Isoroku Yamamoto
Sailor / Military Leader / World War II Figure
Name at birth: Isoroku Sadayoshi
Isoroku Yamamoto studied at Harvard from 1919 to 1921, and returned to the United States in 1925 on a diplomatic mission. He didn't want to go to war with the United States, but when called upon by his country Yamamoto planned the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor and then led the Japanese navy to its early victories in World War II. When the U.S. decoded a Japanese message in 1943 that included Admiral Yamamoto's itinerary, they ambushed his plane in the south Pacific and killed him.
Extra credit: Extra credit: Yamamoto lost two fingers on his left hand during the Battle of Tsushima in 1905.
Admiral Yamamoto joins Jesse James and Telly Savalas in our loop on Celebs Missing Fingers... Other WWII military figures include Hideki Tojo, 'Pappy' Boyington and Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Four Good Links
Isoroku Yamamoto
Nice little bio from the offbeat Cosmic Baseball Association
Imperial Japanese Navy Page
A history buff's tribute to Yamamoto's team
The Pearl Harbor Attack
Fantastic starting point and FAQ from the U.S. Naval Historical Center
Who Killed Yamamoto
More details on the U.S. attack on Yamamoto
Vital Stats
Birth
Birthplace
Death
18 April 1943
(shot down by U.S. forces, age 58)
Best Known As
Japanese admiral who planned the attack on Pearl Harbor
