Takeo Takagi (高木 武雄, Takagi Takeo, 25 January 1892 – 8 July 1944) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. He was the commander of the IJN 6th Fleet, which oversaw the deployment of all submarines.
In 1933, Takagi was assigned command of the cruiser Nagara, followed by Takao in 1936 and the battleship Mutsu in 1937. Takagi was promoted to rear admiral on 15 November 1938, and was Chief of the 2nd Section of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff in 1939.
At the start of the Pacific War, Takagi was commanding the naval forces supporting the invasion of the Philippine Islands in late 1941, Takagi headed the task force covering the Java landings in Dutch East Indies. He was senior Japanese commander in the Battle of the Java Sea, sinking two cruisers and three destroyers in exchange for damage to a single Japanese destroyer.
In November 1942, Takagi was reassigned to be commander of the Mako Guard District. In April 1943, The Guard District moved to Takao, Taiwan and Takagi was assigned to be commander of the renamed Takao Guard District. On 21 June 1943, he was again given a front line assignment, when he was made commander of the IJN 6th Fleet (submarines), based in the Mariana Islands.
Takagi was killed in action during the Battle of Saipan in 1944. Missing after the battle, it is not clear whether he committed suicide or died trying to escape in a submarine.[4] He was posthumously promoted to full admiral.
Hara, Tameichi (1961). Japanese Destroyer Captain. New York & Toronto: Ballantine Books. ISBN0-345-27894-1. - Firsthand account of the battle by the captain of the Japanese destroyer Amatsukaze.
Morison, Samuel Eliot (2001) [1958]. The Rising Sun in the Pacific 1931 - April 1942, vol. 3 of History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Castle Books. ISBN0-7858-1304-7.
Whiting, Brendan (1995). Ship of Courage: The Epic Story of HMAS Perth and Her Crew. Australia: Allen & Unwin Pty., Limited. ISBN1-86373-653-0.
Winslow, Walter G. (1994). The Fleet the Gods Forgot: The U.S. Asiatic Fleet in World War II. Naval Institute Press. ISBN1-55750-928-X.
Niek Koppen (Director) (1995). Slag in de Javazee, De (The Battle of the Java Sea) (Documentary film). Netherlands: NFM/IAF. — 135 minute documentary of the battle. Won the "Golden Calf" award for "Best Long Documentary" at the 1996 Nederlands Film Festival.
Hoffman, Major Carl W., USMC (1950). "Saipan: The Beginning of the End". USMC Historical Monograph. Historical Branch, United States Marine Corps. Retrieved 2005-12-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)