ShÅjirÅ Iida
Iida Shojiro (Japanese饭 田 祥 二郎; born August 8, 1888 in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, † 23 January 1980 in Tokyo ) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army.
Life
Born in Yamaguchi Prefecture Iida graduated 1908, the Imperial Japanese Army Academy and in December 1915, the Imperial Japanese Army Academy from. In December 1918 he was promoted to captain. As such, he participated in the Siberian intervention.
After serving in various administrative positions within the Imperial Japanese General Staff, he was from 1932-1934 an instructor at the Army Infantry School before moving up in 1935 commander of the 4th Regiment of the Imperial Japanese Guard was afterwards. Thereafter, he was until 1937 Chief of Staff of the 4th Division.
After the start of the Second Sino- Japanese War Iida was the beginning of 1938 Chief of Staff of the fighting in China 1st Army. Soon after, however, he was transferred to Taiwan in order to command the local Taiwan Army. In 1939 he returned to Japan and was there until 1941 Commander of the Imperial Guard.
Shortly before the beginning of the Pacific War took Iida command of the 25th Army, which held French Indochina occupied. He made his headquarters in Saigon and dealt with planning for a possible invasion of Thailand. In early December 1941, he took over the command of the newly formed 15th Army, which consisted of the 33rd and the 55th Division. From 8 December his troops crossed the border and hit the only light resistance of the Thai troops. After Japan had the Thai government was forced into a defensive pact, Iida's troops crossed the country and crossed the border on 20 January 1942 to the British colony of Burma. This triggered the Burma campaign.
Iida's 35,000 soldiers managed despite the difficult terrain and tight supply, including outmaneuver the Allied forces and conquer on March 8, Rangoon. This he cut the Burma Road, which it almost impossible for the time being made the Allies to send the beleaguered Republic of China on land supply. By May, the Allies were pushed back to the borders of India and China and had to complain about 30,000 casualties while the Japanese until then were only about 7,000 men.
In 1943, Iida was recalled to Japan and moved to the Central Defence Command. In 1944 he was even briefly commander of the Central District Army before he retired to retire in the same year. Due to the massive Neuaushebungen the Japanese army in mid 1945, he has already been called back into the service and was appointed commander of the 30th Army in Manchukuo. During the Soviet Operation August Storm Iida was taken prisoner and remained until 1950, interned in the Soviet Union. Iida died on January 23, 1980 in Tokyo.