Ismay, General Sir Hastings, 1887-1965

During World War I General Ismay sought but never found action in a major theater but did serve in Somaliland. In 1939 he became Head of the Secretariat of the Committee of Imperial Defense and when CHURCHILL became Prime Minister and Minister of Defense in May 1940, Ismay became his Chief of Staff. In this post the diplomatic and politic Ismay served as the interpreter and communicator of information between Churchill and the people who ran the machinery of war. Terse, tactless questions and answers were intercepted, rephrased and transmitted so that no one was offended. Ismay became the accepted channel of communication between Churchill and his Chiefs of Staff and Generals. He liaised with the Americans on behalf of Churchill and attended several conferences including the Foreign Secretaries Conference in Moscow. Admired by everyone, he was once toasted by Admiral KING ‘Pug Ismay, whose contribution to our victory could never be properly rewarded.’

Iwabuchi, Admiral Sanji, 1893-1945 Iwabuchi was a Japanese Commander who led a suicidal attempt to keep US troops from taking Manila, YAMASHITA, the General in command of Japanese troops in the Philippines, had ordered a general withdrawal from Manila and a last stand was to be fought in the north. Iwabuchi and his 15,000 naval forces did not come under Yamashita’s control and they determined to fight to the end for the city. Iwabuchi’s men demolished sections of the city and held it street by street. It took the US 37th Division over a month to clear the resistance in which none of the Japanese survived and approximately 100,000 Filipino civilians died.