Interesting information on war in the Pacific

Man, that's great! Now I know where my bayonette came from. I've wondered that for almost 10 years!

 

http://www.combinedfleet.com/officer.htm

Tameichi Hara

Captain of destroyer Amatsukaze at the beginning of the war, and squadron commander aboard Shigure during much of the fighting in the Solomons. He survived several very close scrapes in the Solomons, including being the lone destroyer to survive the fiasco off of Vella LaVella on August 6, 1943, where three of four Japanese ships involved (Hagikaze, Arashi, and Kawakaze) were all ambushed and sunk within the space of a few minutes in the Battle of Kula Gulf. By the end of the war he had become skipper of Yahagi, which accompanied (and was sunk along with) Yamato on her final sortie, although Hara again survived. Hara exemplified the best in Japanese surface commanders; highly skilled (particularly in torpedo warfare and night fighting), hard driving, and aggressive. He was also bitterly critical of the Japanese Navy's handling of the war.

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JAPANESE DESTROYER CAPTAIN*
Hara, Tameichi
c.1961, Ballantine
ISBN: 0-345-02522-9
Tameichi Hara was a destroyer commander in the Imperial Japanese Navy during WW2. This book contains his reminiscences of his time aboard several destroyers. It also records some of the combat ship captains' disputes with higher authority, and effectively destroys the myth that the Japanese Navy was a monolithic entity during the war.

 

Submarines in the Pacific War
statistics:

200 U.S. subs sank 201 Jap warships & 1113 merchant ships
total Japan loss of 4.7m tons - 55% total ships
211 subs built - 182 operational peak in '45
U.S. would lose 52 subs with 3503 crew
Japs lost 112 subs (had 60 at start of war)


And more:

http://history.acusd.edu/gen/WW2Timeline/subpac.html

 

Okinawa

The invasion of the Ryukyus was made by troops of the U.S. Tenth Army, which had been activated on June 20, 1944 with Lt. Gen. Simon B. Buckner, Jr., as commanding general.

The Ryukyus campaign began on March 26, 1945 with the capture of small islands near Okinawa, where forward naval bases were established. An amphibious assault on Okinawa took place on 1 April, and the fighting lasted until June.

Here, for the first time, Americans were invading what the Japanese defenders considered their home soil, and the defense was fanatic in the extreme. American troops suffered heavy casualties, and the Navy, too, had heavy personnel losses as Japanese suicide flyers, the Kamikazes, sank some 25 American ships and damaged 165 others in a desperate attempt to save the Ryukyus.

Among the nearly 35,000 American casualties were General Buckner, who was killed on June 18. He was succeeded by Maj. Gen. Ray S. Geiger, who was in turn succeeded by General Joseph W. Stilwell, who arrived to assume command of the Tenth Army on June 22, 1945.

Capture of the Ryukyus gave Allied naval and air forces excellent bases within 700 miles of Japan proper. Throughout June and July, Japan was subjected to increasingly intensive air attack and even to naval bombardment.

Allied forces were now in position for the final assault. In preparation for the invasion of Japan, a reorganization of U.S. Pacific forces had been effected on April 3, 1945, in which General MacArthur was given command of all Army forces and Admiral Nimitz of all naval forces. MacArthur's new command was designated U.S. Army Forces, Pacific (AFPAC). The war ended before the reorganization could have any effect on operations.

http://www.worldwar2history.info/Okinawa/



Great pic

http://www.archives.gov/research_room/research_topics/world_war_2_photos/images/ww2_158.jpg

"A Marine of the 1st Marine Division draws a bead on a Japanese sniper with his tommy-gun as his companion ducks for cover. The division is working to take Wana Ridge before the town of Shuri." S.Sgt. Walter F. Kleine, Okinawa.


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Pics of war in the Pacific

http://www.cvl-22.com/page6.html

 

"GLIP" BOMBING


After theoretical considerations in the light of past experience, the 341st Group Commanding Officer submitted a new technique to the squadrons. This technique had been developed by the 490th Bm Sqdn, later nicknamed the 'Burma Bridge Busters'. Hence forth, a combination glide and skip attack was to be used on all bridges, which method was subsequently labeled ‘glip’ bombing.

It consisted essentially of a double or multiple glide approach, first a steep glide followed by a shallow glide. The pilot approaches the target bridge along its longitudinal axis at an altitude of 1000-1200 feet. When approximately 2000 feet from the target, he goes into a 30-35 degree glide, building up speed of 260-280 mph. In this glide the pilot aims 50 feet in from of the target and continues to glide to an altitude of about 450 feet. At this point the glide is abruptly decreased to 15-20 degrees. While in this shallow glide the modified gun sight (N-6 or similar one) is lined up with the aiming point on the bridge. The gun sight is preset before approaching the target area. The angle set into the sight is that obtained from skip-bombing tables, with a correction for the angle of glide. Bomb release is from an altitude of about 150 feet.

http://www.341stbombgroup.org/intel/341glipbomb.htm

 

On bombing Japan

http://www.ieer.org/comments/bombing.html

The U.S. bombing strategy of 1942-44 against Japan was expanded in a big way in March 1945, beginning with the fire bombing of Tokyo on March 9 and 10, 1945. The area of Tokyo selected was four miles by three miles, a zone with a civilian population density of 103,000 per square mile. A high concentration of incendiary bombs dropped from the huge U.S. B-29 Superfortresses ignited a series of fires, fanned by brisk winds, which raged out of control within half an hour, the result of which was that more than 15 square miles of Tokyo was burned out. About 100,000 men, women and children were killed and another 100,000 people were made homeless. According to the U.S. Army Air Forces: "No other air attack of the war, either in Japan or Europe, was so destructive of life and property."

Within 48 hours of the U.S. fire bombing of Tokyo, LeMay's B-29 bombers launched incendiary attacks against Kobe, Nagoya, and Osaka. Over a 10 day period, 9,373 tons of bombs were dropped and 31 square miles of these cities were burned out. More fire bomb raids were carried out on Tokyo, and by the end of May 1945, 56 square miles of Tokyo had been reduced to ashes.

Every major city in Japan, with the exception of Kyoto, was targeted by LeMay in the spring of 1945 for destruction. LeMay wanted to prove the decisiveness of such bombing. In April 1945, he wrote General Larry Norstad "I am influenced by the conviction that the present stage of development of the air war against Japan presents the AAF for the first time with the opportunity of proving the power of the strategic air arm. I consider that for the first time strategic air bombardment faces a situation in which its strength is proportionate to the magnitude of its task. I feel that the destruction of Japan's ability to wage war lies within the capability of this command, provided the maximum capacity is extended unstintingly during the next six months, which is considered to be the critical period.



General Curtis Lemay


http://www.service.ohio-state.edu/students/aas/aas_lemay_pics.htm

 

Johnny Got a Zero

Not many fliers have had a popular song written about them, but an exception was a soft-spoken USAAF enlisted man, John D. Foley. As a skilled typist, Foley was assigned to duty as a company clerk en route to the Southwest Pacific in December 1941. Eager for combat, he secured orders--some rumored that he forged them--transferring him to duty as a armorer. Although he had never received any aerial gunnery training, he volunteered as a gunner and was assigned to the crew of a Martin B-26.
On his first mission, his aircraft was attacked by Japanese fighters and Foley shot down at least one enemy aircraft, although he was relucant to mention his feat since he was not sure he had done the right thing in firing without orders. Other members of the 19th Bomb Squadron confirmed his victory and he was nicknamed "Johnny Zero" by a war correspondent. Corporal Foley became a hero in his home town of Chicago and the subject of a popular song, "Johnny Got a Zero." Other commercial firms capitalized on his fame and produced such items as "Johnny Zero" watches and boots.

During his 31 other Pacific combat missions, Foley shared in the destruction of at least six more enemy aircraft and survived three B-26 crashes. In one such accident, he was the only survivor and was rescued by New Guinea natives. Malaria forced his return to the U.S. in 1943 where he toured factories promoting war production. He was assigned to duty as a gunnery instructor, but again secured an overseas assignment, this time to the 409th Bomb Squadron flying B-24s out of England. He volunteered to fly whenever he could and was able to complete 31 missions over Europe in only 60 days. He returned to the U.S. and was preparing for a third overseas tour when WWII ended.

http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/history/wwii/cp14.htm

 

What is the single most destructive air raid of the war?

A: This was an attack on the capital city of Japan by B-29 bombers on the night of March 9/10, 1945. In three hours 279 bombers released 1660 tons of incendiaries, including large numbers of oil-based incendiary devices on Tokyo. The official Japanese count found 83,793 dead and 40,918 injured. A total of 267,171 buildings were destroyed leaving one million people homeless. 15.8 square miles of the city had been burned to the ground, including 18% of the industrial area, and 63% of the commercial center.

http://www.ww2guide.com/ww2faq.shtml

 

Sagami Depot

Sagami Depot is located in the city of Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, Honshu, Japan.

The US Army Facility Sagami, often called the Sagami Depot, is a former Japanese military establishment. The Sixth Arsenal of the Imperial Japanese Army was established in 1935 and later became known as the Sagami Army Arsenal. During World War II, the Sagami Arsenal was one of the largest industrial developments constructed by the Japanese Government to manufacture tanks for their armies. In addition to the construction of hundreds of buildings and elaborate tunnels; underground excavations were devised to accommodate the more critical activities. The Sixth Arsenal of the Imperial Japanese Army was established 1935 in Sagami under Colonel Ikeda as a branch of the Tokyo First Army Arsenal. In 1936 it became a separate activity, commanded by Lt General Takasu Okada, and it was renamed the Sagami Army Arsenal. Plant 10, Building No. 171-1 was used for the production of tanks. Right before the end of World War II, the first 100 ton tank was completed in this building; however, the tank was too heavy to be moved to Yokohama Port.

Many other items were also made at the Sagami Arsenal. Of particular interest were the fire bombs carried by free balloons which drifted across the Pacific to start forest and other fires in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia. Component parts were made in what is now Plant Three, the Box and Crate Shop of the Care and Preservation Branch, and assembled in Bldg 166-1. These balloons were launched from the Chiba Peninsula, across the bay from Tokyo. Tractors, shells, gauges, and an airborne guided missile were also produced at the Arsenal.

Several reminders of the old Sagami Arsenal are still visible today. By far, the most prominent and charming is what is now known as Shrine Park. The Arsenal at its peak employed approximately 11,300 Japanese personnel. A ground breaking ceremony was held 30 June 1942. Employees from the various areas of Japan collected plants, shrubbery, stone and trees from their hometowns to place in the park surrounding the shrine.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/sagami-depot.htm

 

http://users.swing.be/tanks.edito/edito/3407.html

To spare valuable oil, the Japanese were the first in 1932 to develop a usable diesel engine and to generalize its use in their tanks after 1934. Even Russia did not go so far and so quickly. The Japanese were also pioneers for amphibious tanks, although they played only a modest role in actual combats.

Between 1931 and 1945, Japan produced 6450 tanks. Half of them (3300) were made by the Mitsubishi Company.

The sub-total of tanks produced between 1940 and 1945 is 4424, i.e. a yearly average comparable to Italy.The fleet and the air force had priority.

In 1945, only 130 tanks left the production lines. That was due to the American air offensive but above all to the submarine offensive that effectively cut off the supply of raw materials.

 

The Hump was the name given by Allied pilots to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew from India to China to resupply the Flying Tigers and the Chinese Government of Chiang Kai-shek. It extended from Assam, India, to Kunming, China and was 530 miles long, with mountain ranges reaching over 15,000 feet in elevation. The pilots started flying The Hump in April 1942 when the Japanese blocked the Burma Road, and they continued to do so until 1945 when the road was reopened.

http://www.nimitz-museum.com/cbiprimer.htm

 

kai, concerning the flying tigers, were they stationed mostly in the south of China for defense, i know they protected most of the major cities in China against Japanese bombing but were they ever offensive against Japanese bases or fortifications.

 

Check this Onthefield:

http://www.ww2forums.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=000913#000000

I´m not an expert on this but I think they were in defence as long as they were allowed to act.

 

http://www.microworks.net/pacific/road_to_war/route_south.htm


Japan was caught virtually flat-footed bu operation Barbarossa. It was not that it had no advance warning - Japan's ambasssador Oshima Hiroshi had caught notice of the plan earlier in the month and reported it to Tokyo on the 5th of June. But it had received that warning too late still: for no more than two months earlier, it had concluded a neutrality pact with the Soviets.

The man responsible for bringing about that pact was Japan's Foreign Minister, Matsuoka Yosuke.



In personal talks with the Soviets, Matsuoka had followed the example of Germany in befriending the Soviets (or so he thought). Obvious benefits would result from this: improved relations with the Soviets would increase the chance of persuading Stalin to cease aiding China's Nationalist regime, and allow some reorientation away from the Soviet threat, as well as sending a signal to the Americans that Japan was not at all isolated.

on June 23rd, a shattered Matsuoka, who had ignored German hints at their upcoming offensive when he had visited Berlin in April, ruefully admitted to the Cabinet that he had misjudged. He went on to propose that Japan now join the Germans in their attack on the Soviets, a proposal so incredible when coming from the very architect of the neutrality pact that a cabinet member asked it to be repeated. That same day, the Imperial Navy affirmed its wish to strike south and occupy Southern Indochina.

For a week thereafter, at two liaison conferences of the Army, Navy and Foreign Ministries, and the Prime Minister, the Japanese leadership debated the relative options. In the end, however, no decision was come to. An Imperial Conference on July 2nd was summoned to deal with the outstanding decisions. The result of the conference was a decision to leave the Soviets alone for the time being (presumably awaiting more favorable conditions), and concentrate on the South. The resolution called for the occupation of Southern Indochina, for the establishment of the "Greater East-Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere". Alas, it left open just about any route, by conditioning the future course of the Japanese expansion on the development of the situation. In recognition of that, it called for the secret mobilization of one million reservists and conscripts, for use either against the Soviets or in the southern expansion.

 

Another piece of info:

The attack on Pearl Harbor

7:49am - Fuchida radios his planes to attack with "To To To" code for "charge"

7:53am - Fuchida radios "Tora Tora Tora" code ("tiger") that the surprise attack on Pearl was successful.



CAPT. MITSUO FUCHIDA
(1902-1976)


http://vikingphoenix.com/public/rongstad/bio-obit/fuchida1.htm

So it seems that "To To To" was the attack code and not Tora Tora Tora...

 

Pre-war fact:

"Gentlemen don't read each other's mail"

Prior to the formation of the OSS American intelligence services had been conducted on a ad-hoc basis by the various departments of the armed forces with no overall direction or control (for example the Army and the Navy had separate code-breaking departments (Signal Intelligence Service and OP-20-G) that not only competed but refused to share break-throughs. The original code-breaking operation of the State Department, MI8 run by Herbert Yardley, had been shut-down in 1929 by Secretary of State Henry Stimson because "gentlemen don't read each other's mail").



http://en2.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Strategic_Services

http://en2.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Stimson

 

I read this just a couple of days ago on:

"The divine wind" by Inogutsi, Nakazima and Pineau.

After the Emperor announced Japan's surrender on August 15 , Admiral Matome Ugaki stripped off his insignia of rank, climbed into a torpedo bomber, and flew to Okinawa, where his intention was to crash into an American ship. In fact, his aircraft and several others filled with ardent young men who had accompanied Ugaki on his last mission, were all shot down by American fighters.

http://www.usmm.org/ccsword.html

http://books.kelkoo.co.uk/browse/b/5101/ps_0822936658.html

 

I am very proud to say that I own this wonderful book. You cannot believe how amazing it is and it isn't biased. It is full of accurate historical information by both sides, testimonies from surviving Kamikaze commanders and pilots, along with poems and letters of those men. Very emotive and very precise book.

This is a MUST for all of you to have.

 

Samuro Sakai- Japanese ace
Born Aug. 16, 1916 - Died September 22, 2000

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/reviews/samurai.html

A veteran of 200 missions and 64 confirmed victories racked up in China, New Guinea and the Solomons.

The most fascinating aspect of his story is what he is most proud of about his wartime service. NOT the fact that he shot down 64 planes, but rather that he never lost a wingman.

More on the man:

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/people/veterans/sakai.html