The hometown of Isoroku Yamamoto, who was born on April 4, 1884, was Nagaoka, located in Niigata Prefecture. The future admiral came from a poor samurai family. From childhood, the boy dreamed of serving on a ship and, having matured, entered the Academy of the Navy. Isoroku Yamamoto was educated in 1904 at the start of the Russo-Japanese War.
Start service
At the beginning of the armed confrontation, the sailor got on the armored cruiser Nissin, which took part in the Battle of Tsushima. In that battle, on May 28, 1905, the Japanese defeated the 2nd squadron of the Pacific Fleet, commanded by Vice Admiral Zinovy Rozhestvensky. A significant number of Russian ships were sunk. That battle was the culmination of the war. For Isoroku Yamamoto, victory came at a high price. He was injured, losing his middle and index fingers.
Continuing military career
Despite the injury, Yamamoto's service not only continued, but went uphill. He entered the Naval College, which formed the cadres of the high command of the fleet. The officer graduated from it at the age of 30, and at the age of 32 (in 1916) he became a lieutenant commander. But also on thisIsoroku Yamamoto did not stop. In 1919-1921. he was educated abroad, enrolled in the American Harvard University.
Twice Yamamoto served as a naval attache in Washington. Life in the New World affected his political views. At that time, the military established himself as a supporter of the peaceful settlement of any world conflicts and a sharp opponent of the war against the United States. He was promoted to captain in 1923.
New Challenges
At the age of 40, the future Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto became interested in naval aviation, preferring it to his former specialization in naval artillery. First, he tried himself in command of the Isuzu cruiser, and then the Akagi aircraft carrier. Seeing the future of the army and navy in aviation, the military also commanded the aeronautics department.
During the break between the two world wars, Japan, along with other influential powers, tried to follow the course of disarmament. Naval conferences were convened in London twice (in 1930 and 1934) in order to work out common measures in this direction. Yamamoto, who became vice admiral, participated in them as a regular soldier who accompanied Japanese diplomats.
Despite these pacifist gestures, the government in Tokyo gradually aggravated the situation in the Far East. In 1931 there was an invasion of Manchuria, in 1937 the war with China began, and in 1940 Japan signed an alliance pact with Germany and Italy. Isoroku Yamamoto, whose photographs then often appeared in the Western press, consistently spokeagainst the militaristic decisions of their authorities. Supporters of the war (of which there were much more) severely criticized the Vice Admiral.
Appointment as Commander-in-Chief of the Fleet
In 1940, Isoroku Yamamoto, whose quotes from speeches in the Navy were transferred from mouth to mouth, received the rank of admiral and became commander-in-chief of the United Fleet. At the same time, the military continued to receive threats from Japanese nationalists, who considered him a traitor to the interests of the motherland. In 1941, the militarist Hideki Tojo became prime minister. It seemed that Yamamoto's career was in the balance. The admiral was almost Tojo's main hardware opponent.
However, in spite of everything, Yamamoto managed to maintain his rank and position. His widespread popularity among his subordinates had an effect (both officers and sailors treated him with boundless respect). In addition, the admiral had a personal friendship with Emperor Hirohito. Finally, Isoroku Yamamoto, whose quotations from the theoretical works became the bible for the entire fleet, was one of the most competent people in all the armed forces. With a Western education and unique work experience, only he could consistently carry out the ongoing reform of the Japanese naval armada.
Conflict with militarists
The Tojo government that came to power began to prepare for war against the United States of America. Yamamoto was skeptical about a possible conflict with the United States. He believed that it would not be enough for Japan to defeat the enemy in the Pacific by capturing the Philippines, Guam, Hawaii andother islands. The war with America was supposed to end only after the surrender of Washington. The admiral did not believe that Japan had enough resources for such a march and, as further developments showed, he was right.
However, while remaining in his position as Commander-in-Chief of the Fleet, Yamamoto took part in the preparations for the imminent campaign. With his direct participation, preparations were underway for the attack on Pearl Harbor. The admiral opposed the "Kantai Kessen" - a strategic doctrine, according to which Japan was to wage war on the United States, taking up defensive positions. Yamamoto, on the contrary, believed that his country had only one opportunity to defeat the States - to shock the American public with a lightning offensive and force politicians to immediately sign a peace.
Preparing for war
Since the attack on Pearl Harbor was carried out with the help of aircraft, special attention should have been paid to the development of aviation. This is what Isoroku Yamamoto did. The film "Attack on Pearl Harbor" clearly demonstrates his contribution to the success of that operation. The admiral also took care of the aviation operating in coastal operations. Under his patronage, the development of the G3M bomber and the G4M torpedo bomber was carried out. These models were distinguished by an increased flight range, which gave the Japanese command an additional significant advantage. The Americans called the G4M the “flying lighter.”
Yamamoto Isoroku, whose biography was largely connected with aircraft, raised the challenge of creating a new long-range fighter. They becamemodel A6M Zero, which received a significantly lighter design. The admiral initiated the reorganization of aviation and the formation of a new First Air Fleet. It was this formation that participated in the raid on Pearl Harbor. In preparing the operation, Yamamoto was hoping for a surprise factor. A surprise attack would give the Japanese a few more months of freedom in the Pacific until the American fleet arrived.
Pearl Harbor
December 7, 1941, 6 Japanese aircraft carriers, carrying about 400 aircraft, approached Pearl Harbor. An attack followed, as a result of which 4 battleships and 11 other large ships of another type were sunk. Also, many auxiliary and secondary vessels were destroyed. The Japanese lost only 29 crews.
Although the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet Isoroku Yamamoto planned a successful attack, it was carried out by Chuichi Nagumo. It was this vice-admiral who, fearing too much loss, ordered the planes to retreat. Yamamoto criticized this decision. He accused Nagumo of failing to fulfill important tasks: bombing the American military infrastructure on the island of Oahu and destroying enemy aircraft carriers that were absent in the harbor. The Vice Admiral, however, was not punished in any way. The country's authorities were pleased with the result of the unexpected raid.
Continuation of campaign
After the events in Hawaii, the Japanese armed forces continued to implement the strategic plan of the empire. Further battles were led by Jisaburo Ozawa, Ibo Takahashi and Nobutake Kondo. All of them weresubordinates of Isoroku Yamamoto. The short biography of this commander is an example of a naval commander who had to perform an incredible task.
The Japanese have set as their goal the subjugation of all the Pacific islands. Yamamoto developed a plan according to which the fleet and air force were to destroy the numerous bases of the British and Dutch. The main battles unfolded for the East Indies (modern-day Indonesia) that belonged to the Netherlands.
First of all, the Japanese occupied the north of the Malay Archipelago. Then in February 1942 there was a battle in the Java Sea. The Japanese fleet defeated the combined fleets of the United States, the Netherlands, Australia and England. This success allowed the complete occupation of the Dutch East Indies. A little later, the resistance of the Americans in the Philippines was localized.
Disputes about the future
The success of Japanese weapons did not bother the allies. Neither Britain nor the United States were going to agree to peace. In Tokyo, they took a break in order to decide in which direction to move on. Most of the military leaders advocated an offensive in Burma and an exit through it to India, where, with the help of local nationalists, it was planned to overthrow the British metropolis. Admiral Yamamoto, however, had the opposite opinion. He suggested attacking the remaining American positions in the Pacific Islands.
The 2011 film "Isoroku Yamamoto" (another name is "Attack on Pearl Harbor") clearly shows what an uncompromising character the admiral had. So this time he did not give up his point of view. During one of the discussions of the headquarters, Tokyo was subjected tobombing by American aircraft. This incident forced the Japanese command to reconsider their plans. Soon, Yamamoto's idea of attacking Midway Island formed the basis of the strategy for a new phase of the war. The admiral has been appointed commander-in-chief of the upcoming operation.
Midway operation
According to Yamamoto's plan, the Japanese fleet was to be divided into two parts. He was going to send one group to the shores of Alaska to distract the Americans, and the second to attack Midway Atoll. The operation was carefully planned. It seemed that the admiral had foreseen all the details. If everything had gone according to his plan, the Japanese would have gained a significant advantage at the decisive moment and defeated the Americans piecemeal.
However, the events on the eve of the start of the Battle of Midway crossed out all Yamamoto's hopes. American intelligence was able to decipher the secret Japanese cipher with which secret data was transmitted. The success of cryptographers gave the enemy a huge advantage.
When the Battle of Midway began on June 4, 1942, American ships unexpectedly evaded all Japanese attacks and set up their own ambush. In the decisive battle, 248 aircraft and 4 Yamamoto aircraft carriers were destroyed. Although the Japanese pilots took to the air, they were able to sink only one enemy ship ("Yorktown"). The admiral, realizing that the battle was lost, ordered the remaining forces to retreat.
Lessons of defeat
The failure of the Midway operation was the turning point of the entire Pacific War. The Japanese lost their best technique andhuman frames. The Combined Fleet lost the initiative and fought only defensive battles from then on. At home, the admiral was widely criticized.
Was it Isoroku Yamamoto's fault? Book after book on the subject is now being published both in Japan and in other countries. Supporters and defenders of the military believe that his plan was no worse than the plans for similar operations among the opponents of the Axis. The main reason for the defeat of the Japanese was the luck of the Americans, who read the secret cipher and learned the plans of the Combined Fleet.
Battles in the Solomon Islands
In the second half of 1942, the Pacific War shifted to New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Although Japan still had a lot of resources, they smoldered day after day. Yamamoto, having lost much of his reputation, took over the management of minor operations. In August, he personally led the battle off the eastern Solomon Islands, and in November, the battle for the island of Guadalcanal.
In both cases, the Americans and their allies won. The Japanese suffered defeat primarily due to the inability of the army to operate effectively on the coast of the islands. Heavy losses mowed down the ranks of destroyers, torpedo and dive bombers. In February 1943, Japan lost control of Guadalcanal. A series of battles in the Solomon Islands remained with the Americans.
Death
Despite defeat after defeat, the Admiral did not give up. He continued to inspect the troops and raise the morale of the fleet. On the eve of one of these tripsthe Americans again intercepted the secret message, which contained details of Yamamoto's route. The find was reported to the White House. President Roosevelt demanded the elimination of the Japanese military leader.
On the morning of April 18, Yamamoto took off from Rabaul, a port on the island of New Britain. His plane had to cover a distance of almost 500 kilometers. On the way, the admiral's bomber was attacked by the Americans, who had arranged a well-planned ambush. Yamamoto's plane crashed over one of the Solomon Islands.
After a while, a Japanese rescue team arrived there. The body of the admiral was found in the jungle - during the fall he was thrown out of the fuselage. The naval commander was cremated and buried in Tokyo. Posthumously, he received the rank of Marshal, the Order of the Chrysanthemum, as well as the German Knight's Cross. During the war, the figure of Yamamoto became truly legendary. All of Japan was shocked by his death, and the country's leadership recognized the death of the national hero only a month after the American operation.
