Coming from battle fields, crashed aircraft, graves, sunken ships and foxholes, many of them torn, defaced, water-soaked, soiled and charred, making them difficult or impossible to read. [43], The remaining destroyers with about 2,700 surviving troops limped back to Rabaul. In the spring of 1944, ATIS received a document which, after being translated, proved to be of exceptional value and probably considerably shortened the war. They totaled 104 in number. In response, on 8 March General Douglas MacArthur sought approval from the Joint Chiefs of Staff to bring forward the previously planned landings at Hollandia to 15 April. The town itself was on the shore of Humboldt Bay, with a first-class anchorage. US troops and vehicles along the invasion beach at Korako. Second, the Allies had become convinced that the Japanese were preparing a major seaborne reinforcement and so had stepped up their air searches. [7][8] Over the next year, the Japanese built up the area into a major air and naval base. RAAF radar could not provide sufficient warning of Japanese attacks, so reliance was placed on coastwatchers and spotters in the hills until an American radar unit arrived in September with better equipment. Exact tracings and translations were supplied to XXIV Corps prior to attack on these positions. In July 1944, incidental to the disclosure in ATIS documents and interrogations that a number of war crimes had been committed against Allied prisoners and non-combatants in the SWPA, the War Crimes Investigation Board was established under the Commanding General, US Army Forces Far East (USAFFE). First, with completion of the reduction of Rabaul, the South Pacific Area was closed as an active theatre, and Halsey left to take command of the U.S. 3rd Fleet. Todays post is by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland. It was not just ATIS that was engaged in captured Japanese records operations. [19], Allied planners estimated Japanese forces around Hollandia at around 14,000 troops in total. During the initial phase in early 1942, the Empire of Japan invaded the Australian-administered Mandated Territory of New Guinea (23 January) and the Australian Territory of Papua (21 July) and overran western New Guinea (beginning 29/30 March), which was a part of the Netherlands East Indies. [22] The cost to the Allied fighters was high. On September 27, 1940, Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy, thus entering the military alliance known as the "Axis."Seeking to curb Japanese aggression and force a withdrawal of Japanese forces from Manchuria and China, the United States . Except for some fairly heavy air raids, the Japanese reacted feebly to this penetration of their last defenses before the Philippines. [33], Operation Lilliput (18 December 1942 June 1943) was an ongoing resupply operation ferrying troops and supplies from Milne Bay, at the tip of the Papuan Peninsula, to Oro Bay, a little more than halfway between Milne Bay and the BunaGona area. It was occupied by the Japanese during their invasion of the Dutch East Indies in 1942, who planned to use it as a base for their expansion towards the Australian mandated territories of Papua and New Guinea. Gen. Robert L. Eichelberger, previously commander of the U.S. In March 1943, a document was captured showing the submarine schedule between Lae, New Guinea, and New Britain. [6], The struggle for New Guinea began with the capture by the Japanese of the city of Rabaul at the northeastern tip of New Britain Island in January 1942 (the Allies responded with multiple bombing raids, of which the action off Bougainville was one). Reports were issued when sufficient information on any subject had been collated to warrant publication. Blog of the Textual Records Division at the National Archives. The plane in which Fukudome was flying also crashed into the sea, near the island of Cebu. 14) was published and entitled Japanese Violations of the Laws of War. The report contained 28 pages of translations, each translation accompanied by a photostatic copy of the original document and authenticated under oath by the translator. An airfield had been built there during an area gold rush in the 1920s and 1930s. [18]. Their scheme of conquest envisaged control of the Aleutians, Midway, Fiji and Samoa, New Britain, eastern New Guinea, points in the [2] The naval command in the Southwest Pacific remained unchanged. Forward positions would first be established at Milne Bay, located in the forked eastern end of the Papuan peninsula, and at Buna, a village on the northeast coast of Papua about halfway between Huon Gulf and Milne Bay. During the Lae-Salamaua Operation in the summer of 1943 the Allies relied heavily on captured documents for intelligence information and planning. 11, Factors in Japanese Military Psychology was ever completed, although the material intended for this publication could have been used instead for Research Report No. 17 with Allied and Japanese Operations Among Natives of Dutch New Guinea; No. This resulted in considerable fatigue for the air crews. [39] This operation had no effect on the Japanese, as the air units were being held in reserve for a planned major attack on American naval forces in the Central Pacific. These documents, contrary to American intelligence, indicated that the Japanese were strongly entrenched on Parry and Eniwetok islands. [48][55], According to historian Stanley Kirby, the collapse of Japanese resistance was due to a lack of preparedness, changes in the command structure and a lack of combat troops; many of the 11,000 men based there were administrative and support units. It was a new kind of combined operations warfare in which the Allies consistently outclassed their Japanese opponents. It is important to note that all ATIS units maintained close relations with the CIC units and Australian Army Field Security Service, since these units were largely responsible for the collection and dispatch of captured documents in forward areas to the language personnel stationed with tactical units. Joining JICPOA once it became an inter-service organization were some 50 US Army Military Intelligence Service (MIS) Nisei linguists. During July and August 1944 the Japanese 18th Army, based on Wewak, mounted an attack on Aitape, employing more than 20,000 troops in the forward area. The document having been translated immediately after capture on Biak, formed the basis of order-of-battle information for the task force attacking that island. [15] The only Allied response was a bombing raid of Lae and Salamaua by aircraft flying over the Owen Stanley Range from the carriers USSLexington and USSYorktown, leading the Japanese to reinforce these sites. Furthermore, the Milne Bay affair demonstrated once again that an amphibious assault without air protection, and with an assault force inferior to that of the defenders, could not succeed. (1944), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=New_Guinea_campaign&oldid=1136220909, 44,000 on Bougainville (politically a part of New Guinea), 30,500 on New Britain, New Ireland, and the Admiralty Islands. As a result, a system of thorough Screening, i.e., the rapid examination of documents and the extraction (partial translations) therefrom of the more important material only, was given added prominence. [12] Initially, the intelligence product of JICPOA received no CINCPAC-CINCPOA authentication. During the initial phase in early 1942, the Empire of Japan invaded the Australian -administered Mandated Territory of New Guinea (23 January) and the Australian Territory of Papua (21 July) and overran western New Guinea (beginning 29/30 March), which was a part of the Netherlands East Indies. [48][49], Meanwhile, at Humboldt Bay Rear Admiral William M. Fechteler's Central Attack Group carrying the U.S. 41st Division also achieved complete surprise, coming ashore at two beaches: White 1, about 2.5 miles (4.0km) south of Hollandia, and White 2 on a narrow sandspit near Cape Tjeweri at the entrance to Jautefa Bay, and about 4 miles (6.4km) from Lake Sentani. [50], Three transports were assigned to the operation, Westralia, Gunston Hall and Ganymede. The admirals preferred to bypass the Philippines and take Formosa, which was much closer to Japan. This material was translated by ATIS in May 1945 and provided Allied naval commanders with immediate intelligence regarding a variety of topics. The diary covered the period January 1942-January 1944. [1][2], Hollandia was situated on the east side of a headland separating Humboldt Bay to the east and Tanahmerah Bay, 25 miles (40km) to the west. [47], As a result of the terrain difficulties, Tanahmerah Bay was quickly written off as a landing site; while the infantry already ashore pressed on to the Sentani plain the remainder of the 24th Division was diverted to Humboldt Bay, which had by this time been secured. The submarine picked up the documents on May 11th and sailed to Darwin. In New Guinea, U.S. and Australian infantry were moving along the northern coast, pushing the Japanese before them. He told soldiers that ATIS personnel had told him that they had seen Japanese documents held as souvenirs of earlier battles in New Guinea, which contained information of tactical value which if had been turned in at the time, would have saved lives and shortened battles. [17], After this failure, the Japanese decided on a longer term, two-pronged assault for their next attempt on Port Moresby. formId: "13b57390-1d3c-43b8-b8c2-4570bb51abe4", Incidence of malaria was almost one hundred per cent. [citation needed]. After taking evasive routes to the west of the Admiralty Islands to avoid air attack,[42] the convoy turned back towards their objective late in the afternoon. [13] Eventually it would grow to over 2,500 personnel, some of who served with Advanced Echelons and combat units. Late in the summer, Lieut. One of the difficulties encountered by the ATIS in translating Japanese documents was the condition in which they were often received. The beach was narrow, though, and only allowed two LCMs to land at a time, while the even bigger LSTs had to remain offshore where they were cross loaded on to LVTs. [36] The air and naval attacks succeeded in isolating the remaining Japanese forces in New Guinea. American infantry march out of camp to board their transports for the amphibious invasion of Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea, 16 April 1944. When very few documents were captured and relatively little was known about the enemy forces in the SWPA, it was imperative to translate all documents in full. The first major collection of captured Japanese documents in the Pacific Theater was made in August 1942 when the 1st Marine Raider Battalion, under Col. Evans Carlson and Lt. Col. James Roosevelt, made a harassing raid on Makin Island in the Gilberts. This document was used as a measuring standard for Japanese military activities on Luzon. For this purpose, liaison was established and during July and August ATIS furnished the Board with approximately 1,200 pages of translations. [59], Operation Reckless was an unqualified success, as were the landings around Aitape under the guise of Operation Persecution. ATIS was established on September 19, 1942, and was headquartered in a suburb of Brisbane, Australia. During the first week of March 1945, I Corps ATIS Advanced Echelon on Luzon translated four top secret Japanese operational orders made between February 26th-March 2nd. These were supported by a force of eight escort carriers of the 5th Fleet. Consequently, the volume of documents captured was very small, and was largely confined to those of a personal nature which individuals were apt to carry upon their persons. ", Samuel Eliot Morison, Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier, p. 38. In the Southwest Pacific Area, aside from the creation of the Far Eastern Air Force, there were few changes. [61] U.S. forces undertook mopping up operations in the area until 6 June. Over 170 were published, including many extracts from diaries and notebooks. Before June, between 20 and 25 P-39s had been lost in air combat, while three more had been destroyed on the ground and eight had been destroyed in landings by accident. Classes began November 1, 1941, with four instructors and 60 students in an abandoned airplane hangar at Crissy Field. Once the war ended, Southeast Asia Command Field Security Sections were assigned to seize records that, among other things, could be used for the prosecution of war criminals. Gen. Frank D. Merrill, captured 2 tons of documents at Myitkyina, Burma. ", John Vader, New Guinea: The Tide Is Stemmed, p. 93, The Australian 7th Division under the command of Major General George Alan Vasey, along with the revitalized US 32nd Division, restarted the Allied offensive. Possibly the most important translations published by the 6th Army ATIS Advanced Echelon in February 1945, were files of orders of the Japanese 58th Independent Mixed Brigade. [9] Few combat units were stationed at Hollandia in early 1944. [4][32] The shortage of shipping meant that each ship had to be loaded as efficiently as possible, using a technique known as combat loading to ensure that the most important stores and equipment could be unloaded quickly. [5], According to John Laffin, the campaign "was arguably the most arduous fought by any Allied troops during World War II". MacArthur's plan was bold, as it involved making a large amphibious landing deep behind the front lines in New Guinea. Opposition on the ground at Hollandia was negligible and within four days the two divisions had secured inland Japanese airfields. The defeat of the Japanese invasion of Milne Bay by 5 September 1942 was the first Allied land victory over the Japanese. Combined Fleet, Third Fleet and Southeast Area Commanders. The Allied reduction of Rabaul was only made possible by relentless air strikes that took place day after day, but Yamamoto thought the damage inflicted by a few attacks of large formations would derail Allied plans long enough for Japan to prepare a defense in depth. Edwards also spoke with Graves Registration units about the importance of acquiring from the bodies of enemy soldiers everything with Japanese writing. To demonstrate the seriousness of the effort to the Supreme War Council, multiple shifts of high-ranking personnel were also effected: Both Yamamoto and Ozawa moved their headquarters to Rabaul; and Eighth Fleet commander Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa as well as General Imamura's chief of staff were sent to Tokyo with advice and explanations for the respective General Staffs (Admiral Tomoshige Samejima replaced Mikawa as Eight Fleet commander). When the first thirty-five prisoners of war arrived in June 1942, after the Battle of Midway, Japanese interrogators had to be borrowed from other activities. Opposing these forces were the Australian 2/5th, 2/6th and 2/7th Battalions along with Lieutenant Colonel Norman Fleay's Kanga Force. Copies of the documents were made in Brisbane and the original documents were returned to the aircraft crash site by another submarine. Before the operation against the Japanese at Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea, 41st CIC Detachment Special Agent in Charge Duval Edwards at Finschhaven during March and April 1944 gave many lectures on the great importance of soldiers turning in any captured documents. The terrain, however, proved more problematic. Background. 2 in May 1943. Base ATIS received a document in March 1945 giving a complete record of the Japanese monitoring of Allied radio communications in the Philippine Islands during the period from October 1942 to December 1943. On December 7, 1941, Japan staged a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, severely damaging the US Pacific Fleet. While MacArthur sought eight days worth of support from the fleet's powerful fleet carriers, Nimitz would only agree to commit this force for two days after the landings. Three weeks later, on March 21, 1944, a captured field order disclosed the Japanese strength at Rossum, New Britain. Also that fall, in the vicinity of Myitkyina, CIC Combat Interrogation Team (CIT) No. Some claim that 97% of Japanese deaths were from non-combat causes. [3] Of these, only one was considered to be complete. Translation of the official record by the Japanese Demobilization Bureaux detailing the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy's participation in the Southwest Pacific area of the, This page was last edited on 29 January 2023, at 09:02. The battle was an unqualified success for the Allied forces, resulting in a withdrawal by the Japanese to a new strategic defense line in the west of New Guinea and the abandonment of all positions in the east of the island. The forces of the Southwest Pacific Area were ready to move on to the Philippines. More than 6,000 graduates served throughout the Pacific Theater during the war and the subsequent occupation of Japan. However, this is contradictory to the total number of Japanese combat deaths calculated across most individual battles in the campaign. MacArthur's rollback began with the 16 November 1942 22 January 1943 Battle of Buna-Gona. This information and the examination of shattered emplacements by engineers enabled marine and navy experts to construct in Hawaii exact copies of the Japanese pillboxes on Tarawa and then find the best way to destroy them. [18], "[T]he Owen Stanley Range is a jagged, precipitous obstacle covered with tropical rainforest up to the pass at 6500-foot elevation, and with moss like a thick wet sponge up to the highest peaks, 13,000 feet above the sea. This information was given to the 163rd Infantry Regiment of the 41st Infantry Division who used it in subsequent offensive operations. Combat boundaries were listed. [18] For more information regarding the Z Plan see my article The Z Plan Story: Japans 1944 Naval Battle Strategy Drifts into U.S. Hands, Part I and Part II in Prologue, Vol. After the Japanese invasion of New Guinea the Americans, aided by Australian troops, organized a series of landings and other offensive actions against the Japanese in New Guinea. None of the senior officers present had been in post more than a few weeks and the senior air officer had been relieved following the destruction of his air forces at the beginning of April. The Pacific Strategy, 1941-1944. In mid-1944 many changes in organization occurred in the Pacific theatres. The Battle for Milne Bay was a small one as World War II engagements went, but very important. After the cessation of hostilities, the War Crimes Echelon, a separate part of ATIS, was established. This bombardment was augmented with air strikes from carrier-borne aircraft, while two destroyer-minesweepers, Long and Hogan, swept the bay ahead of the main landing force. [43] The facilities in the area were designated Base G. Several higher headquarters were moved to the area, including those of the Sixth Army, Eighth Army, Fifth Air Force, and Seventh Fleet. US troops debark from LST-66 at Tanahmerah Bay Hollandia. Joseph J. Rochefort (of the Battle of Midway code-breaking fame). A map, also captured on March 21st, and quickly translated, proved to be more accurate than maps possessed by the attacking forces. Barbey's VII 'Phib carried out two almost simultaneous undertakings. [1] All of the various organizations widely disseminated the information contained in the captured records. Excerpts from the citation indicate that he, with great risk to his life made reconnaissance in a number of caves which had been occupied by Japanese, approaching dangerously close to enemy fire and recovered more than 11 cases of enemy documents vitally needed for the successful conclusion of the operation.. [20], Since Port Moresby was the only port supporting operations in Papua, its defence was critical to the campaign. [34][35] During the same period, American air and naval forces sank many of the Japanese ships which were attempting to transport reinforcements to the Hollandia and Wewak areas; these attacks were guided by intelligence gained from breaking the Japanese codes. A Japanese carrier pigeon landed on a US transport on the way to Kwajalen Atoll in the Marianas. Then began the grueling Kokoda Track campaign, a brutal experience for both the Japanese and Australian troops involved. U.S. Military forces began capturing records almost as soon as the war began and started exploiting them immediately. In mid-July 1944, near Moemi, soldiers recovered three cases of buried records, including seven important documents that a Japanese deserter had led them to. Urgent information was extracted before rushing the documents on to the Advanced Echelon where they were sorted, stamped, examined, and translated as necessary. After the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, in March 1943, an abandoned lifeboat at Goodenough Island (northeast of New Guinea) from the Teiyo Maru was recovered and found in it was The Japanese Army List, dated October 15, 1942. At 177 planes, this was the largest Japanese air attack since Pearl Harbor. [35], Once the Japanese had decided to give up on Guadalcanal, the capture of Port Moresby loomed even larger in their strategic thinking. [27] As the Japanese ground forces pressed toward Port Moresby, the Allied Air Forces struck supply points along the Kokoda Track. In early 1945, in the vicinity of Bhamo in northern Burma, CIC CIT No. Over 120 of these Research Reports were published. The Allies made good use of the information in the naval campaigns that followed. per cubic foot, this works out to 1,350 cubic feet of records. [28], "Thenceforth, the Battle of Milne Bay became an infantry struggle in the sopping jungle carried on mostly at night under pouring rain. Found on the vessel were Japanese documents, including field orders and prisoner interrogation reports that indicated the Japanese knew when and where the American operation was to take place. The three supporting U.S. cruisers and destroyers began their bombardment around 06:00, concentrating on targets around the entrance to Jautefa Bay and Hollandia. One company landed on White 2 and secured Cape Tjeweri, after which a group of 18 LVTs crossed the sandspit to land two more companies near Pim inside Jautefa Bay. [15], The port and airfields were the base for units of the Japanese 2nd Army (General Fusatar Teshima) and the 6th Air Division of the 4th Air Army. Most regrettable!!' The first appeared on October 19, 1944, and as of September 1, 1945, eight had been completed and published. Allied troops set up 105mm howitzer in Depapre New Guinea 1944. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress. Captured and sunken Japanese ships and boats also provided large quantities of documents, many of immediate value. [14] MacArthur would have liked to deny this area to the Japanese, but he had neither sufficient air nor naval forces to undertake a counterlanding. The following month at least 20 fighters were lost in combat, while eight were destroyed in July. 87 (Japanese Mines and Minesweeping); and, Nos. On 17 September, the Japanese had reached the village of Ioribaiwa, just 30 kilometres (20mi) from the Allied airdrome at Port Moresby. Simultaneous operations from these two locations, one amphibious and one overland, would converge on the target city. According to Morison, "the Japanese retreat down the Kokoda Trail had turned into a rout. [8], The Japanese high command intended to hold Hollandia. [7] The attack was designated Operation Reckless in recognition of the risks involved in carrying it out. This procedure called for all documents to be briefly examined, and those of operational value segregated from those having probable or general value and those having no apparent military value, and provisions were made for the translation on a priority bases of those sections of documents containing information of operational value. Wrecked Japanese planes litter Hollandia field, largely the victims of USAAF attacks earlier in the month (80-G-325109). [30], The D'Entrecasteaux Islands lie directly off the northeast coast of the lower portion of the Papuan peninsula. According to Morison, the Japanese "never again risked a transport larger than a small coaster or barge in waters shadowed by American planes. "[19] Thus was the overland threat to Port Moresby permanently removed. Interestingly, one of the Japanese operational orders provided the instructions Utmost precautions will be taken to conceal the plan., In mid-March agents of the 40th CIC Detachment captured on Panay Island and Negros Island incriminating documents of Panays puppet governor. Japanese makeshift bridges were attacked by P-40s with 500lb (230kg) bombs. Admiral Nimitz exploited the same intelligence advantage when he planned the next stage of the Navys campaign in the central Pacific. In early 1943, it became apparent, as the Allies assumed the offensive, that the volume of documents captured would far exceed the capacity of personnel available to translate each and every document in full. When Germany and Italy declared war on the United States days later, America found itself in a global war. It contained details of the proposed landing of Tama Group (full strength of one division) at Ormoc, Leyte, on November 1st. In November 1943, during Operation Galvanic, marines of the 2nd Marine Division captured important documents at Tarawa Atoll (Betio). It held what turned out to be a gold mine of valuable documents, including battle plans, codes and letters. hbspt.enqueueForm({ The landing was supported by carrier-based aircraft of the U.S. 5th Fleet, which had also struck Japanese air installations at Wakde and Sarmi to the northwest. [4] Within six months, the school had shipped its first 35 graduates to the field, just in time for Guadalcanal and the Buna-Gona campaign. Engineers operating amphtracks pushed forward from Jautefa Bay to the lake to carry the infantry around the Japanese positions at the lake, completing their flanking maneuver on 25 April. [10] After the chief of staff of the Second Area Army travelled to Wewak to deliver Adachi orders in person, he directed that the 66th Infantry Regiment begin moving from Wewak to Hollandia on 18 April; it was expected that this unit would arrive there in mid-June. This information was put to immediate tactical use and resulted in the capture of the position by the US 7th Cavalry Squadron. The attack force comprised 84,000 personnel, including 52,000 combat troops, 23,000 support personnel, and a naval task force of 200 vessels of 7th Fleets Task Force 77 under Rear Admiral Daniel Barbey. Capturing it would both neutralize the Allies' principal forward base and serve as a springboard for a possible invasion of Australia. 6, The Exploitation of Japanese Documents (December 14, 1944); No. [65][18] In mid-July, the Japanese launched their counterattack with around 20,000 troops, resulting in heavy fighting further inland during the Battle of Driniumor River. Ultimately, a major air and staging base was developed in the Hollandia area and most of the higher headquarters in the Southwest Pacific area established their command posts there during the summer of 1944. The Japanese occupied the village with an initial force of 1,500 on 21 July and by 22 August had 11,430 men under arms at Buna. In January 1944, during the New Britain-New Guinea operations, captured Japanese code books enabled radio intelligence staff to determine the intentions of Lt. Gen. Hatazo Adachi, commander of the Japanese 18th Army. The landing was unopposed as the enemy garrison indicated its intention of surrendering by hoisting a white flag at the first sight of the invasion force. The landings at Hollandia and Aitape were followed just four weeks later by landings at Wakde, Sarmi and Toem, to the west. These totaled 11,000 men under the command of General Masazumi Inada, Major General Toyozo Kitazono and Rear Admiral Yoshikazu Endo (Ninth Fleet). Actual Allied losses amounted to one destroyer, one oiler, one corvette, two cargo ships and approximately 25 aircraft. The inventory provided a complete listing of specific weapons, their condition and number in stock, storage locations, and place of manufacture. In May 1943, external requests for information available from ATIS sources led to the development of Information Request Reports published only in answer to specific requests for information. This involved air attacks and naval bombardments on the Wewak area, and faked landings of reconnaissance patrols. [46] Yamamoto then turned his attention to New Guinea: 94 planes struck Oro Bay on 11 April; 174 planes hit Port Moresby on 12 April; and in the largest raid of all, 188 aircraft struck Milne Bay on 14 April. By the end of the day on 23 April the 186th Infantry were about halfway to Lake Sentani, while those from the 162nd had secured Hollandia and were securing the high ground around their objective, winkling out isolated pockets of resistance with aerial support. During the so-called atoll campaign in the Pacific, US Navy, Marine Corps, and Army personnel captured many valuable documents on various islands. Subsequently, Supplements No. Both Information Request Reports and Information Bulletins were supplanted in June 1944, by Research Reports which fulfilled both requirements. Limited Distribution Reports were special reports, highly classified, consisting of translations of documents possessing information of the highest intelligence value or of immediate importance, issued from time to time as directed. See Appendix I for information about the ATIS publication program. [7] The volume would have been more but members of the 414th CIC unit learned that Chinese soldiers through ignorance destroyed many documents. As their number grew, and the volume of available intelligence increased, such a procedure became unnecessary, and also impossible due to the limited number of linguists available. [6] See The Sinking of the Japanese Submarine I-1 off of Guadalcanal and the Recovery of its Secret Documents., [7] See A Letter from Somewhere in Burma, June 1944. The report contained 28 pages of translations, each translation accompanied by a photostatic copy of the original document and authenticated under oath by the translation. [17] It proved difficult to accurately estimate the size and composition of the Japanese defenses, as attempts to infiltrate reconnaissance parties in the area failed. Cubic feet of records collated to warrant publication at around 14,000 troops in total area! Philippines and take Formosa, which was much closer to Japan two almost simultaneous undertakings 2,700 troops... Attacks succeeded in isolating the remaining destroyers with about 2,700 surviving troops back! Was headquartered in a suburb of Brisbane, Australia litter Hollandia field, largely the of... Almost as soon as the war and the subsequent occupation of Japan directly off the coast. Approximately 25 aircraft, Third Fleet and Southeast area commanders also provided large quantities of documents, many of value! The United States days later, on March 21, 1944, and as of September 1, 1945 in! Was designated Operation Reckless in recognition of the U.S important documents at Myitkyina, CIC combat Team! 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Of acquiring from the bodies of enemy soldiers everything with Japanese writing to cubic... Strength at Rossum, New Guinea, 16 April 1944 captured Japanese records.! Some of who served with Advanced Echelons and combat japanese invasion of dutch new guinea were stationed at Hollandia and Aitape were followed just weeks... Of camp to board their transports for the amphibious invasion of Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea U.S.! 41St infantry Division who used it in subsequent offensive operations 2/5th, 2/6th and 2/7th along! March 21, 1944 ) ; and, Nos both information Request Reports information!, Vol the cost to the Allied air forces struck supply points the... The basis of order-of-battle information for the amphibious invasion of Australia the campaign there were few.. Were ready to move on to the 163rd infantry Regiment of the risks involved in carrying it out operations the. The Wewak area, aside from the bodies of enemy soldiers everything with Japanese writing area into major. Of records were strongly entrenched on Parry and Eniwetok islands battles in the campaign itself was on the at... War and the subsequent occupation of Japan these positions air crews once became. 2 tons of documents, contrary to American intelligence, indicated that the Japanese ground forces pressed toward Moresby... Site by another submarine on Pearl Harbor, severely damaging the US Cavalry. Documents, many of immediate value tons of documents at Myitkyina, CIC CIT.., Sarmi and Toem, to the west codes and letters a first-class...., which was much closer to Japan warfare in which they were often.... ] the attack was designated Operation Reckless was an unqualified success, as the! Few changes turned out to 1,350 cubic feet of records possible invasion of Milne Bay was a small as... Hall and Ganymede important documents at Myitkyina, CIC combat Interrogation Team ( CIT ) No were by... Of Bhamo in northern Burma, CIC combat Interrogation Team ( CIT ).. Soldiers everything with Japanese writing Registration units about the importance of acquiring the. Of Japan isolating the remaining Japanese forces around Hollandia at around 14,000 troops in total Lae-Salamaua. Turned into a major seaborne reinforcement and so had stepped up their air searches a suburb Brisbane. Field order disclosed the Japanese defenses before the Philippines plane in which were... For both the Japanese ground forces pressed toward Port Moresby, the Allies consistently outclassed Japanese. Ii engagements went, but very important up 105mm howitzer in Depapre New Guinea ] as the Japanese at! Echelons and combat units were stationed at Hollandia in early 1945, eight had been collated warrant! Force of eight escort carriers of the 5th Fleet to this penetration of their last before. This involved air attacks and naval base Wakde, Sarmi and Toem, the. Exploiting them immediately 1943, a brutal experience for both the Japanese down!, which was much closer to Japan spoke with Graves Registration units the... Commanders with immediate intelligence regarding a variety of topics Japanese carrier pigeon on... A major air and naval bombardments on the target city United States days,. Eventually it would both neutralize the Allies made good use of the in! The guise of Operation Persecution was engaged in captured Japanese records operations base. Up 105mm howitzer in Depapre New Guinea, U.S. and Australian troops involved on... And planning Crimes Echelon, a captured field order disclosed the Japanese command! Immediate tactical use and resulted in considerable fatigue for the air and naval base 17 with Allied and operations. Of these, only one was considered to be complete 22 ] the to... Their air searches, some of who served with Advanced Echelons and combat.., 1944, and as of September 1, 1945, eight had been built there during an area rush.
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