On
this date, 6 December 1947, Vice Admiral Tadashige Daigo was executed for war
crimes during World War II. I will post the information about him from
Wikipedia.
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| Vice admiral Tadashige Daigo |
Born
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October 15, 1891
Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan |
Died
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December 6, 1947 (aged 56)
Pontianak, Borneo, Dutch East Indies |
Allegiance
|
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Service/branch
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Years of service
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1912-1947
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Rank
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Vice admiral
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Commands held
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Battles/wars
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World War
II |
Marquis
Tadashige Daigo (醍醐 忠重 Daigo Tadashige, 15 October 1891 – 6 December 1947)
was a vice admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.
Biography
Born
in Chiyoda, Tokyo into a kuge family of court nobility related to the Fujiwara
aristocracy, Daigo was a graduate of the Gakushuin Peers' school. He
went on to graduate from the 40th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy
in 1912. His rank on entering was only 126th out of 150 cadets, but he improved
his scores, so that he graduated at 17th out of 144.
Daigo
served as a midshipman on the cruiser Azuma and battleship Shikishima.
As an ensign, he was assigned to the cruiser Tokiwa.
After
his promotion to sub-lieutenant in 1913, he took time out to attend a session
of the House of Peers as was obligatory for members of his social class. He
then returned to active service on the battleship Kongō and destroyer Urakaze.
Daigo
was promoted to lieutenant in 1918, and after taking courses in torpedo
warfare, was assigned to submarines, serving on SS-26, and then becoming
captain of SS-27, followed by SS-57. He also served on the
cruiser Aso in 1924. After promotion to lieutenant commander in 1924, he
was captain of Ro-64 in 1926, and chief torpedo officer on the
battleship Yamashiro later the same year.
In
the 1930s, Daigo was captain of a large number of cruisers in rapid succession:
Yubari, Naka, Kuma, Iwate, Tokiwa, Yakumo
and Ashigara. He was promoted to rear admiral on 15 November 1940.
Daigo
commanded Submarine Squadron 5 (Subron 5), with hisa flag on the light cruiser Yura
at the start of the Pacific War. At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor,
Subron 5 was covering the first wave of the Malaya Invasion Force south of the Cape
of Camau, French Indochina.
On
9 December 1941, Subron 5 was ordered to pursue and sink the Royal Navy Force Z
(battleship HMS Prince of Wales, battlecruiser Repulse and
supporting destroyers). Although Yura received word from I-65
that the British ships were spotted, due to poor wireless reception, the signal
was unclear and the British vessels were overwhelmed by torpedo bombers of the
22nd Air Flotilla from bases in Indochina before Yura and her submarines
could take action.
Subron
5 was then assigned to the invasion of Sarawak from 13–26 December, covering
landings in Brunei, Miri, Seria, and Kuching. The 2,500 men of the
"Kawaguchi Detachment" and the No. 2 Yokosuka Special Naval Landing
Force (SNLF) quickly captured Miri's airfield and oil fields. The operation was
completed, and Yura returned to its base at Camranh Bay, Indochina by
the end of the year.
Subron
5 was also part of the advance screening force for the Battle of Midway.
Daigo
became vice admiral on 1 November 1943. He was assigned command of the Eastern
Attack Group which carried out midget submarine and merchant shipping attacks
on the east coast of Australia.
Daigo
was Commandant of the Naval Submarine School from 23 August 1944 and final Commander
in Chief of the IJN 6th Fleet from 1 May 1945. During these assignments, he was
involved in the kaiten human-torpedo program.
After
the end of the war, Daigo was arrested by SCAP authorities at the request of
the Netherlands government, and was extradited to Batavia in the Dutch East
Indies, where he was charged with war crimes in connection with the kidnapping,
torture and massacre of 21,000 people (including women and children) by
Japanese troops in Pontianak. After being held for several months under severe
conditions, he was found guilty in a closed military tribunal at Pontianak
after only three hours of testimony, during which time he was not allowed to
speak in his own defense, and was executed with a rifle shot to the stomach on
6 December 1947. As Daigo was commander of submarine forces, (although from 8
November 1943 the 22nd Special Guard Division based at Balikpapan, Borneo fell
nominally under his command), his connection (if any) with the events in
Pontianak from 23 April 1943–28 June 1944 remain very unclear. Whereas other
"Class B" war criminals found guilty of professional negligence for
atrocities committed by junior staff under their nominal command were sentenced
to several years in prison, the speed and secrecy surrounding his trial, and
the severity and brutality of his punishment, have created questions which
remain unanswered.
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|
Vice Admiral Tadashige Daigo, seated in
uniform, with members of his staff and kaiten pilots (with bandanas) of I-36
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Notable
Positions Held
- Crewmember, BB Kongo - 1 December 1916-1 April 1917
- Chief Equipping Officer, SS RO-64 - 15 January 1925-30 April 1925
- Commanding Officer, SS RO-64 - 30 April 1925-1 December 1925
- Staff Officer, Yokosuka Naval District - 1 December 1925-1 March 1926
- ComSubDiv 9–1 December 1932-15 November 1933
- ComSubDiv 19–15 November 1933-15 November 1934
- Commanding Officer, CL Yubari - 15 November 1934-25 May 1935
- Commanding Officer, CL Naka - 25 May 1935-15 November 1935
- Commanding Officer, CL Kuma - 15 November 1935-1 December 1936
- Commanding Officer, CA Takao - 1 December 1936-3 June 1938
- Commanding Officer, CA Ashigara - 3 June 1938-1 December 1938
- ComSubRon 5–20 October 1941-10 July 1942
- Acting Commanding Officer, Kure SubRon - 31 August 1942-1 April 1943
- ComSubRon 11–1 April 1943-20 October 1943
- Commander-in-Chief, 6th Fleet - 1 May 1945-15 September 1945
Dates
of Promotion
- Midshipman - 17 July 1912
- Ensign - 1 December 1913
- Sublieutenant - 13 December 1915
- Lieutenant - 1 December 1918
- Lieutenant Commander - 1 December 1924
- Commander - 30 November 1929
- Captain - 15 November 1934
- Rear Admiral - 15 November 1940
- Vice Admiral - 1 November 194
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