Chūichi Hara
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| Chūichi Hara | |
|---|---|
| 15 March 1889 - 17 February 1964[1] | |
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| Nickname | "King Kong" |
| Place of birth | Matsue, Shimane, Japan |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Service/branch |  Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Years of service | 1911-1945 |
| Rank | Vice Admiral |
| Commands held | Tsuga,Ataka, Tatsuta IJN 4th Fleet, |
| Battles/wars | World War II oBattle of the Coral Sea oSolomon Islands campaign oBattle of the Eastern Solomons oBattle of the Santa Cruz Islands oOperation Hailstone |
- In this Japanese name, the family name is Hara.
Vice Admiral Chūichi "King Kong" Hara (原 忠一 Hara Chūichi?, 15 March 1889- 17 February 1964) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. A heavier person when he was younger, he was nicknamed "King Kong" by his friends[2].
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[edit] Biography
Hara was born in Matsue city, Shimane prefecture. He graduated from the 39th class of the Imperial Japanese Navy Academy in 1911, ranked 85th out of 149 cadets. As a midshipman, he served on the cruiser Aso and battlecruiser Ibuki. After his promotion to ensign, he was assigned to Settsu and the Akashi.
After attending torpedo school and naval artillery school, he was promoted to sub-lieutenant and served on Asakaze, followed by Yakumo, followed by the battleship Kongō during World War I. However, it does not appear that he experienced combat during his tour of duty.
After the end of the war, he returned to school for advanced studies in torpedo warfare from 1918-1919, and then served as chief torpedo officer on the destroyer Hakaze, followed by Yukaze in 1921, and the cruiser Ōi in 1922. Hara graduated from the Naval War College (Japan) in 1924 and was promoted to lieutenant commander. In December 1926, he was given his first command, the destroyer Tsuga. Promoted to commander in 1929, he subsequently served as an instructor at several of the naval ordinance schools in the early 1930s. He was given command of the destroyer Ataka in 1932, and his rank was raised to captain in 1933. From 1933-1934, he was sent as naval attaché to the United States. On his return, he assumed command of the cruiser Tatsuta. He subsequently held a number of staff positions until his promotion to rear admiral on 15 November 1939.
During the Pacific War, he was CINC of the 5th Carrier Division for the attack on Pearl Harbor, with the new aircraft carriers Zuikaku and Shōkaku. At the Battle of Coral Sea, his 5th Carrier Division suffered a considerable damage. This damage put it out of the war for several months, and Hara was re-assigned to command the 8th Cruiser Division, with the cruisers Tone and Chikuma during the Solomon Islands campaign, including the Battle of the Eastern Solomons and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands.
After Operation Hailstone, the attack on Truk, Hara replaced Vice Admiral Masami Kobayashi as Commander in Chief, IJN 4th Fleet, commanding the navy base at Truk. He held this post until the surrender of Japan, although it is significant to note that Hara was not in command of the base when it was attacked.
After the end of the war, Hara was arrested by SCAP authorities and held in Sugamo Prison in Tokyo, where he was accused of war crimes. Extradited to a military tribunal held on Guam, he was convicted of convicted of “neglect of duty in connection with violations of the Laws of War committed by members of their command” for the execution of Allied aircrews captured during air raids on Truk. Vice Admiral Hara was the highest ranking officer from Truk tried for war crimes. He received a six-year sentence and was flown back to Sugamo prison to serve out his sentence. Hara was released on 10 April 1951, and served as a Councilor of the Ministry of Justice (Japan) until his death in 1964.[3]
In 1964, Chūichi Hara died at the age of 74.
[edit] References
[edit] Books
- D'Albas, Andrieu (1965). Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II. Devin-Adair Pub. ISBN 0-8159-5302-X.
- Ito, Masanori (1986 (reissue)). The End of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Jove. ISBN 0515086827.
- Lindemann, Klaus (2005). Hailstorm Over Truk Lagoon: Operations Against Truk by Carrier Task Force 58, 17 and 18 February 1944, and the Shipwrecks of World War II. Oregon, USA: Resource Publications. ISBN 1-59752-347-X.
- Morison, Samuel Eliot (1961). Aleutians, Gilberts and Marshalls, June 1942-April 1944, History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. ASIN B0007FBB8I.
- Peattie, Mark (1992). Nan'Yo: The Rise and Fall of the Japanese in Micronesia, 1885-1945 (Pacific Islands Monograph Series). University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0824814800.
- Stewart, William Herman (1986). Ghost Fleet of the Truk Lagoon: An Account of "Operation Hailstone", February, 1944. Pictorial Histories. ISBN 0-933126-66-2.
[edit] External links
- Jeffery, Bill (2003). War in Paradise: World War II sites in Truk Lagoon, Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia (English). Chuuk Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved on August 30, 2006.
- Nishida, Hiroshi. Imperial Japanese Navy, Hara, Chuiichi. Retrieved on 2007-02-25.
- Stewart, William Herman. Guam War Crimes Trials. Retrieved on 2007-08-25.
- Surrender of Truk per USN Archives
[edit] Notes
- ^ Nishida, Imperial Japanese Navy.
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=iFhB7fDrnTsC&pg=PA4&lpg=PA4&dq=sentaro+omori&source=web&ots=oBM05O3C-j&sig=U6q-Ikv8Sj2uk7oE0Fki9b7DWtI#PPA3,M1
- ^ Stewart, Ghost Fleet of Truk Lagoon
