Imperial Japanese Navy admiral known as the commander of the Pearl Harbor/Indian Ocean task force (Kido Butai) before being infamous for his command at the battle of Midway where all four carriers in his task force were ambushed and sunk.
In the aforementioned battle, he elected to wait for the return of the first Midway strike before launching his planes against the US forces against Yamaguchi Tamon's suggestions and prodding to launch as soon as the US carriers were sighted. The waves of attacks by US torpedo bombers prevented Nagumo from giving out the order to launch before the dive bombers arrived and dealt the fatal blows to three of his four carriers, including his own flagship.
He never fully recovered mentally from the disastrous battle and, after repeated reassignments, ultimately committed suicide in the battle of Saipan in July 1944.
