Sadatoshi Senda

was a

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

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 surrender ...

. Senda was an officer in the IJN, and was stationed on the island of

Biak Biak is an island located in Cenderawasih Bay near the northern coast of Papua (province), Papua, an Indonesian province, and is just northwest of New Guinea. Biak is the largest island in its small archipelago, and has many atolls, reefs, and c ...

, near

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

. Though he was the highest-ranking officer on the island, he was placed under the command of

Kuzume Naoyuki Kuzume Naoyuki (1890 – June 28, 1944) was a colonel in the Imperial Japanese Army. Biography Kuzume Naoyuki was the commander of defenses on the island of Biak, near the Japanese-held bases in Papua New Guinea. He led the IJA 22nd Infant ...

, who was only a colonel. He commanded 1,500 troops of the 28th Marine Department, yet only 125 had engaged in combat training. He aided in the defense of Biak against the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

, but was killed in the battle for the island after trying to fight off the US landings. 1944 deaths Japanese military personnel killed in World War II 1890 births Imperial Japanese Navy admirals {{Japan-mil-bio-stub