Takeshi Mori
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| Takeshi Mori | |
|---|---|
| 25 April 1894 -15 August 1945 | |
 General Takeshi Mori |
|
| Place of birth | Kochi prefecture, Japan |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Service/branch |  Imperial Japanese Army |
| Years of service | 1916 - 1945 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands held | First Imperial Guards Division |
| Battles/wars | Second Sino-Japanese War World War II |
- In this Japanese name, the family name is Mori.
Lieutenant General Takeshi Mori (森赳 Mori Takeshi?, 25 April 1894 -15 August 1945) was the commander of the Japanese Empire's First Imperial Guards Division, at the end of World War II.
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[edit] Biography
A native of Kochi Prefecture, Mori was a graduate of the 28th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1916, specializing in cavalry. After serving in a number of administrative roles within the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff he returned to the Army Staff College, graduating from the 39th class in 1927. He subsequently served as commander of the IJA 13th Cavalry Regiment before returning to desk duty within the General Staff.
Mori taught at the Army Staff College from 1935-1937 and 1938-1941. He was promoted to major general in 1941. With the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Mori was assigned as a staff officer to the Japanese First Army in China from 1937-1938. He returned to the Asian mainland in 1941 as Vice Chief of Staff of the Japanese 6th Army in Manchukuo, and was promoted to Chief of Staff in 1942. From 1943-1944, he was Deputy Commander of the Kempeitai, and from 1944-1945, served as Chief of Staff of the Japanese 19th Army. [1]
Mori was promoted to lieutenant general in 1945. On 7 April 1945, Mori became commander of the 1st Imperial Guards Division, the prestigious division assigned direct responsibility for protection of the Imperial Family of Japan. [2]
After Japan's decision to surrender, Mori was visited just after midnight on 15 August 1945 by Major Kenji Hatanaka and Lieutenant Colonels Masataka Ida and Jiro Shiizaki, who attempted to secure his aid in their plot to isolate the Imperial Palace and prevent the announcement Japan's surrender. At around 1:30, Ida and Shiizaki had left the room, and after repeated refusals on Mori's part, Mori was shot and killed by Hatanaka. His seal was then placed on a false set of orders (Strategic Order No. 584).[3]
[edit] See also
- Colonel Kazuo Mizutani—Mori's Chief of Staff
- Lt. Col. Michinori Shiraishi–Mori's brother-in-law, who died trying to save Mori from the sword of Captain Shigetaro Uehara, just moments before Mori was killed by Major Hatanaka.
[edit] References
[edit] Books
- Brooks, Lester (1968). Behind Japan's Surrender: The Secret Struggle That Ended an Empire. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company.
- Butow, Robert J. C. (1954). Japan's Decision to Surrender. Stanford University Press. ASIN: B000VFCC14.
- Frank, Richard B. (1999). Downfall: the End of the Imperial Japanese Empire. Penguin, non-classics. ISBN 0141001461.
- Fuller, Richard (1992). Shokan: Hirohito's Samurai. London: Arms and Armor. ISBN: 1-85409-151-4.
[edit] External links
- Ammenthorp, Steen. Takeshi Mori. The Generals of World War II.
