Japanese general Tomoyuki Yamashita seated between German officers during his visit to the 53rd German Bomber Wing, near Calais, France, part of his clandestine tour of Nazi World War II military operations.
In December 1940, a few months after Japan, Germany, and Italy formed their World War II alliance called the “Tripartite Pact,” a group of Japanese military leaders traveled to Berlin to learn from their new allies. Leading the group was General Tomoyuki Yamashita, a seasoned military leader who was quickly rising through the ranks of the Imperial Japanese Army. Soon, Yamashita would become famous worldwide as the “Tiger of Malaya” for leading the brutal Japanese conquest of Singapore.
When Yamashita met Adolf Hitler, the Nazi leader, they had different goals in mind. Hitler wanted to convince Japan to declare war on Britain and the United States. However, Yamashita, dealing with Japan’s ongoing conflict with China and concerns about Russia, wasn’t interested in that. Instead, he wanted to learn from Germany’s military techniques to strengthen Japan’s own military. Although Hitler promised to share information openly, the Japanese delegation’s questions about radar and other equipment were largely ignored by top Nazi officials. Instead, they were shown a “greatest hits” tour of German military sites around occupied territories.
Yamashita wasn’t impressed with Hitler personally. He later told his staff that, while Hitler might be a great speaker on stage, in person, he seemed more like a clerk behind his desk. Despite his private feelings, Yamashita publicly praised the relationship between Japan and Germany. He told a Berlin newspaper that Hitler had been influenced by Japan’s military power since he was young and that Hitler believed Japan and Germany had common spiritual foundations.
The relationship between Germany and Japan was not just spiritual—it was financial, too. In 1938, the Third Reich looted Europe’s gold reserves, giving Germany as much as 100 metric tons of hard currency. In the following years, the Nazis continued to seize gold from central banks in countries like Poland, Belgium, and the Netherlands. At the same time, Japan was plundering the rich gold resources of Northeast China and other Asian territories, leading to stories about Yamashita hiding vast hordes of treasure in the Philippines.
As the war dragged on and Germany’s resources dwindled, Japan stepped in to help. In 1944, a Japanese submarine called I-52, believed to be carrying more than two tons of gold, was sunk by Allied forces. The submarine was on a mission to deliver gold, opium, metal, and other raw materials to the Nazi war effort.
Initially, Yamashita and Hitler’s relationship was rocky, but it seemed to improve over time. Six months after his meeting with Hitler, Yamashita told reporters that the spirits of Nazism and Japan were so similar that it was almost a surprising coincidence. In 1942, Japanese officials debated whether to continue their conquests beyond the Netherlands, India, and Burma. Yamashita, influenced by Hitler’s arguments about conquering India and giving East and South Africa to Japan, pushed for continued expansion despite the risks.
However, Yamashita’s relentless pursuit of more territory ultimately led to his downfall. In the final months of 1945, he was sentenced to death for war crimes by an American military tribunal. In February 1946, Yamashita was executed, taking any secrets about hidden gold with him.
What Was Life Like for German Soldiers in Germany After WW2?
A lost war is a heavy burden. Some German soldiers spent up to 10 years as POWs in Siberia. Many died in the camps, and some died after returning home when they ate……. (Read Full).
Some additional information about the mission of I-52 …
-There was a joint German Japanese program using what I would call “blockade runners” to move supplies and key personnel between the two countries. The I-52 was one of vessels being used.
-There is a line item showing in detail what she was transporting including the gold mentioned. There is a similar list of material she was going to take to Japan including uranium oxide.
-The details on the single voyage of the I-52 in a timeline format. Worth noting not mentioned in the link that her location has been determined and scouted but for the time being the gold is not accessible as it will cost fairly big $ to mount an effort to get inside the wreck.
The career of the general who would become the “Tiger of Malaya” isn’t explained well.
-A concise bio: The Tiger of Malaya
-Toward the end of the link there is an explanation of the war crime charges and the (IMO dubious) process that led to his execution that were based on what happened when (mostly) US forces liberated the Philippines. Aside: Studied the case when I took constitutional law long ago
The narrative notes that there were similar issues in Malaya. Not mentioned Great Britain was building a case for prosecution in the extremely unlikely event the US administered trial did not end as it did. IMO they had an excellent case based on the “laws of war” etc that existed prior to WW2.
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