Kunio Nakagawa (中川 州男, Nakagawa Kunio, 23 January 1898 – 24 November 1944) was the commander of Japanese forces which defended the island of Peleliu in the Battle of Peleliu which took place from 15 September to 27 November 1944. He inflicted heavy losses on attacking U.S. Marines and held Peleliu Island for almost three months. On the evening of 24 November, after the battle was lost, he performed seppuku (ritual suicide) in the tradition of Japanese samurai warriors. He was posthumously promoted to lieutenant general.
Nakagawa was a native of Kumamoto Prefecture, and was the third son of an elementary school principal. He graduated from the 30th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in December 1918 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry of the IJA 48th Regiment.
Careeredit
He subsequently served with the 2nd Regiment of the Taiwan Army of Japan, with the HQ of the IJA 12th Division, and as a battalion commander with the IJA 79th Infantry Regiment. He experienced combat for the first time during the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, and subsequently served with distinction during the Second Sino-Japanese War in Shanxi Province. In March 1939, he was sent to the Army Staff College at the recommendation of his regimental commander, and was promoted to lieutenant colonel in March 1939. In April 1941, he was awarded the prestigious Order of the Golden Kite, 4th class. In March 1943, Nakagawa was promoted to colonel and was made commander of the IJA 2nd Infantry Regiment, which was under the command of the IJA 14th Division in Manchukuo.
As the situation in the Pacific War increasingly deteriorated for Japan, the 14th Division was redeployed to bolster the defenses of the Japanese territory of Palau, and the IJA 2nd Infantry Regiment was assigned to the small island of Peleliu south of the main islands in the archipelago[citation needed][when?]. When he left Japan, Nakagawa told his wife that he would not be coming back[citation needed]. Nakagawa made use of the natural geography of the island to construct numerous fortifications connected by a tunnel system, in order to defend the island in depth, and to inflict the most possible casualties on the invading forces. On 15 September 1944, US forces landed on Peleliu and the battle lasted over two months.[1] In the United States, it was a controversial battle because of the island's questionable strategic value and the high casualty rate, which was the highest for U.S. military personnel of any battle in the Pacific War.[2] The National Museum of the Marine Corps called it "the bitterest battle of the war for the Marines".[3]
Deathedit
On 24 November, Nakagawa proclaimed "Our sword is broken and we have run out of spears". He then burnt his regimental colors and performed ritual suicide.[4] He was posthumously promoted to lieutenant general for his valor displayed on Peleliu.
^Moran, J. and Rottman, G.L., 2002, Peleliu 1944, Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd., ISBN1841765120
^Wagner Jr., Corydon (2003). Harrison, Holly R. (ed.). "The bones of Nakagawa". Naval History Magazine. 17 (1). United States Naval Institute: 42. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
January 01, 1970
kunio, nakagawa, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, july, 2009. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Kunio Nakagawa news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2009 Learn how and when to remove this message Kunio Nakagawa 中川 州男 Nakagawa Kunio 23 January 1898 24 November 1944 was the commander of Japanese forces which defended the island of Peleliu in the Battle of Peleliu which took place from 15 September to 27 November 1944 He inflicted heavy losses on attacking U S Marines and held Peleliu Island for almost three months On the evening of 24 November after the battle was lost he performed seppuku ritual suicide in the tradition of Japanese samurai warriors He was posthumously promoted to lieutenant general Kunio NakagawaNative name中川 州男Born 1898 01 23 23 January 1898Kumamoto Prefecture Japanese EmpireDied24 November 1944 1944 11 24 aged 46 Peleliu island PalauAllegiance JapanService wbr branch Imperial Japanese ArmyYears of service1918 1944RankLieutenant general posthumous Battles warsSecond Sino Japanese War Marco Polo Bridge Incident World War II Battle of Peleliu Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 3 Death 4 ReferencesEarly life and education editNakagawa was a native of Kumamoto Prefecture and was the third son of an elementary school principal He graduated from the 30th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in December 1918 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry of the IJA 48th Regiment Career editHe subsequently served with the 2nd Regiment of the Taiwan Army of Japan with the HQ of the IJA 12th Division and as a battalion commander with the IJA 79th Infantry Regiment He experienced combat for the first time during the Marco Polo Bridge Incident and subsequently served with distinction during the Second Sino Japanese War in Shanxi Province In March 1939 he was sent to the Army Staff College at the recommendation of his regimental commander and was promoted to lieutenant colonel in March 1939 In April 1941 he was awarded the prestigious Order of the Golden Kite 4th class In March 1943 Nakagawa was promoted to colonel and was made commander of the IJA 2nd Infantry Regiment which was under the command of the IJA 14th Division in Manchukuo As the situation in the Pacific War increasingly deteriorated for Japan the 14th Division was redeployed to bolster the defenses of the Japanese territory of Palau and the IJA 2nd Infantry Regiment was assigned to the small island of Peleliu south of the main islands in the archipelago citation needed when When he left Japan Nakagawa told his wife that he would not be coming back citation needed Nakagawa made use of the natural geography of the island to construct numerous fortifications connected by a tunnel system in order to defend the island in depth and to inflict the most possible casualties on the invading forces On 15 September 1944 US forces landed on Peleliu and the battle lasted over two months 1 In the United States it was a controversial battle because of the island s questionable strategic value and the high casualty rate which was the highest for U S military personnel of any battle in the Pacific War 2 The National Museum of the Marine Corps called it the bitterest battle of the war for the Marines 3 Death editOn 24 November Nakagawa proclaimed Our sword is broken and we have run out of spears He then burnt his regimental colors and performed ritual suicide 4 He was posthumously promoted to lieutenant general for his valor displayed on Peleliu Nakagawa s remains were discovered in 1993 5 References edit Japan s Island of Death Nazi Megastructures America s War National Geographic TV Military History Online Bloody Peleliu Unavoidable Yet Unnecessary World War II Central Pacific Campaigns Peleliu National Museum of the Marine Corps Archived from the original on 3 March 2016 Retrieved 7 February 2012 Moran J and Rottman G L 2002 Peleliu 1944 Oxford Osprey Publishing Ltd ISBN 1841765120 Wagner Jr Corydon 2003 Harrison Holly R ed The bones of Nakagawa Naval History Magazine 17 1 United States Naval Institute 42 Retrieved 8 January 2019 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Kunio Nakagawa amp oldid 1221348671, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
