was a career officer and

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 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 ...

who was the most senior Japanese officer killed in combat during the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

. 『陸軍現役将校同相当官実役停年名簿』（昭和10年9月1日調）0コマ

Biography

Abe was born in Nanawa Village,

Kitatsugaru District, Aomori is a rural district located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. As of September 2013, the district had an estimated population of 40,171 and an area of 304.54 km2. Much the city of Goshogawara and part of the city of Aomori was formerly part of Ki ...

(present day city of

Goshogawara, Aomori is a Cities of Japan, city located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 53,576 in 25,568 households, and a population density of 130 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Goshogawara occupie ...

). He graduated from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy on May 31, 1907, and served in the IJA 32nd Infantry Regiment, the IJA 8th Division and on the staff of the

IJA 18th Division The was an infantry division of the Imperial Japanese Army. Its tsūshōgō code name was the . The 18th Division was one of two infantry divisions newly raised by the Imperial Japanese Army immediately after the Russo-Japanese War (1904–19 ...

. From April 11, 1932, to August 1, 1935, he was commandant of the Sendai Army Training School. He commanded the IA 32nd Infantry Regiment from August 1, 1935, to August 2, 1937, and was commander of the IJA 1st Infantry Brigade from August 2, 1937, to June 1, 1938. On June 1, 1938, he became commander of the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade which was attached to the

Mongolia Garrison Army The was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. History The Japanese Mongolia Garrison Army was raised on December 27, 1937 as a garrison force in Japanese-dominated Inner Mongolia and adjacent areas of north China. From Ju ...

. On October 26, 1939, he led 1500 men of the 2nd and 4th Regiments of the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade out of its garrison at

Kalgan Zhangjiakou (; ; ) also known as Kalgan and by several other names, is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hebei province in Northern China, bordering Beijing to the southeast, Inner Mongolia to the north and west, and Shanxi to the southwe ...

south for an operation against the Chinese 120th Division of the

Eighth Route Army The Eighth Route Army (), officially known as the 18th Group Army of the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China, was a group army under the command of the Chinese Communist Party, nominally within the structure of the Chinese ...

under General He Long in Hebei Province. However, operations were quickly bogged down by the

guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or Irregular military, irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, Raid (military), raids ...

tactics employed by the Chinese, who made good use of the rugged terrain of the Taihang Mountains and were able to encircle the Japanese forces. In the afternoon of November 7, his camp headquarters was attacked by a mortar fired by Chinese guerrillas and Abe was severely wounded in the legs and abdomen. Refusing to order a withdrawal, he died later that night of his injuries. Following Abe's death, Japanese reinforcement rescued the remainder of his command and forced the Eighth Route Army to retreat.

Mao Tse-tung Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (P ...

issued a telegram praising the 18-year old soldier, Li Erxi (李二喜, 1920–2010), who fired the mortar, and proclaimed him to be a hero of the anti-Japanese resistance. The mortar itself is listed as a national first-class cultural property and is displayed at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

.「抗日英雄」の李二喜氏が死去＝日中戦争時、砲撃で日本軍中将を戦死さす―中国
exciteニュース 2010年3月29日13時34分 Abe was posthumously awarded the Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...

. His grave is at the Tama Cemetery in Tokyo.

Military career

Promotions

References

External links

Generals.dk

Forum.valka.cz

45160u.sakura.ne.jp
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abe, Norihide 1887 births 1939 deaths Japanese generals Military personnel killed in the Second Sino-Japanese War Deaths by explosive device Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 3rd class Recipients of the Order of the Golden Kite Military personnel from Aomori Prefecture People from Aomori Prefecture People from Goshogawara Imperial Japanese Army generals of World War II