WWII Japanese Imperial Navy (IJN) Admiral Takeo shiri o tataubekida Kurita!



A snippet from Evan Thomas' Sea of Thunder - published in 2006.


Page 134.


"Kurita was not a forward - leaning commander.

"In June 1942, at the Battle of Midway, when two of the cruisers under his command had collided as they were evading a submarine, Kurita had left them behind as he retired from the battle.

"Kurita was criticized for not standing by the cripples.

"At Imperial General Headquarters, the gossip was that Kurita would only attack when directly ordered -- that he needed his butt kicked -- shiri o tataubekida.

"And yet, by June 1944, he had been given a great command, overall responsibility for the IJN's heaviest guns, a fleet comprised of most of the navy's battleships and cruisers..."

Wow!

Good people!

And to think yours truly has always been convinced that it was only the U.S. Military High Command that was so totally f **** - up! :)

Anyway, this book's a fine read!