was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, commanding Japanese ground forces on New Guinea during the closing months of the war.Shigeru Katagiri
www.generals.dk

Biography

Katagiri was born in

Kagawa prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kagawa Prefecture has a population of 949,358 (as of 2020) and is the smallest prefecture by geographic area at . Kagawa Prefecture borders Ehime Prefecture to the southwest and Tok ...

. He graduated from the 25th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in May 1913 and was initially attached to the IJA 11th Infantry Regiment. He graduated from the 36th class of the Army Staff College in November 1924, and was subsequently assigned to the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office. From September 1926, Katagiri was assigned to the Chosen Army in Korea as head of a special military intelligence unit operating in Siberia and Manchuria. Afterwards, he returned to Tokyo as an instructor at the Army Academy and Staff College, as an aide-de-camp to Prince Mikasa, instructor at the Cavalry School, and commander of the IJA 27th Cavalry Regiment, During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Katagiri was promoted to colonel in the cavalry in August 1937, and in November of the same year became

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

of the IJA 1st Division which was stationed in

Manchukuo Manchukuo, officially the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of (Great) Manchuria after 1934, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China, Manchuria from 1932 until 1945. It was founded as a republic in 1932 afte ...

under the aegis of the Kwantung Army. Katagiri was promoted to major general in August 1939 and assigned command of the

IJA 1st Cavalry Brigade The 1st Cavalry Brigade of the Imperial Japanese Army was originally formed November 3, 1901. It was assigned to Kwantung Army in April 1933 as part of the IJA Cavalry Group. It was then assigned with the Cavalry Group to the Northern China ...

the following month, operating with the

Mongolia Garrison Army The was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. History The Japanese Mongolia Garrison Army was raised on December 27, 1937 as a garrison force in Japanese-dominated Inner Mongolia and adjacent areas of north China. From Ju ...

to December 1940, when he returned to Japan. He subsequently became military advisor to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and vice-bureau head for the Inspectorate of Cavalry. In December 1942, Katagiri was promoted to lieutenant general. In July 1943, he was ordered to replace General

Shigemasa Aoki Shigemasa (written: 重政 or 重昌) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: * Shigemasa Higaki (born 1971), Japanese golfer *, Japanese ''daimyō'' *, Japanese ukiyo-e artist *, Japanese ''daimyō'' *, Japanese ...

, who had died of malaria while commanding the

IJA 20th Division The was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. Its tsūshōgō code name was the . Formation The 20th Division and the 19th Division were both raised as a garrison force for Korea. After Japan's victory in the Russo-Japanese War ...

in New Guinea. His headquarters was near Gali, New Guinea, and marched with his troops to reinforce Finschhafen after the Australian landings. Katagiri was the primary Japanese commander at the Battle of Finschhafen between September and October 1943 in the Huon Peninsula campaign. He gathered his forces at

Sattelberg Sattelberg, also spelt ''Satelberg'' ("Saddle Mountain"), is a village on the Huon Peninsula, in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. The village is set on a peak about 900 metres (3,000 ft) above sea level,Coulthard-Clark 1998, p. 244. and dom ...

but was forced to retreat after being defeated during the Battle of Sattelberg on 25 October 1943. During the Battle of Hollandia at the end of April 1944, Katagiri was killed in combat while en route from Madang to Wewak.

Notes

References

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Katagiri, Shigeru 1892 births 1944 deaths Military personnel from Kagawa Prefecture Japanese military personnel killed in World War II Japanese generals Imperial Japanese Army generals of World War II