This is an apolitical forum for discussions on the Axis nations, as well as the First and Second World Wars in general hosted by Marcus Wendel's Axis History Factbook in cooperation with Michael Miller's Axis Biographical Research and Christoph Awender's WW2 day by day.
by Peter H on 14 Dec 2006 09:56
Two days after His Majesty the Emperor Hirohito had dedicated a casket in Tokyo's Westminster Abbey, Yasukuni Shrine, to the memory of 531 soldiers killed in Manchuria and China since the beginning of the present troubles, he sat down to celebrate his 32nd birthday with a large and elaborate luncheon. At 2 p. m., just when the sake bowls were succeeding the raw fish salad, the sound of dozens of clattering wooden geta disturbed the palace guards. Newsboys in checked kimonos were rushing bundles of extras to the kiosks with news of a great Japanese tragedy at Shanghai.
That morning in Shanghai 10,000 Japanese troops celebrated the Emperor's birthday with a grand military review in Hongkew Park. U. S. Consul General Edwin S. Cunningham, oldest, most experienced of Shanghai diplomats, warned Japanese authorities that such a celebration would be dangerous, but nobody paid attention. In massed squares battalion after battalion of Japanese infantry goose-stepped across the parade ground, each with its fluttering sunburst guidon. In the front of the reviewing stand were many of the highest officers in the Japanese Army & Navy: Vice Admiral Kichisaburo Nomura, Commander of the Shanghai fleet; General Yoshinori Shirakawa, Commander-in-Chief of the Army in Shanghai; Maj.-General Kenkichi Uyeda; Consul General Kuramatsu Murai; Minister to China Mamoru Shigemitsu. Behind them loomed the big foreign military attachés of Britain, France, Italy, the U. S. These white officials left the stand as soon as the review was over. The crowd pressed round to listen to speeches.
A Korean on the edge of the crowd threw a narrow tin box high in the air. In an ear-splitting roar, the grandstand flew apart like a mechanical toy. Minister Shigemitsu was blown into the air like a jack-in-the-box, his feet flung wide. Consul General Mural's face was unrecognizable with blood and torn flesh. Admiral Nomura's eye was blown out, General Shirakawa lost all his teeth. General Uyeda lost three toes. Kim Fung-kee, the Korean bomb-thrower, was beaten unconscious by Japanese soldiers. One W. S. Hibbard, a U. S. citizen, protested the detention of two Chinese photographers, was rushed to a police station as a suspect and questioned for hours.
Bravest that day were a group of little flat-faced Japanese nurses. Before the echo of the explosion died down they fought their way through the terrified crowd to the wreck of the reviewing stand, ripped the uniforms of the injured officers into strips to make bandages, saved Minister Shigemitsu's life with tourniquets on both thighs.
by Kim Sung on 14 Dec 2006 10:10
Kim Fung-kee, the Korean bomb-thrower, was beaten unconscious by Japanese soldiers. One W. S. Hibbard, a U. S. citizen, protested the detention of two Chinese photographers, was rushed to a police station as a suspect and questioned for hours.
by Kim Sung on 15 Dec 2006 10:05
by Kim Sung on 19 Dec 2006 02:54
by Peter H on 19 Dec 2006 12:47
Japanese admiral and diplomat. A graduate of the Japanese naval academy, he commanded navy at Shanghai in 1932, was made a full admiral in 1933, and resigned from active service in 1937. He was (1939) foreign minister before being appointed (1940) ambassador to the United States. He and a special envoy, Kurusu, were carrying on negotiations in Washington when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. After World War II, Nomura denied that he knew beforehand of the attack.
by Peter H on 19 Dec 2006 13:00
Born in the Osaka prefecture, Ueda enlisted in the Imperial Japanese Army graduating from the Japanese Military Academy in 1898, and Army Staff College in 1908. Serving as a staff officer in the Siberian Expeditionary Army in 1918, Ueda was eventually awarded the rank of colonel by the following year.
Assigned command of a regiment in 1923, Ueda was promoted to major general after a year and was assigned as commanding officer of a cavalry brigade.
Promoted to lieutenant general in 1928, the following year Ueda was appointed commander of the China Garrison Army which he served as commanding officer until 1930. As commander of the Japanese 9th Division, Ueda's command was involved in much of the fighting against Chinese forces in the aftermath of the Japanese occupation of Manchuria in 1932.
Seriously wounded in the bombing which killed Gen. Yasunori Shirakawa in May...Ueda was named commander of the Shanghai Expeditionary Army and, a year later vice chief of the Army General Staff. In 1934, Ueda became the commanding officer of the Korean Army and, as a general in 1935, returned to China as commander of the Kwangtung Army (Guangdong). It was in this post that he supported the aggressive and reckless actions initiated by staff and field officers against the Russian-Japanese border which would lead to heavy fighting and high casualties against Soviet forces around Nomonhan between May and August of 1939. Despite the disastrous results against the Soviets, Ueda would refuse to discourage his officers from similar actions and was eventually recalled in late-1939. Retiring to public life, Ueda would live until his death in 1962.
by Peter H on 19 Dec 2006 13:12
M. Shigemitsu, Japanese Minister to China: - Serious injures to theighs and legs.
K. Murai, Consul General for Japan: - Wounds to left thigh.
General Y. Shirakawa, Commander of the Japanese Army: - Bad injures left cheek, teeth, and body.[later died]
Lt.Gen K. Uyeda, Commander of the 9th Division, Japanese Army: - Three toes amputated; injures left shoulder.
Vice Admiral, K. Nomura, Commander of the Japanese Navy: - Loss of right eye.(Eye later removed entirely by operation)
Dr. Kawabata, President of Japanese Residents’s associations: - Internal bleeding; chest wound. Injuries of most serious character resulting in his death at four o’clock the following morning.
Mr. Tomono, Secretary-General, Japanese residents’s association: - Slightly injured.
Japanese Sailor: Japanese photographer from Osaka Mainichi: - Slightly injures.
by Kim Sung on 25 Feb 2007 15:53
Return to Japan at War 1895-1945
Users browsing this forum: CommonCrawl [Bot], tom! and 2 guests
