Yokoyama Shizuo (1890-1961)

Yokoyama Shizuo was born in Fukuoka prefecture, was commissioned in the infantry in 1912, and graduated from the War College in 1925. He served in many staff positions in the Kwantung Army and commanded railway troops in Manchuria when war broke out in the Pacific. He was given command of 8 Division in June 1942, which was transferred to the Philippines in September 1944. Here he commanded Shinbu Group in the mountains east of Manila from December 1944 to the end of the war. Shinbu Group was officially designated as 41 Army  in March 1945.

Yokoyama was ordered by Yamashita to adopt a defensive strategy, but on 12 March 1945 he attempted a poorly coordinated counterattack that accomplished nothing and greatly weakened his force. The Americans, who had launched at attack of their own at the same time, did not even realize they were under attack. By the time of the surrender, 41 Army was reduced from 50,000 to just 6500 men.

Yokoyama also disobeyed Yamashita's order to evacuate Manila, leaving three Army battalions in the city to join the naval forces under Iwabuchi. As a result, he was later imprisoned for atrocities committed by these troops and was sentenced to death in 1948. However, his sentence was never carried out, and he was pardoned in 1953.

Service record

References

Andrade (accessed 2010-10-3)

Dupuy et al. (1992)

Fuller (1992)

Generals.dk (accessed 2008-7-19)

Hayashi and Cox (1959)

Pettibone (2007)

Time (1953-7-27; accessed 2010-10-3)

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