Chuichi Nagumo
25 March 1887 - 6 July 1944[1]
Admiral Chuichi Nagumo
Place of birth	Yonezawa, Yamagata Japan
Place of death	Northern Mariana Islands
Allegiance	Empire of Japan
Service/branch	Imperial Japanese Navy
Years of service	1908-1944
Rank	Admiral
Unit	Carrier Striking Task Force
Commands held	1st Carrier Division, 1st Air Fleet, IJN 3rd Fleet, Sasebo Naval District, Kure Naval District, IJN 1st Fleet, Central Pacific Area Fleet, IJN 14th Air Fleet [2]
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of the Eastern Solomons, Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, Indian Ocean Raid, Attack on Pearl Harbor, Attack on Darwin, Battle of Midway
Awards	Order of the Rising Sun (2nd class), Order of the Rising Sun (3rd class), Order of the Golden Kite (3rd class), Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure[1]

In this Japanese name, the family name is Nagumo. Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6. Year 1887 ( MDCCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Yonezawa (米沢市 -shi is a city located in Yamagata, Japan. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI is a commonwealth in Political union with the United The Empire of Japan ( {{unicode|Kyūjitai}}: ja 大日本帝國 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国 pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku For Combined Fleet, please see that article For Carrier Striking Task Force, please see that article Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks of the highest Naval officers The Imperial Japanese Navy (日本海軍 Nihon Kaigun at the beginning of World War II contained the world's largest carrier fleet The Imperial Japanese Navy (日本海軍 Nihon Kaigun at the beginning of World War II contained the world's largest carrier fleet The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy, which was created on six separate occasions was the second of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy established during World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons (also known as the Battle of the Stewart Islands and in Japanese sources as the, took place on August 24, 1942 The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, October 26, 1942, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Santa Cruz or in Japanese sources as the, was the fourth The Indian Ocean raid was a naval sortie by the Fast Carrier Strike Force of the Imperial Japanese Navy from 31 March to 10 April 1942 The attack on Pearl Harbor (or Hawaii Operation, as it was called by the Imperial General Headquarters) was a surprise Military strike conducted by The Japanese air raids on Darwin, Australia, on 19 February 1942 were the largest attacks ever mounted by a foreign power against The Battle of Midway was a major Naval battle, widely regarded as the most important one of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. The Order of the Rising Sun (旭日章 Kyokujitsu shō ? The was an order of the Empire of Japan, established on 12 February 1889 by Emperor Meiji "in commemoration of Jimmu The is a Japanese Order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. in modern times usually consist of a Family name ( Surname) followed by a Given name. A family name or last name is a type of Surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs

Admiral Chuichi Nagumo (南雲 忠一, Nagumo Chūichi^?, 25 March 1887 - 6 July 1944) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II and one time commander of the Kido Butai, Combined Fleet's largest carrier battle group. Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks of the highest Naval officers Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6. Year 1887 ( MDCCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. For Combined Fleet, please see that article For Carrier Striking Task Force, please see that article World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Imperial Japanese Navy (日本海軍 Nihon Kaigun at the beginning of World War II contained the world's largest carrier fleet For Carrier Striking Task Force, please see that article For Imperial Japanese Navy, please see that article A carrier battle group (CVBG consists of an Aircraft carrier (CV and its escorts

Biography

Early life

Younger Chuichi in dress uniform

Nagumo was born in Yonezawa city, Yamagata prefecture in northern Japan in 1887. Yonezawa (米沢市 -shi is a city located in Yamagata, Japan. WikipediaWikiProject Japanese prefectures for guidelines--> is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tohoku region on Honshū island He graduated from the 36th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1908, with a ranking of 8 out of a class of 191 cadets. was a school established to train officers for the Imperial Japanese Navy. As a midshipman, he served on the cruisers Soya, Nisshin and Niitaka. For the fish called midshipman see Midshipman fish. The rank of midshipman is one of the oldest ranks still in existence Background The Varyag was built by William Cramp and Sons of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States for the Imperial Background The Nisshin was the last of the Garibaldi -class armored cruisers to be built Background The Niitaka -class cruisers were ordered by the Japanese navy under its 2nd Emergency Expansion Program with a budget driven by the First Sino-Japanese After his promotion to ensign in 1910, he was assigned to cruiser Asama. Ensign (ˈɛnsən is a junior rank of commissioned officer in the militaries of some countries normally in the infantry or navy Background The Asama was one of six Armored cruisers ordered to overseas shipyards after the First Sino-Japanese War as part of the "Six-Six Program"

After attending torpedo school and naval artillery school, he was promoted to sub-lieutenant and served on the battleship Aki, followed by Hatsuyuki. The modern torpedo (historically called an automotive automobile locomotive or fish torpedo is a self-propelled explosive Projectile weapon launched above or below Naval Artillery or naval rifles refers to Warship -mounted Guns used in Naval warfare for attacking enemy vessels See also List of World War II ships In 1914, he was promoted to lieutenant and was assigned to the battleship Kirishima, followed by the destroyer Sugi. Lieutenant (abbreviated Lt or Lieut) is a Military, Naval, Paramilitary, Fire service, Emergency medical services A battleship is a large heavily armored Warship with a main battery consisting of the largest Calibre of Guns Battleships were Service Her initial captain in World War II was Yamaguchi Jihei formerly the commander of the heavy cruiser ''Takao'', later promoted to Rear Admiral and still later He was assigned his first command on 15 December 1917: the destroyer Kisaragi. Events 533 - Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year

Nagumo graduated from the Naval War College, and was promoted to lieutenant commander in 1920. This article deals with the Empire of Japan's Naval War College Lieutenant Commander ( Lieutenant-Commander in the Royal Navy) is a Commissioned officer rank in many navies Superior His specialty was torpedo and destroyer tactics. From 1920 to 1921, he was captain of the destroyer Momi, but was soon pulled to shore duty with various assignments by the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff. The was the highest organ within the Imperial Japanese Navy.　In charge of planning and operations it was headed by an Admiral headquartered in Tokyo. He became a commander in 1924. Commander is a Military rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service From 1925 to 1926, Nagumo accompanied a Japanese mission to study naval warfare strategy, tactics and equipment in Europe and the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

After his return to Japan, Nagumo served as an instructor at the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy from 1927-1929. Nagumo was promoted to the rank of captain in November 1929 and assumed command of the light cruiser Naka and from 1930 to 1931 was commander of the 11th Destroyer Division. A light cruiser is a Warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light Armoured cruiser " describing a small ship that carried armour in the same way Background Naka was the third (and final vessel completed in the Sendai -class of light cruisers and like other vessels of her class she was intended for use After serving in administrative positions from 1931 to 1933, he assumed command of the heavy cruiser Takao from 1933 to 1934, and the battleship Yamashiro from 1934 to 1935. Operational History Takao was the Lead ship of her class. She was launched on 12 May 1930 at the Yokosuka Navy Yard Commanding Officers Capt Suketomo Nakajima - 31 March 1917 - 1 December 1917 Capt He was promoted to rear admiral on 1 November 1935. Rear admiral is a Naval Commissioned officer rank above that of a Commodore and Captain, and below that of a Vice Admiral. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

As a Rear Admiral, Nagumo commanded the 8th Cruiser Division to support Imperial Japanese Army movements in China from the Yellow Sea. The Imperial Japanese Army ( IJA) ( Kyūjitai: 大日本帝國陸軍 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国陸軍 Romaji: Dai-Nippon Teikoku The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a Marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. As a leading officer of the militaristic Fleet Faction, he also received a boost in his career from political forces. The was an unofficial and informal political faction within the Imperial Japanese Navy in the 1920s-1930s of officers opposed to the conditions imposed by the Washington Naval Treaty

From 1937 to 1938, he was Commandant of the Torpedo School, and from 1938-1939, he was commander of the 3rd Cruiser Division. Nagumo was promoted to vice admiral on 15 November 1939. Vice Admiral is a naval rank equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. From November 1940 to April 1941, Nagumo was Commandant of the Naval War College.

World War II

On 10 April 1941, Nagumo was appointed Commander in Chief of the IJN 1st Air Fleet, the Imperial Japanese Navy's main Carrier battle group, largely due to his seniority. Events 879 - Louis III becomes King of the Western Franks. 1407 - the lama Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A commander-in-chief is the Commander of a nation's Military forces or significant element of those forces The Imperial Japanese Navy (日本海軍 Nihon Kaigun at the beginning of World War II contained the world's largest carrier fleet A carrier battle group (CVBG consists of an Aircraft carrier (CV and its escorts Many contemporaries and historians have doubted his suitability for this command, given his lack of familiarity with naval aviation. Naval Aviation is the application of manned military air power by navies

By this time, he had visibly aged, physically and mentally. Physically, he suffered from arthritis, perhaps from his younger days as an athletic kendo fencer. Arthritis (from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation plural arthritides is a group of conditions involving damage to the Joints of the body or " way of the sword " is the Japanese and South Korean martial art of sword-fighting Mentally, he had become a cautious officer who spent every ounce of his effort going over tactical plans of every operation he was involved in. ^[3]

Admiral Nishizo Tsukahara had some doubts with his appointment, and commented, "Nagumo was an officer of the old school, a specialist of torpedo and surface maneuvers. was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. . . . He did not have any idea of the capability and potential of naval aviation. " At home, Nagumo did not receive a loving description, either. One of his two sons described him as a brooding father who was obsessed (and later disappointed) with pressuring his sons to follow his footsteps into the navy. Contrastingly, Nagumo's junior officers in the navy viewed him as precisely the father figure that his sons did not. ^[4]

However, while commanding the 1st Air Fleet, Nagumo oversaw the effective attack on Pearl Harbor. The attack on Pearl Harbor (or Hawaii Operation, as it was called by the Imperial General Headquarters) was a surprise Military strike conducted by (Although later criticshave criticized his failure to launch the third wave of attack against Pearl Harbor, which might have destroyed the repair stations which would have rendered the most important American naval base in the Pacific useless).

Nagumo was surrounded by able lieutenants such as Minoru Genda and Mitsuo Fuchida. Minoru Genda (源田実 Genda Minoru, 16 August 1904 – 15 August 1989) was a well-known Japanese military aviator and politician Mitsuo Fuchida ( 淵田美津雄( 3 December 1902 - 30 May 1976) was a Captain in the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service He also fought well in the early 1942 campaigns. He was the fleet commander during the Bombing of Darwin and his Indian Ocean raid on the British Eastern Fleet was a success, sinking an aircraft carrier, two cruisers and two destroyers, and causing Admiral Sir James Somerville to retreat to East Africa. The Japanese air raids on Darwin, Australia, on 19 February 1942 were the largest attacks ever mounted by a foreign power against The Indian Ocean raid was a naval sortie by the Fast Carrier Strike Force of the Imperial Japanese Navy from 31 March to 10 April 1942 The British Eastern Fleet (also known as the East Indies Fleet and the Far East Fleet) was a fleet of the Royal Navy during World War II Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Fownes Somerville GCB, GBE, DSO ( 17 July 1882 &ndash 19 March 1949 East Africa is the Easternmost Region of the African Continent.

At the end of his trip into the Indian Ocean, Nagumo's personal score card saw five battleships, one carrier, two cruisers, seven destroyers, dozens of merchantmen, transports, and various other vessels. The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface He was also responsible for downing hundreds of Allied aircraft from six nations. Destruction brought upon Allied ports also disabled or slowed Allied operations. All the while, he had lost no more than a few dozen pilots. ^[4]

However, at the Battle of Midway, Nagumo's near-perfect record finally came to an end. The Battle of Midway was a major Naval battle, widely regarded as the most important one of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. His Carrier Striking Task Force lost four carriers in what proved to be the turning point of the Pacific War. The Imperial Japanese Navy (日本海軍 Nihon Kaigun at the beginning of World War II contained the world's largest carrier fleet The Pacific War was the part of World War II —and preceding conflicts—that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands and in East Asia, between

Afterwards, Nagumo was re-assigned as Commander in Chief of the IJN 3rd Fleet and commanded aircraft carriers in the Guadalcanal campaign, but his actions there were largely indecisive, and in hindsight he slowly frittered away much of Japan's maritime strength. The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy, which was created on six separate occasions The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal, was fought between August 7, 1942, and February 9, 1943, in the In particular, the massive aircrew losses at the Battle of the Eastern Solomons and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands would prove decisive to the performance of the Japanese navy in later engagements. The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons (also known as the Battle of the Stewart Islands and in Japanese sources as the, took place on August 24, 1942 The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, October 26, 1942, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Santa Cruz or in Japanese sources as the, was the fourth

Final days

On 11 November 1942, Nagumo was re-assigned back to Japan, where he was given command of the Sasebo Naval District. Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. He transferred to the Kure Naval District on 21 June 1943. was the second of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Events 524 - Godomar, King of the Burgundians defeats the Franks at the Battle of Vézeronce. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. From October 1943 to February 1944, Nagumo was again Commander in Chief of the IJN 1st Fleet, which was largely involved in training duties by that time.

However, as the war situation continued to deteriorate against Japan, Nagumo was once again given a combat command. He was sent to the Mariana Islands on 4 March 1944 as commander in chief of the short-lived IJN 14th Air Fleet, and simultaneously commander in chief of the equally short-lived Central Pacific Area Fleet. The Mariana Islands (also the Marianas; up to the early 20th century sometimes called Ladrones Islands, from Spanish Islas de los Ladrones meaning Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy established during World War II.

The invasion of Saipan began on June 15, 1944. Events 763 BC - Assyrians record a Solar eclipse that will be used to fix the Chronology of Mesopotamian history Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Within days the IJN under Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa were overwhelmed by the US 5th Fleet in the decisive Battle of the Philippine Sea costing Japan approximately 500 aircraft. was an Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. The Battle of the Philippine Sea (aka "The Marianas Turkey Shoot" was a decisive naval battle of World War II, and the largest aircraft carrier battle in history Nagumo and his Army peer General Yoshitsugu Saito then were left on their own to defend the island of Saipan against the American assault. was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Saipan (saɪˈpæn /saɪˈpɑn/ or /ˈsaɪpæn/ in English is the largest Island and Capital of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern On 6 July, during the last stages of the Battle of Saipan, Nagumo committed suicide; not in the traditional method of seppuku, but rather a pistol to the temple. Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England The Battle of Saipan was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands from is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by Disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for Samurai. His remains were later found by American Marines in the cave where he spent his last days as the commander of the Saipan defenders. ^[5] He was posthumously promoted to admiral.

Promotions

• Midshipman - 21 November 1908
• Ensign - 15 January 1910
• Sublieutenant - 1 December 1911
• Lieutenant - 1 December 1914
• Lieutenant Commander - 1 December 1920
• Commander - 1 December 1924
• Captain - 30 November 1929
• Rear Admiral - 15 November 1935
• Vice Admiral - 15 November 1939
• Admiral - 8 July 1944 (Posthumous) ^[6]

References

Books

• D'Albas, Andrieu (1965). Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II. Devin-Adair Pub. ISBN 0-8159-5302-X.  
• Dull, Paul S. (1978). A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941-1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-097-1.  
• Denfeld, D. Colt (1997). Hold the Marianas: The Japanese Defense of the Mariana Islands. White Mane Pub. ISBN 1-57249-014-4.  
• Goldberg, Harold J. (2007). D-day in the Pacific: The Battle of Saipan. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-34869-2.  
• Jones, Don (1986). Oba, The Last Samurai. Presidio Press. ISBN 0-89141-245-X.  
• Morison, Samuel Eliot (2001 (reissue)). Samuel Eliot Morison, Rear Admiral, United States Naval Reserve ( July 9, 1887 – May 15, 1976) was an American New Guinea and the Marianas, March 1944-August 1944, vol. 8 of History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. The History of United States Naval Operations in World War II is a 15-volume account of the United States Navy in World War II, written by eminent Champaign, Illinois, USA: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-07038-0.  

External links

• Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, IJN, (1886-1944)
• Beyond the Movie: Pearl Harbor
• WW2DB: Chuichi Nagumo
• Breaching the Marianas: The Battle for Saipan (Marines in World War II Commemorative Series)
• Nishida, Hiroshi. Materials of IJN: Nagumo, Chuichi. Imperial Japanese Navy. Retrieved on 2007-08-03. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 8 - Roman Empire General Tiberius defeats Dalmatians on the river Bathinus.

Notes