Takeo Itō

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Takeo Itō

Japanese General Takeo Itō
Place of birth Fukuoka prefecture, Japan
Place of death Rabaul, New Britain
Allegiance Empire of Japan
Service/branch Imperial Japanese Army
Rank Lieutenant General
Commands held IJA 38th Division
Battles/wars Second Sino-Japanese War, Pacific War
In this Japanese name, the family name is Itō .

Takeo Itō (伊東武夫 Itō Takeo?, 1886-1946) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.

[edit] Biography

Itō was born in Fukuoka city. Upon attaining the rank of major general on 25 August 1941 Itō, who had been commanding officer of the IJN 228th Infantry Regiment at the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War, was given command of the IJN 38th Division, which was the primary Japanese division in the invasion of Hong Kong.[1]

In early 1942, Itō was reassigned to an independent command in his own name, the “Itō Detachment”, which Ito took part in the Battle of Ambon in the Dutch East Indies (30 January – 3 February 1942) and in the occupation of Timor. All these campaign were characterized by extreme ruthlessness and the massacre of prisoners.[2]

On 11 November 1942, during the pivotal Battle of Guadalcanal, Ito was positioned by Lieutenant-General Harukichi Hyakutake to attack Marines under the command of U.S. General Alexander Archer Vandegrift. However, Vandegrift called off his offensive that day after receiving intelligence reports of Hyakutake's plans.

Itō became commander of the 40th Independent Mixed Brigade stationed at New Ireland and New Guinea, on 4 July 1944 and was promoted to lieutenant-general on November 26 of that year.

At the end of the war, Itō was taken into custody by Australian forces, and was tried a war criminal in a military tribunal for the murder of Chinese civilians and was sentenced to death at Rabaul, New Britain on 24 May 1946 but it is unclear as to whether the sentence was carried out or not.[3]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Ammentorp, Steep. Ito, Takeo. The Generals of World War II.
  2. ^ Budge, Kent. Takeo Ito. Pacific War Online Encyclopedia.
  3. ^ Some Noteworthy War Criminals Source: History of the United Nations War Crimes Commission and the Development of the Laws of War, United Nations War Crimes Commission (London: HMSO, 1948)

[edit] External links