Hiroaki Abe

Hiroaki Abe(A bộ ý chí kiên định,Abe Hiroaki,15 March 1889 – 6 February 1949)was an admiral in theImperial Japanese NavyduringWorld War II.

Hiroaki Abe
Native name	A bộ ý chí kiên định
Born	(1889-03-15)15 March 1889 Yonezawa, Yamagata,Japan
Died	6 February 1949(1949-02-06)(aged 59)
Allegiance	Empire of Japan
Service/ branch	Imperial Japanese Navy
Years of service	1911–1943
Rank	Vice admiral
Commands	Ushio,Hatsuyuki,Kaki,1st Destroyer Division, 2nd Destroyer Division, 23rd Destroyer Division,Jintsū,Fusō,14th Naval Air Group, 6th Destroyer Squadron, 8th Squadron, 11th Squadron
Battles / wars	World War II Pacific War Attack on Pearl Harbor Battle of Wake Island Battle of Midway Battle of the Eastern Solomons Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

Biography

Early career

Abe was born inYonezawa cityinYamagata prefecturein northern Japan. He graduated from the 39th class of theImperial Japanese Naval Academyin 1911, with a ranking of 26th out of a class of 148 cadets. As amidshipman,he served on thecruiserSoyaandbattleshipMikasa.After his promotion toensignon 1 December 1912, he was assigned to the cruisersNisshinandChikuma,and the battleshipKongō.

After attendingtorpedoschool andnaval artilleryschool, he was promoted to sub-lieutenant and served on thedestroyerAkebono,followed by the cruiserChitoseduringWorld War I.However, it does not appear that Abe experienced combat during his tour of duty.

After the end of the war, he served in mostly staff positions until he was given his first command on 20 July 1922, the destroyerUshio.He then commanded the destroyerHatsuyuki,and was promoted tolieutenant commanderthe following year on 1 December 1923. He was captain of the destroyerKakifor one year in 1925.

Abe returned to theNaval Staff Collegein 1926. He was promoted tocommanderon 10 December 1928, andcaptainon 1 December 1932. In 1936, he assumed command of the cruiserJintsu,and a year later, that of the battleshipFusō.

Pacific War

On 15 November 1938, Abe was promoted to the rank ofrear admiral.He was thus in command of Cruiser Division 8 (CruDiv8) during theattack on Pearl Harbor,and the subsequentBattle of Wake Island.

During theGuadalcanal campaign,as commander of Combat Division 11 (BatDiv 3 and CruDiv 8), he led his ships as the vanguard group at theBattle of the Eastern Solomonsfrom 23–25 August 1942 and theBattle of the Santa Cruz Islandsfrom 26–28 October. He was promoted tovice admiralon 1 November.

However, during theNaval Battle of Guadalcanalon 12–13 November, when assigned to bombardHenderson Fieldon Guadalcanal, he broke off his attack after encountering an almost completely crippling 40 minutes of intense combat withU.S. NavyRear AdmiralDaniel Callaghan's Task Group 67.4 (TG 67.4). Abe lost hisflagship,the battleshipHiei,which he ordered scuttled after it had been seriously damaged, as well as two destroyers. Abe himself was wounded – and his chief of staff (Captain Masakane Suzuki) was killed – bymachine-gunfire from theUSSLaffey,a destroyer that he sank afterwards. But he still had the undamaged battleshipKirishimato bombard Henderson Field and enough destroyers to finish off damaged Allied vessels. His failure to aggressively push through his attack against an inferior enemy force created tremendous controversy, and he was relieved of his command by AdmiralIsoroku Yamamoto.

Abe was forced to resign from the Imperial Japanese Navy soon afterward in March 1943. He died in 1949.

His younger brother, Toshio Abe(A bộ tuấn hùng,Abe Toshio,27 April 1896 – 29 November 1944),was also a career navy officer, and was captain of theaircraft carrierShinano.Abe went down withShinano,when she was torpedoed and sunk by the submarineUSSArcherfishwhile performing trials.

Notable positions held

• Crewmember, BBKongō– 27 May 1914 – 1 December 1914
• Staff Officer, 3rd Fleet – 1 December 1919 – 10 November 1921
• Torpedo Officer, CLTama– 10 May 1923 – 1 May 1924
• Senior Staff Officer, DesRon 2 – 30 November 1929 – 31 October 1931
• ComDesDiv 1 – 31 October 1931 – 16 May 1932
• ComDesDiv 2 – 15 November 1932 – 15 November 1933
• ComDesDiv 23 – 15 November 1933 – 15 November 1934
• Commanding Officer, CLJintsu– 1 December 1936 – 1 December 1937
• Commanding Officer, BBFusō– 1 December 1937 – 1 April 1938
• Commanding Officer, Air Group 14 - 1 April 1938 - 15 December 1938
• Chief Instructor of the Naval Academy - 15 December 1938 - 1 November 1940
• ComDesRon 6 – 15 November 1940 – 21 July 1941
• ComCruDiv 8 – 1 August 1941 – 14 July 1942
• ComBatDiv 11 – 14 July 1942 – 20 December 1942

Dates of promotions

• Midshipman – 18 July 1911
• Ensign – 1 December 1912
• Sublieutenant – 1 December 1914
• Lieutenant – 1 December 1917
• Lieutenant Commander – 1 December 1923
• Commander – 10 December 1928
• Captain – 1 December 1932
• Rear Admiral – 15 November 1938
• Vice Admiral – 1 November 1942

References

Books

• Crenshaw, Russell Sydnor (1998).South Pacific Destroyer: The Battle for the Solomons from Savo Island to Vella Gulf.Naval Institute Press.ISBN1-55750-136-X.
• D'Albas, Andrieu (1965).Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II.Devin-Adair Pub.ISBN0-8159-5302-X.
• Dull, Paul S. (1978).A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941–1945.Naval Institute Press.ISBN0-87021-097-1.
• Lacroix, Eric; Linton Wells (1997).Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War.Naval Institute Press.ISBN0-87021-311-3.
• Kilpatrick, C. W. (1987).Naval Night Battles of the Solomons.Exposition Press.ISBN0-682-40333-4.
• McGee, William L. (2002). "Operation TOENAILS".The Solomons Campaigns, 1942–1943: From Guadalcanal to Bougainville—Pacific War Turning Point, Volume 2 (Amphibious Operations in the South Pacific in WWII).BMC Publications.ISBN0-9701678-7-3.
• Morison, Samuel Eliot (2002).History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Vol. 14: Victory in the Pacific, 1945.Chicago: University of Illinois Press.ISBN0-252-07065-8.

External links

Media related toAbe Hiroakiat Wikimedia Commons

• Nishida, Hiroshi."Materials of IJN: Abe, Hiroaki".Imperial Japanese Navy.Retrieved20 February2020.