Second Fleet had coordinated major Japanese cruiser and destroyer activity since its formation in 1903. Kondo and his chief of staff Shiraishi rarely appear at the front of popular battle narratives because their work was planning, administration, and force organization. Kondo opposed occupying Midway because the island would be difficult to supply after capture. After Japan's surrender, British and Japanese authorities left him in command in Indochina to fight communist Vietnamese guerrillas, evidence that they treated him as reliable. The source remains uncertain whether Nobutake Kondo or another officer named Kondo served as naval attaché in London. Together, these details show the Tokyo Express as the product of experienced staff work rather than careless improvisation.
Chapter · 25:17-31:15
Second Fleet turns plans into Tokyo Express operations
A profile of Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondo and Rear Admiral Kazutaka Shiraishi shows the staff organization behind Japanese cruiser and destroyer operations.