Rear-Admiral Shintaro Hashimoto

He finished his Naval Academy training in 1913 and was a student at the Naval Staff College, 1925-1926. Known principally as a torpedo specialist, he held several destroyer commands in the 1920s and destroyer division commands in the 1930s.

This Force was under the control of Malaya Force commanded by Vice-Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa. It was composed of ten destroyers, six minesweepers and three submarine-chasers for the invasion of Malaya in November 1941. His group escorted transports for the invasion force at Kota Bharu, northern Malaya on 8/9 December 1941. The landing faced opposition.

In late January and early February 1942, he was in command of the Escort Group of the Occupation Force of Balikpapan and Bandjermasin on Borneo.

In June 1942, he was Commander of thr 3rd Destroyer Flotilla, made up of the 11th and 19th Destroyer Divisions. This flotilla acted as a destroyer screen for the main force 1st Fleet under the command of Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto during Operation "MI", the attempted invasion of Midway Island.

On November 14/15 1942, he commanded the Sweeping Force during the Third Battle of the Solomon Sea.

He then commanded the 5th Cruiser Squadron, as part of the 10th Area Fleet under the command of Vice-Admiral S. Fukudome. He was killed aboard the flagship heavy cruiser Haguro, which was sunk 27 nautical miles southwest of Penang in the Strait of Malacca on 16 May 1945 by five British destroyers of 26th Destroyer Flotilla in the last surface action fought by Royal Navy in World War II.