Hara and Shigure survive repeated Pacific battles

After Amatsukaze went for repairs, Hara was promoted to command Destroyer Division 27 from Shigure. He continued operations in the Solomon Islands, and the account also links him to the possible sinking of PT-109. At Leyte Gulf, Shigure was one of only four Japanese destroyers to escape after a torpedo passed through her rudder without exploding. Hara also survived the bombing of Rabaul. These repeated escapes help explain why his memoir offers an unusually long view of Japanese destroyer operations across the Pacific War.