World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseTakeo Takagi was born in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan in 1892. He graduated from the Japanese Naval Academy in 1911 and served aboard cruiser Aso and battleship Shikishima as a midshipman. At the rank of ensign, he served aboard cruiser Asama and battleship Kawachi. He then moved on to the submarine service, serving aboard submarine S-15 at the rank of lieutenant and then aboard S-24 as the executive officer and then the commanding officer. In 1923, he graduated from the Naval Staff College and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant commander, taking command of submarine Ro-28. In 1926, he became the commanding officer of submarine Ro-68. He was promoted to the rank of commander in 1928. Between 1928 and 1933, he held various staff positions, including service in the United States and in Europe in 1931. In 1932, he was promoted to the rank of captain. In 1933, he was given command of cruiser Nagara, followed by a similar command aboard cruiser Takao in 1936. In 1937, he was named the commanding officer of battleship Mutsu. After the outbreak of the war with China in 1937, he was promoted to the rank of rear admiral in Nov 1938 and then given command of the 2nd Section of the Japanese Navy General Staff in 1939. After the outbreak of the war with the United States in 1941, he was placed in command of the naval forces operating in support of the invasion of the Philippine Islands and the Dutch East Indies in late 1941 and early 1942. During Operation Mo, he commanded the carrier task force sailing toward Port Moresby, Australian Papua which resulted in the Battle of the Coral Sea. In Nov 1942, Takagi was named the commanding officer of the Mako Guard District in the Pescadores islands in the Taiwan Strait. In Apr 1943, he was transferred to Takao (now Kaohsiung), Taiwan as the commander of the Takao Guard District. He was named the commanding officer of the Japanese Navy 6th Fleet in Jun 1943, overseeing submarine operations. In this role, he established his headquarters on Saipan, Mariana Islands. As US troops approached, he evacuated his headquarters on 2 Jul 1944; command of 6th Fleet was transferred to Shigeyoshi Miwa in the Caroline Islands as Takagi lost access to his communications center. His final radio message was sent out on the same day he abandoned his headquarters:

ww2dbaseTagaki was killed in action on 8 Jul 1944 and was posthumously promoted to the rank of full admiral.

Takeo Takagi Interactive Map

Photographs

Takeo Takagi Timeline

Visitor Submitted Comments

Show older comments