Gunichi Mikawa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gunichi Mikawa | |
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| August 29, 1888 – February 25, 1981 | |
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| Place of birth | Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Rank | Vice Admiral |
| Commands | Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Battles/wars | World War II oBattle of Savo Island oNaval Battle of Guadalcanal |
| Awards | Order of the Rising Sun Gold and Silver Star, Order of the Rising Sun Gold Rays, Order of the Sacred Treasure Gold and Silver Star[1] |
Gunichi Mikawa (三川 軍一 Mikawa Gun'ichi, August 29, 1888 - February 25, 1981) was a Vice Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.
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[edit] Early career
Mikawa graduated from the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1910. After service in the cruiser Asama, battleship Satsuma and battle cruiser Kongo he attended the Naval Torpedo and Gunnery Schools during 1913- 1914. In late 1914 he joined the cruiser Aso for World War I duty, including a cruise to China. This was followed by tours in the destroyer Sugi and transport Seito and studies at the Japanese Naval War College. From 1919 to 1920, Lieutenant Mikawa was attached to the Japanese delegation to the post-war peace conference in France.[2]
During the 1920s, Mikawa served as Navigating Officer of a number of ships, was an instructor at the Naval Torpedo School and held several other highly-visible posts. At the end of the decade, Commander Mikawa was part of the delegation to the London Naval Conference and shortly thereafter became Naval Attache in Paris. Promoted to the rank of Captain in late 1930, he returned to Japan to take up administrative and training duties. He was commanding officer of the heavy cruisers Aoba and Chokai and the battleship Kirishima in the mid-1930s.[3]
From December 1, 1936 to November 15, 1937 he was chief of staff of the 2nd Fleet.[4] Mikawa had duty with the Naval General Staff and Imperial General Headquarters in 1937 to 1939, then went to sea to command a succession of fleet squadrons, first in cruisers and then in battleships. He was promoted to Vice Admiral in 1940.[5]
[edit] World War II
From July 14, 1942 until April 1, 1943 Mikawa commanded the 8th Fleet in the South Pacific, based primarily at the major bases at Rabaul on New Britain and Kavieng on New Ireland. During that time, he led Japanese naval forces involved the Guadalcanal and Solomon Islands campaigns. On August 8 – 9, 1942 he led a force of cruisers that defeated Allied naval forces in the Battle of Savo Island. On the night of November 13 – 14, 1942 he led a cruiser force that bombarded Henderson Field on Guadalcanal during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. Throughout the Guadalcanal campaign he often directed runs of the Tokyo Express that delivered men and materiel to Guadalcanal.
Mikawa had Naval General Staff and other shore posts in Japan during April-September 1943. From September 3, 1943 to June 18, 1944 he commanded the 2nd Southern Expeditionary Fleet in the Philippines. Afterwards, he commanded the Southwestern Area Fleet and 13th Air Fleet from June 18, 1944 to November 1, 1944, also in the Philippines.[6]Reassigned to Japan following the October, 1944 Battle of Leyte Gulf, he left active duty in May, 1945.[7]
After the war, Mikawa assisted Allied forces in documenting the operations and battles of the Pacific War by providing perspective from the Japanese side.[citation needed]
Promotions
Midshipman - 18 July 1910
Ensign - 1 December 1911
Sublieutenant - 1 December 1913
Lieutenant - 1 December 1916
Lieutenant Commander - 1 December 1922
Commander - 1 December 1926
Captain - 1 December 1930
Rear Admiral - 1 December 1936
Vice Admiral - 15 November 1940
[edit] References
[edit] Books
- D'Albas, Andrieu (1965). Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II. Devin-Adair Pub. ISBN 081595302X.
- Dull, Paul S. (1978). A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941-1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-097-1.
- Frank, Richard B. (1990). Guadalcanal : The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle. New York: Penguin Group. ISBN 0-14-016561-4.
- Lacroix, Eric; Linton Wells (1997). Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0870213113.
- Loxton, Bruce; Chris Coulthard-Clark (1997). The Shame of Savo: Anatomy of a Naval Disaster. Australia: Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd. ISBN 1-86448-286-9.
- Morison, Samuel Eliot (1958). The Struggle for Guadalcanal, August 1942 – February 1943, vol. 5 of History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-58305-7.
[edit] Web
[edit] Notes
- ^ Naval History via Flix, [1]
- ^ Naval Historical Center, [2]. Text is public domain and therefore not copyrighted.
- ^ Naval Historical Center, [3]. Text is public domain and therefore not copyrighted.
- ^ Wendel, Marcus, Axis History Factbook, [4]
- ^ Naval Historical Center, [5]. Text is public domain and therefore not copyrighted.
- ^ Wendel, Marcus, Axis History Factbook
- ^ Naval Historical Center, [6]. Text is public domain and therefore not copyrighted.
