Name Yoshimi Nishida | Died February 21, 1944 | |
Similar People Harry W Hill, Ralph C Smith, Holland Smith, Chuichi Hara, Marc Mitscher | ||
Yoshimi Nishida (西田 祥実, Nishida Yoshimi, born 1 March 1892 - died February 21, 1944) was a Japanese general during World War II. He was killed in action during the Battle of Eniwetok.
Biography
Yoshimi Nishida was born on 1 March 1892 in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. He attended the Imperial Military academy and graduated on 26 May, 1913. He was promoted to the rank of First lieutenant on 25 December of the same year. He was promoted to the rank of Major-General on 1 August 1942.
Nishida was made commander of the Imperial Japanese Navy's 1st Amphibious Brigade, which was the main defense force for the island of Eniwetok in the Marshall Islands. Nishida was in charge of the island's defenses when the US Marines invaded the island in February 1944. He erected several defensive positions to keep the American soldiers at bay one month earlier, but the small size of the island made defenses in depth near impossible. In other words, the Americans would have to be stopped at the beaches, or else, they would be able to take the island easily. The Americans did so, losing only 37 marines. Nearly all of the 800 Japanese soldiers on Eniwetok Island were lost, including Nishida, who was gunned down in the heat of the fighting.