was a
general
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
in the
Imperial Japanese Army
The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
Early career
Adachi was born into an impoverished family, originally descended from samurai,
in
Ishikawa Prefecture in 1890 (the 23rd year of the reign of
Emperor Meiji, which is why his father, who had been a professional officer in the Japanese military,
chose the ''kanji'' for "23" to represent his given name "Hatazō"). Too poor to afford the military preparatory schools necessary for a career in the
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrend ...
, as a youth he tested into the fiercely competitive Tokyo Cadet Academy, which enabled him to enter the
Imperial Japanese Army Academy
The was the principal officer's training school for the Imperial Japanese Army. The programme consisted of a junior course for graduates of local army cadet schools and for those who had completed four years of middle school, and a senior course f ...
, from which he graduated from the 22nd class in 1910.
Adachi served with the
1st Imperial Guards Division, and then graduated from the 34th class of the
Army War College in 1922. Unlike many Army officers of his day, Adachi avoided involvement in the political factions which plagued the Japanese Army in the 1930s. After serving in a number of staff and administrative positions within the
Imperial Japanese Army General Staff
The , also called the Army General Staff, was one of the two principal agencies charged with overseeing the Imperial Japanese Army.
Role
The was created in April 1872, along with the Navy Ministry, to replace the Ministry of Military Affairs ...
, Adachi was assigned to the Railway Guard unit of the
Kwangtung Army
''Kantō-gun''
, image = Kwantung Army Headquarters.JPG
, image_size = 300px
, caption = Kwantung Army headquarters in Hsinking, Manchukuo
, dates = April ...
, responsible for the security of the
South Manchuria Railway
The South Manchuria Railway ( ja, 南満州鉄道, translit=Minamimanshū Tetsudō; ), officially , Mantetsu ( ja, 満鉄, translit=Mantetsu) or Mantie () for short, was a large of the Empire of Japan whose primary function was the operatio ...
in 1933.
Career
Second Sino-Japanese War
Adachi was promoted to
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
in 1934, and was given command of the IJA 12th Infantry Regiment in 1936. During the
Shanghai Incident of July 1937, Adachi also gained a reputation of leading his troops from the front, where the fighting was the thickest. He was injured by a mortar barrage in September, which permanently damaged his right leg.
He was promoted to
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
in 1938, and promoted to commander of the IJA 26th Infantry Brigade. Adachi had a reputation as a "soldier's general", sharing the miserable living conditions of his troops and welcoming open discussion with his officer and staff.
Promoted to
lieutenant general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
in August 1940, he was commander of the
IJA 37th Division at the
Battle of South Shanxi. In 1940, he became a
Chief of staff of the
North China Area Army from 1941 to 1942, during the height of its
scorched earth campaigns against the Chinese forces.
Pacific War
On 9 November 1942, Adachi was appointed
commander in chief of the newly formed
18th Army on
Rabaul and the north coast of
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...
from 1942 to 1945. The 18th Army contained the
IJA 20th Division and
IJA 41st Division
The was an infantry division of the Imperial Japanese Army. Its call sign was the
The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) ''41st Division'' was raised as a triangular division on 30 June 1939 in Utsunomiya, Japan, simultaneously with 38th, 39th an ...
, both of which arrived safely. However, the
IJA 51st Division
The was an infantry Division (military unit), division of the Imperial Japanese Army. Its call sign was the . It was formed on 10 July 1940 at Utsunomiya, Tochigi, simultaneously with 52nd Division (Imperial Japanese Army), 52nd, 54th Division (I ...
, including Adachi and his senior staff, came under Allied air attack while en route from Rabaul to
Lae, in the
Battle of the Bismarck Sea
The Battle of the Bismarck Sea (2–4 March 1943) took place in the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) during World War II when aircraft of the U.S. Fifth Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) attacked a Japanese convoy carrying troop ...
. All eight transport ships and four destroyers were sunk with the loss of 3,664 men, and only 2,427 men of the division were rescued.
With the defeat of the
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrend ...
in the
Solomon Islands campaign
The Solomon Islands campaign was a major campaign of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign began with Japanese landings and occupation of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville, in the Territory of New Guinea, ...
, and with landings of
US forces led by
Douglas MacArthur at
Aitape and
Hollandia from 22 to 27 April 1944, isolated the vast majority of Adachi's forces. His forces, suffering from
malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
,
heat exhaustion Heat exhaustion is a severe form of heat illness. It is a medical emergency. Heat exhaustion is caused by the loss of water and electrolytes through sweating.
The United States Department of Labor makes the following recommendation, "Heat illness ...
and
malnutrition
Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues ...
were rendered ineffective for the remainder of the war, despite Adachi's efforts to achieve some form of self-sufficiency by planting crops and giving priority in rations to the sick. As ammunition began to run low, many of Adachi's commanders resorted to
banzai charge
Banzai charge is the term that was used by the Allied forces of World War II to refer to Japanese human wave attacks and swarming staged by infantry units. This term came from the Japanese battle cry , and was shortened to banzai, specificall ...
s against the Allied beachhead at Aitape rather than surrender. By the end of the war in September 1945, most of his forces had been annihilated. Of Adachi's original 140,000 men, barely 13,000 were still alive when the war ended. He surrendered to the
Australian 6th Division at
Cape Wom
Cape Wom is a cape (or small peninsula) near Wewak, Papua New Guinea, pointing into the Dogreto Bay of the Bismarck Sea
The Bismarck Sea (, ) lies in the southwestern Pacific Ocean within the nation of Papua New Guinea. It is located northea ...
, by
Wewak
Wewak is the capital of the East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea. It is on the northern coast of the island of New Guinea. It is the largest town between Madang and Jayapura. It is the see city (seat) of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wewak. ...
, New Guinea.
Postwar
At the end of the war, Adachi was taken into custody by the
Australian government and charged with
war crimes in connection with mistreatment and arbitrary execution of
prisoners of war. Although not personally involved in any of the atrocities mentioned, Adachi insisted on absorbing
command responsibility
Command responsibility (superior responsibility, the Yamashita standard, and the Medina standard) is the legal doctrine of hierarchical accountability for war crimes. for the actions of his subordinates during the
military tribunal
Military justice (also military law) is the legal system (bodies of law and procedure) that governs the conduct of the active-duty personnel of the armed forces of a country. In some nation-states, civil law and military law are distinct bod ...
. On 12 July 1947 he was sentenced to
imprisonment for life. On 10 September that year he killed himself in his quarters with a paring knife in the prisoners' compound at Rabaul, having first written a number of letters.
In one of these, addressed to those officers and men of the
Eighteenth Army who were then in the compound, he said:
Notes
References
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*
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External links
*
*
Lieutenant General Adachi Hatazo, Australia–Japan Research Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adachi, Hatazo
Japanese generals
1890 births
1947 suicides
Imperial Japanese Army generals of World War II
South Seas Mandate in World War II
Japanese military personnel who committed suicide
Japanese people convicted of war crimes
Japanese prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
Seppuku from Meiji period to present
Suicides by sharp instrument in the Solomon Islands
People who committed suicide in prison custody
Japanese people who died in prison custody
Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by the Commonwealth of Australia
Prisoners who died in Commonwealth of Australia detention
Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun
Military personnel from Ishikawa Prefecture
1947 deaths