Tameichi Hara

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Tameichi Hara
Native name	原 為一
Born	October 16, 1900 Kagawa Prefecture, Japan
Died	October 10, 1980(1980-10-10) (aged 79)
Allegiance	Empire of Japan
Service/branch	Imperial Japanese Navy
Years of service	1921–1945
Rank	Captain
Commands held	Amatsukaze, 19th Destroyer Division, 27th Destroyer Division, Yahagi
Battles/wars	World War II Pacific War Battle of the Java Sea Battle of Midway Battle of the Eastern Solomons Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands Naval Battle of Guadalcanal Battle of Vella Gulf Battle off Horaniu Naval Battle of Vella Lavella Battle of Empress Augusta Bay Operation Ten-Go

Tameichi Hara (原 為一, Hara Tameichi, October 16, 1900 – October 10, 1980) was an Imperial Japanese naval commander during the Pacific War and the author of the IJN manual on torpedo attack techniques, notable for his skill in torpedo warfare and night fighting. Hara was the only IJN destroyer captain at the start of World War II to survive the entire war and his memoirs serve as an important source for historians.

Early life

Hara was born on October 16, 1900, in a suburb of Takamatsu City on the island of Shikoku.^[1] A native of Kagawa Prefecture and of samurai descent, Hara graduated with the 49th class from the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy at Etajima in 1921. In 1932 Hara was assigned as a surface warfare instructor and wrote a torpedo attack manual that was accepted as official doctrine. He began the war as the captain of destroyer Amatsukaze.

Military career

• Air raid against American naval base at Davao on Mindanao (Philippines), 8 December 1941, escorting aircraft carrier Ryūjō; a complete fiasco, as no American ships were found (on Amatsukaze)
• Invasion of Davao on 20 December 1941, an easy Japanese victory, as the base was already almost completely evacuated (on Amatsukaze)
• Invasion of Ambon Island, 30 January-3 February 1942, a Japanese victory (on Amatsukaze)
• Battle of the Java Sea, 27–28 February 1942, a great Japanese victory (on Amatsukaze)
• Invasion of Christmas Island, 31 March 1942, an easy Japanese victory as British garrison surrendered without resistance (on Amatsukaze)
• Battle of Midway, 4–7 June 1942, a decisive Japanese defeat (on Amatsukaze)
• Battle of the Eastern Solomons, 24–25 August 1942, a serious Japanese defeat (on Amatsukaze)
• Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, 26 October 1942, a costly Japanese victory (on Amatsukaze)
• Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 13 November 1942, a Japanese tactical victory but a very serious strategic defeat (on Amatsukaze)
• Battle of Vella Gulf, 6–7 August 1943, a crushing Japanese defeat (on Shigure)
• Battle off Horaniu, 17 August 1943, inconclusive (on Shigure)
• Battle of Vella Lavella, 6 October 1943, the last Japanese naval victory of the war (on Shigure)
• Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, 1–2 November 1943, a heavy Japanese defeat (on Shigure)
• Operation Ten-Go, 7 April 1945, a crushing Japanese defeat (on Yahagi)

List of Victories:^[9]

• USS Perch, US submarine damaged by Hara's destroyer Amatsukaze on 1 March 1942, and which was later sunk by other Japanese destroyers on 3 March 1942, Java Sea.
• USS Barton, US destroyer sunk by Amatsukaze in torpedo attack during the Battle of Guadalcanal, 12 November 1942.
• USS Juneau, US light cruiser damaged by a torpedo from Amatsukaze, and sunk the next day by submarine I-26 as Juneau limped back to base. Battle of Guadalcanal, 13 November 1942.
• USS Selfridge, US destroyer severely damaged and put out of action for six months by torpedoes fired by destroyers Shigure and Samidare under Hara's command. Battle of Vella LaVella, 6–7 October 1943.

Approximately ten US, British, and Australian aircraft were shot down by the destroyer Shigure and light cruiser Yahagi while under Hara's command, though not all of these claims are verified by Allied sources.

Later life and memoirs

Postwar Hara commanded merchant ships which transported salt. Hara was the only IJN destroyer captain at the start of World War II who survived the war.^{[citation needed]} This left him the sole surviving witness to several important meetings and conferences which he recounted in his memoirs. Hara's memoirs, Japanese Destroyer Captain: Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Midway -- the Great Naval Battles as Seen Through Japanese Eyes (1961), were translated into English and French and became an important reference for the Japanese perspective for historians writing about the Pacific Campaign of World War II. In his memoir, Hara objects to compulsory suicide as official doctrine, which he saw as a violation of bushido values. His personal doctrines demonstrate why he survived the war and the Japanese lost it- they were inflexible, and he was not. His doctrines were "Never ever do the same thing twice" and "If he hits you high, then hit him low; if he hits you low, then hit him high," the latter was also a maxim of Douglas MacArthur's. Hara criticizes his superiors for using cavalry tactics to fight naval battles; never understanding the implications of air power; dividing their forces in the face of enemy forces of unknown strength; basing tactics on what they thought their enemy would do; failing to appreciate the speed with which the enemy could develop new weapons and accepting a war of attrition with a foe more capable of maintaining it. However, he does make some crucial mistakes in this memoir such as claiming that Kirishima sunk USS San Francisco at the Battle of Guadalcanal^[10] despite the fact that San Francisco was scrapped the same year his memoir was published.

Personal life

Hara had three children with his wife Chizu: two daughters Keiko and Yoko, and a son, Mikito, who was born shortly before the start of hostilities.

Notes