Days of Infamy POD: March, 1941; Relevant POD: December 7, 1941
Appearance(s):
Both volumes
Type of Appearance:
Direct
Date of Birth:
1885
Date of Death:
1943
Cause of Death:
Killed in action
Tomoyuki Yamashita (November 8, 1885 – February 23, 1946) was a general of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. He was most famous for conquering the British colonies of Malaya and Singapore, earning the nickname "The Tiger of Malaya". As a consequence of the actions of his subordinates while Japan occupied the Philippines, Yamashita was tried and convicted for war crimes after the war. He was executed in 1946.
General[1]Tomoyuki Yamashita (1885-1943) played a crucial role in the conquest of the United States territory of Hawaii in December 1941 through February 1942, accepting the formal surrender of American military leaders in Iolani Palace. Yamashita could barely hide his contempt for Admiral Husband Kimmel and General Walter Short.
Although Stanley Owana Laanui was made the monarch of the reconstituted, Yamashita represented the true executive authority in Hawaii (symbolized by the fact that he held an office in the Iolani Palace). Consequently, Yamashita, an Army general, was often at odds with the Imperial Japanese Navy, who carried the larger burden of defending Hawaii. When American planes led by Jimmy Doolittle bombed Hawaii in March 1942, both branches of the military were embarassed, but the Army felt that the Navy shouldered most of the burden. Yamashita frequently placed pressure on Naval officers, Commander Minoru Genda in particular, when it was learned the American submarines were regularly patrolling the island, and sinking Japanese cargo ships loaded with rice and oil.
Yamashita's forces were defeated by the large invasion forces the United States brought to Hawaii in 1943. Yamashita moved his headquarters to Pearl City, and resigned himself to defeat. True to custom, Yamashita died fighting.
