Baba Masao

Masao Baba
Lieutenant General Masao Baba (Centre) at Labuan airstrip to sign the surrender document at the 9th Division Headquarters on 9 October 1945.
Born	(1892-01-07)7 January 1892 Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan
Died	7 August 1947(1947-08-07) (aged 55) Rabaul, Territory of New Guinea
Allegiance	Empire of Japan
Service/branch	Imperial Japanese Army
Years of service	1909–1945
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands held	IJA 37th Army
Battles/wars	Second Sino-Japanese War World War II

Masao Baba (馬場 正郎, Baba Masao^?, 7 January 1892 – 7 August 1947) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, commanding the Japanese ground forces of the Borneo Campaign of 1945 in the closing months of the war.

Baba was born in Kumamoto prefecture, as the son of Lieutenant Baba Masayuki, a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Army, and his wife. He attended military preparatory schools from childhood, starting with the Army Cadet School in Hiroshima, whose curriculum was based on Prussian models. He graduated from the 24th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in December 1912, specializing in cavalry. As a second lieutenant, he was assigned to the IJA 5th Cavalry Regiment.

Baba studied as part of the 33rd class of the Army War College, graduating in November 1921. He remained in the cavalry throughout his career, and was attached to the Inspectorate of Cavalry from 1933-1935, where he served as an instructor at the cavalry school. In 1935, Baba was promoted to colonel and subsequently given command of the IJA 2nd Cavalry Regiment from 1935 to 1938.

In July 1938, Baba was promoted to major general, and served as commanding officer of the IJA 3rd Cavalry Brigade to 1939. From 1939 to 1940, he served as a staff officer with the Inspectorate of Cavalry. He became the commander-in-chief of all cavalry operations from 2 December 1940 to 1 October 1941. During the Second Sino-Japanese war, he was assigned to Inner Mongolia to develop cavalry operations. In August 1941, Baba was promoted to lieutenant general.