Sōsaku Suzuki

Infobox Military Person
name=Sōsaku Suzuki
lived= 27 September 1891 - 19 April, 1945
placeofbirth=Aichi prefecture, Japan
placeofdeath=


caption=General Sōsaku Suzuki
nickname=
allegiance=Empire of Japan
branch=
serviceyears=1912 -1945
rank=General
commands=Central China Expeditionary Army, IJA 25th Army, IJA 35th Army
unit=
battles= Second Sino-Japanese War
World War II
awards=
family=
laterwork=nihongo|Sōsaku Suzuki|鈴木宗作| Suzuki Sōsaku|extra= 27 September 1891 - 19 April, 1945 was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.

Biography

Born in Aichi prefecture, Suzuki graduated from the 24th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1912. After leaving 31st class of the Army War College in 1921, he served as a resident officer in Germany from 1922 to 1925. Winning promotion to captain in 1927, Suzuki was assigned to the Army Ministry's Military Affairs Section the following year.

Transferred to the Kwangtung Army in 1933, Suzuki served in Manchuria for three years as Chief of the Kempeitai and, shortly following his promotion to major in 1935, he became commander of the IJA 4th Infantry Regiment until 1937. [Ammenthorp, The Generals of World War II]

Promoted to major general the next year, Suzuki was named Chief of Staff of the Central China Expeditionary Army where he served until 1939.

After a number of staff assignments on the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff, Suzuki was promoted to lieutenant general in March 1941 and reassigned to the IJA 25th Army under General Tomoyuki Yamashita in November.

The IJA 25th Army was active in the Singapore-Malaysia campaign from 8 December 1941 to 5 February 1942 in the early stages of the Pacific War.

After a series of administrative posts relating to military transportation, between 1943 and 1944, Suzuki was appointed commander of the IJA 35th Army and, with his headquarters in Cebu, was charged with the defense of the southern Philippines.

With American landings at Leyte from 20 October 1944 Suzuki sent 45,000 soldiers to meet the Allied forces; however, numerical superiority of land and air power, the Allies decimated the Japanese forces by the end of December. On 25 December 1944 he received orders to evacuate as many troops as possible to defend the other southern Philippine islands. On 24 March 1945 he escaped to Cebu City, and when the American and Filipino troops landed on Cebu on 26 March 1945, he retreated into the hills, and from there attempted to withdraw to Mindanao. [Budge, The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia] His boats were attacked by aircraft and Suzuki was killed in action in April 1945. He was posthumously promoted to full general.

References

Books

*cite book
last = Dupuy
first = Trevor N.
coauthors =
year = 2006
title = The Harper Encyclopedia of Military Biography
publisher = HarperCollins Publishers
location = New York
id = ISBN: 0-7858-0437-4
*cite book
last = Fuller
first = Richard
coauthors =
year = 1992
title = Shokan: Hirohito's Samurai
publisher = Arms and Armor
location = London
id = ISBN: 1-85409-151-4
*cite book
last = Hayashi
first = Saburo
coauthors = Cox, Alvin D
year = 1959
title = Kogun: The Japanese Army in the Pacific War
publisher = The Marine Corps Association.
location = Quantico, VA
id =
*cite book
last = Morison
first = Samuel Eliot
coauthors =
year = 2002
title = History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Vol. 13: The Liberation of the Philippines--Luzon, Mindanao, the Visayas, 1944-1945
publisher = University of Illinois Press
location =
id = ISBN: 0-252-07064-X
*cite book
last = Vego
first = Milan N.
coauthors =
year = 2006
title = Battle for Leyte, 1944 : Allied And Japanese Plans, Preparations, And Execution
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN: 1-55750-885-2

External links

*cite web
last = Ammenthorp
first = Steen
url = http://www.generals.dk/general/Suzuki/Sosaku/Japan.html
title = Suzuki Sokaku
work = The Generals of World War II
*cite web
last = Budge
first = Kent
url = http://pwencycl.kgbudge.com/index.htm
title = Suzuki Sosaku
work = Pacific War Online Encyclopedia

Notes