor, Communications School |
|
| 1930-12-1 | Commander | |
| 1933-3-10 | Executive officer, Kako | |
| 1933-11-15 | Manchuria Expeditionary Force | |
| 1935-10.31 | Navy General Staff |
|
| 1935-11-15 | Captain | Chief, Tokyo Radio Station |
| 1936-12-1 | Commander, Settsu | |
| 1938-7-20 | Navy General Staff |
|
| 1940-9-25 | 4 Naval District |
|
| 1940-10-15 | Chief of staff, 4 Naval District | |
| 1941-8-11 | Navy General Staff |
|
| 1941-9-1 | Attaché, Thailand | |
| 1941-10-15 | Rear admiral |
|
| 1943-7-15 | Navy General Staff |
|
| 1943-9-10 | Staff, Southwest Area Fleet |
|
| 1943-9-16 | Commander, Cruiser Division 16 |
|
| 1944-10-15 | Vice admiral |
|
| 1944-12-1 | Staff, China Area Fleet |
|
| 1944-12-15 | Chief of staff, China Area Fleet |
|
| 1946-6-12 | Retires | |
| 1948-1-21 | Hanged for war crimes |
References
Australian Association for Maritime History (2000-9; accessed 2011-4-3)
Hong Kong's War Crimes Trial Collection (accessed 2011-4-3)
Materials
of IJN (accessed 2007-12-10)
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007, 2011 by Kent G. Budge. Index
