Tomitarō Horii
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| Tomitarō Horii | |
|---|---|
| 7 November 1890 – 23 November 1942 | |
 General Tomitarō Horii |
|
| Place of birth | Hyōgo prefecture, Japan |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Service/branch |  Imperial Japanese Army |
| Years of service | 1911 -1943 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands held | IJA 55th Division |
| Battles/wars | Second Sino-Japanese War World War II |
- In this Japanese name, the family name is Horii.
Tomitarō Horii (堀井富太郎 Horii Tomitarō?, 7 November 1890 – 23 November 1942) was a major general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Born in Hyōgo Prefecture, Horii became an infantry officer following his graduation from the 23rd class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1911. [1]
He was later assigned to the headquarters of the Shanghai Expeditionary Army during the Battle of Shanghai from January 28-March 4, 1932. [2]
From 1935-1937, he was attached to the IJA 12th Infantry Regiment, and became commander of the IJA 78th Infantry Regiment in 1938, after his promotion to colonel the previous year. Horii was appointed commander of the IJA 55th Division (part of the South Seas Force) in 1941.
In order to avoid a repeat of the atrocities he witnessed being committed by Japanese troops in China, he issued a "Guide to Soldiers in the South Seas" in late 1941 on his own authority with the following five statements [3]:
- Do not needlessly kill or injure the local inhabitants.
- Behavior such as looting and violating women is strictly forbidden.
- Buildings and property in enemy territory must not be burned without permission.
- Scrupulously keep secrets and main security.
- Treat ammunition carefully, and reduce waste to a minimum.
During the New Guinea campaign, after landing in the Buna-Garara area in July 1942, Horii led a column of 8,500 men of the IJA 144th Regiment overland on the Kokoda Trail over the treacherous Owen Stanley mountain range in an attempt to capture Port Moresby. [4] However, after heavy fighting against defending Australian forces, the Japanese logistics broke down, and Horii was forced to withdraw with his surviving soldiers in the Kokoda Track campaign from September 1942. During the campaign, Horii drowned while crossing the Kumusi River in November 1942. [5]
[edit] References
[edit] Books
- Dupuy, Trevor N. (1992). Encyclopedia of Military Biography. I B Tauris & Co Ltd. ISBN 1-85043-569-3.
- Hayashi, Saburo (1959). Kogun: The Japanese Army in the Pacific War. Marine Corps. Association. ASIN B000ID3YRK.
- Gamble, Bruce (2001). Darkest Hour: The True Story of Lark Force at Rabaul - Australia's Worst Military Disaster of World War II. Zenith Press. ISBN 0760323496.
[edit] External links
- Ammenthorp, Steen. Horii, Tomitaro. The Generals of World War II.
- Chen, Peter. Horii, Tomitaro. WW2 Database.
[edit] Notes
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Walter Ramsay McNicoll as Administrator of New Guinea |
Commander of Occupied New Guinea 1942 |
Succeeded by Hyakutake Seikichi |
