Hiroaki Abe Totally Explained

Everything about Hiroaki Abe totally explained

was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.

Biography

Early career

Abe was born in Yonezawa city in Yamagata prefecture in northern Japan. He graduated from the 39th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1911, with a ranking of 26 out of a class of 148 cadets. As a midshipman, he served on the cruiser Soya and battleship Mikasa. After his promotion to ensign on 1 December 1912, he was assigned to cruisers Nisshin, Chikuma, and then the battleship Kongō.
   After attending torpedo school and naval artillery school, he was promoted to sub-lieutenant and served on the destroyer Akebono, followed by cruiser Chitose during World War I. However, it doesn't 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, the destroyer Ushio on 20 July 1922. He then commanded the destroyer Hatsuyuki, and was promoted to lieutenant commander the following year on 1 December 1923. He was captain of the destroyer Kaki for one year in 1925.
   Abe returned to the Naval War College (Japan) in 1926. He was promoted to commander on 10 December 1928, and captain on 1 December 1932. In 1936, he assumed command of the cruiser Jintsu, and a year later, that of the battleship Fusō.

Pacific War

On 15 November 1938, Abe was promoted to the rank of rear admiral. He was thus in command of Cruiser Division 8 (CruDiv8) during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the subsequent Battle of Wake Island.
   During the Guadalcanal campaign, as commander of Combat Division 11 (BatDiv 3 and CruDiv 8), he led his ships as the vanguard group at the Battle of the Eastern Solomons 23-25 August, 1942) and the Battle of Santa Cruz October 26-28). He was promoted to vice admiral on 1 November 1942.
   However, during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (November 12 – 13), when assigned to bombard Henderson Field on Guadalcanal, he broke off his attack after encountering USN Rear Admiral Daniel Callaghan's Task Force 67.4 and losing his flagship, the battleship Hiei and two destroyers. His failure to aggressively push through his attack against what appeared to be an inferior enemy force created tremendous controversy, and he was relieved of his command by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto.
   Abe was forced to resign from the Imperial Japanese Navy soon afterwards (March 1943). He died in 1949.
   His younger brother, Toshio Abe, was also a career navy officer, and was captain of the aircraft carrier Shinano.

Notable Positions Held

Crewmember, BB Kongo - 27 May 1914 - 1 December 1914
   Staff Officer, 3rd Fleet - 1 December 1919 - 10 November 1921
   Chief Torpedo Officer, CL Tama - 10 May 1923 - 1 May 1924
   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, CL Jintsu - 1 December 1936 - 1 December 1937
   Commanding Officer, BB Fuso - 1 December 1937 - 1 April 1938
   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

Further Information

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