Appendix B: Bibliographical Note
Official Records
This volume is based principally upon official records of the United States and Allied armed forces. These records comprise six major categories: records of the United States-British Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS); the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and subordinate committees, such as the Joint Staff Planners (JPS); the U.S. Army; the U.S. Navy; the U.S. Marine Corps; the Allied armed services. Since the U.S. Air Force was part of the U.S. Army during the war, its records are here classed as Army records.
Records of the Combined Chiefs of Staff
Information concerning decisions at the highest Allied level is in the records of the CCS, copies of which are in the files of the wartime Operations Division, General Staff, U.S. Army (OPD), in the custody of the Historical Records Section, Departmental Records Branch, Adjutant General’s Office, U.S. Army (HRS DRB AGO). The principal body of the CCS records relating to this volume are in bound volumes containing the papers and minutes of the following CCS meetings: SYMBOL (Casablanca, January 1943), TRIDENT (Washington, May 1943), QUADRANT (Quebec, August 1943), SEXTANT (Cairo–Tehran, November–December 1943)
Records of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Since, under the CCS, the JCS were responsible for the direction of the war in the Pacific, the background material for the major strategic decisions relating to that war is in the records of the JCS and their subordinate committees, filed in the same place as those of the CCS. The JCS records consulted included minutes of JCS and JPS meetings and the numbered JCS and JPS papers containing material relevant to the approach to the Philippines.
Records of the U.S. Army
General Staff, U.S. Army
The Chiefs of Staffs Log, 1942–1944. This log, filed in the Staff Communications Branch, Office of the Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, contains communications between General Marshall and ranking Army commanders in overseas theaters, such as General MacArthur in the Southwest Pacific and General Richardson in the Central Pacific. Since General Marshall acted as the JCS executive for the Southwest Pacific, the log also contains copies of many messages originated by the JCS. Also included are records of radio-telephone conversations between General Sutherland (General MacArthur’s Chief of Staff), who attended many JCS conferences in Washington, and General R.J. Marshall (General MacArthur’s Deputy Chief of Staff), at the overseas end in the Southwest Pacific. The log
also contains daily reports from the major Army overseas commanders.
Operations Division, General Staff, U.S. Army, 1942–1944. These files are in the custody of the HRS DRB AGO. Arranged according to the Army’s decimal system, they contain much material on OPD planning and proposals in regard to the conduct of the war in the Pacific and, in addition, many papers providing background for the Army’s point of view as presented at meetings of the JCS and subordinate committees. All OPD files containing material relevant to the approach to the Philippines were consulted.
General Headquarters, Southwest Pacific Area.—While these records are technically Joint and Allied papers, they are, with a few relatively minor exceptions, in the custody of the U.S. Army. The most important records of GHQ SWPA thus far returned to the United States are those of the G-3 Section. This collection is divided into two parts: the G-3 Journal file and the G-3 Administration Division decimal files. The Journal file contains daily, weekly, monthly, or other serially distributed intelligence and operations reports of various sections of GHQ SWPA and major subordinate commands within the theater. There is also much planning material and there are copies of most of the communications between GHQ SWPA and other theater headquarters in the Pacific and Far East. The G-3 Administration files contain similar material and, in addition, copies of GHQ SWPA correspondence with the War Department and the Australian Government concerning such matters as labor, tables of organization, and logistics. The G-3 papers originally classed Top Secret have not, for the most part, been returned to the United States, but have been retained by U.S. Army headquarters in Tokyo. That headquarters has also retained the G-3 Historical Division and G-3 Planning Division files, although copies of some of these records have been obtained on special request by the Office of the Chief of Military History (OCMH). The G-3 Journals are in the HRS DRB AGO, while the G-3 Administration files are in the Organization Records Branch, Records Administration Center, Adjutant General’s Office (ORB RAC AGO). Other important records collections of GHQ SWPA in the United States are The Adjutant General’s decimal files and the records of the Allied Translator and Interpreter Section (ATIS), a subordinate operating agency of the G-2 Section, GHQ SWPA. The former collection is filed under the title General Headquarters, Far East Command (GHQ FEC) in the ORB RAC AGO, while the ATIS documents are in the HRS DRB AGO. The ATIS collection comprises many valuable translations of Japanese documents, copies of interrogations of prisoners, and special studies concerning various aspects of the Japanese military services. An almost complete collection of the publications (terrain handbooks and terrain studies) of the Allied Geographic Section (AGS), another agency of G-2 GHQ SWPA is in the custody of the OCMH, and provides much excellent geographic information on various localities in New Guinea and the Netherlands East Indies. The papers, photographs, maps, interviews, etc., upon which the AGS documents were based are in the custody of the Australian Army. Most of the records of the G-2 and G-4 Sections of GHQ SWPA are at this writing still in the custody of U.S. Army headquarters in Tokyo.
ALAMO Force (U.S. Sixth Army).—ALAMO Force, a special task force operating
directly under GHQ SWPA, was actually Headquarters, Sixth Army, a role which it reassumed in September 1944. As ALAMO Force, the headquarters maintained separate sets of records for each operation or group of operations in the SWPA described in this volume. Thus, there are separate ALAMO collections for Hollandia–Aitape, for Wakde–Biak, for Noemfoor, for Sansapor, and for Morotai. The most important records in these five collections comprise the After Action Reports and the G-1, G-2, G-3, and G-4 Journal files. For the Wakde–Biak group, there are three sets of G-3 Journals—for ALAMO Force Headquarters, Advance Headquarters, and Rear Headquarters. The reports and general staff section documents are in the HRS DRB AGO, filed under the title ALAMO Force, while many records of the special staff sections are in the custody of the ORB RAC AGO, where they are filed under the title Sixth Army. The ALAMO G-3 Section records are particularly valuable in that they contain much important planning material not found in other collections and include many GHQ SWPA papers which, originally classed Top Secret, are not to be found in GHQ SWPA files at present available in the United States. The G-3 Section papers also contain material concerning intelligence and logistics. The G-1 and G-2 Journal files are not as voluminous nor as valuable as those of the G-3 Section, but those of the G-4 Section contain much important supply data and, strangely enough, many copies of intelligence records not to be found in the G-2 Journals. The ALAMO After Action Reports provide brief, fairly accurate summaries of operations. The Japanese and Allied casualty figures contained in these narratives appear to be quite accurate. Another extremely valuable collection of ALAMO Force material is the ALAMO G-2 Weekly Reports, filed in the library of the G-2 Section, General Staff, U.S. Army. This serial publication includes translations of many Japanese unit orders, weekly estimates of the enemy situation, corrections and addenda to previous estimates, Japanese order of battle information, and evaluation of Japanese tactics and equipment. All in all, the various ALAMO Force records collections have proved to be the most valuable single source of information for the preparation of this volume.
Ground Task Forces and Landing Forces.—For the Southwest Pacific operations described in this volume there were set up under ALAMO Force various special ground task forces, in turn sometimes subdivided into landing forces. Strictly speaking, these were Joint and Allied commands. However, they were built around U.S. Army corps, division, or regimental headquarters and their records are in the custody of the U.S. Army, the bulk of them in HRS DRB AGO. While most of these task force records are filed under the task force title, many of them are filed under the numerical designation of the U.S. Army unit headquarters around which the task force headquarters were built. This is especially true for the records of the various task forces’ subordinate echelons, attached units, and special staff sections. Each task force was dissolved as such by ALAMO Force and the records for the period following such dissolution are to be found under the U.S. Army unit numerical designations.
The official records of the ground task forces for actions described in this volume vary greatly in quality and quantity, depending both upon the unit and upon the combat situation obtaining at the time the records were being maintained. The After Action
Reports of the ground task forces or numerically designated units were usually found to be inadequate, and it was often necessary to reconstruct the operational story entirely from the Journals and Journal files of participating units, especially infantry regiments and battalions. These Journals and Journal files also varied considerably in quality and quantity and had to be supplemented in many cases by interviews or written comment on portions of the manuscript by officers who took part in the actions described. The collections of the ground task forces and their principal subordinate units are as follows:–
PERSECUTION Task Force (PTF). The records of this task force and its principal subordinate units are to be found under the following titles, most of them in the HRS DRB AGO:–
PERSECUTION Task Force, XI Corps, 32nd Infantry Division, 163rd Infantry, 41st Infantry Division, 112th Cavalry Regimental Combat Team, 124th Infantry, 31st Infantry Division, 43rd Infantry Division
The records of task force headquarters are to be found filed variously under the task force title, under 32nd Infantry Division, and under XI Corps. These headquarters records comprise After Action Reports and the Journals and Journal files of the general and special staff sections. The Journals contain communications between higher and lower echelons, daily reports from subordinate units, intelligence and operations maps and overlays, casualty lists, and supply data. The After Action Reports generally provide only sketchy outline accounts, the best among them being the report for the period during which Headquarters, 32nd Infantry Division, operated as PTF Headquarters. The story of operations at Aitape can only be developed by close study of the records of subordinate units, especially those of infantry regiments and battalions. By far the best of these are the records of the 127th Infantry, 32nd Infantry Division, and the battalions of that regiment. This collection contains copies of all messages between that regiment and other echelons of the PTF, maps, overlays, and even some material concerning other PTF units not to be found in those units’ own records. The 112th Cavalry’s records for Aitape are good, but lack detail at the small-unit level. The records of the 124th Infantry, 31st Infantry Division, and those of the 2nd Battalion, 169th Infantry, 43rd Infantry Division, for the period of TED Force operations at Aitape are inadequate. Generally speaking, all artillery records of the various echelons of the PTF are poor—the narratives tell little and the Journals and Journal files are most difficult to work with. Engineer reports are, on the other hand, quite good and of great value. One of the major deficiencies in the records of all echelons of the PTF is a lack of material concerning air support of ground operations.
RECKLESS Task Force (RTF). The RTF records include those of the NOISELESS Landing Force, the LETTERPRESS Landing Force, and the RTF Reserve. The bulk of the RTF Headquarters records are filed under the RTF title in the HRS DRB AGO, although some scattered material is found in the ORB RAC AGO under the title I Corps. RTF’s After Action Report is an excellent one and the headquarters’ Journals and Journal files are good. The NOISELESS Landing Force records are filed under the title 24th Infantry Division in the HRS DRB AGO. The 24th Division’s After Action Report for Hollandia is by far the best single After Action
Report for any operation discussed in this volume. It includes planning material, information on unit training and rehearsing, details of operations, personnel records, valuable data on supply, and important intelligence material. A 24th Division Planning Journal, found in the division’s files in the ORB RAC AGO, also proved a valuable source of information. The records of the 24th Division’s organic units contain sufficient detail for the operations described. RTF Reserve was the 34th Infantry, 24th Infantry Division, and its records are filed with those of the division in the HRS DRB AGO. Records of the LETTERPRESS Landing Force are filed under the title 41st Infantry Division in the HRS DRB AGO. The division headquarters records leave much to be desired but those of the 162nd and 186th Infantry Regiments are good and provide more than enough material. The records of RTF artillery units either lack detail or are extremely difficult to use.
TORNADO Task Force (TTF). The records of the TTF and its subordinate echelons are filed for the most part in the HRS DRB AGO and are located variously under the TTF title or, according to whatever numerically designated U.S. Army headquarters controlled operations at Wakde–Sarmi during each period, under the following titles:–
163rd Infantry, 41st Infantry Division, 158th Regimental Combat Team, 6th Infantry Division and component parts, 31st Infantry Division and component parts, 123rd Infantry, 33rd Infantry Division
The TTF records vary from good to poor according to both the unit concerned and the combat situation obtaining. The task force general staff section Journals are fair, but lack detail on small-unit actions. In the ORB RAC AGO there are some special reports and records of the 1st Battalion (and its companies) of the 163rd Infantry, 41st Infantry Division, which permit the reconstruction of the story of the seizure of Wakde Island in some detail. These records are filed in the 41st Division collection. The best After Action Report for Wakde–Sarmi is that for the period during which Headquarters, 6th Infantry Division, operated as TTF Headquarters. The records of the 6th Division’s 1st, 20th, and 63rd Infantry Regiments are also good. Artillery records for the TTF and its various changing and subordinate echelons are among the best for any operation described in this volume, and it is generally possible to ascertain without difficulty which artillery unit fired what mission when. Information on antiaircraft action is also complete. It is not with the TTF collection but in a file of the Antiaircraft Section of Headquarters, Sixth Army, in the ORB RAC AGO.
HURRICANE Task Force (HTF). The bulk of the HTF records are filed under the task force title in the HRS DRB AGO, although some material is filed under the titles 41st Infantry Division or I Corps. The HTF After Action Report for the period during which Headquarters, 41st Infantry Division, acted as HTF Headquarters provides only the barest outline of HTF Operations. The most valuable source among the HTF Headquarters records is the G-3 Section Journal, which provides a summary of messages between the headquarters and higher and lower commands. The HTF After Action Report for the period during which Headquarters, I Corps, was at Biak is poorly organized, vague, and none too accurate. The best records for operations at Biak are those of the 162nd
and 186th Infantry Regiments, 41st Infantry Division, most of which are filed under the HTF title in the HRS DRB AGO. The 162nd Infantry’s is the best regimental After Action Report, but its Journals and Journal files are far surpassed by the S-2 and S-3 records of the 186th Infantry. The latter collection contains messages, overlays, maps, situation reports, intelligence material, and operations resumes, all excellently arranged for easy employment during research. A number of valuable records of the companies of the same two regiments are located in 41st Infantry Division files in the ORB RAC AGO, and can be used to advantage. The 163rd Infantry’s records for Biak, filed with those of the HTF, are poorer in quality and quantity. The 34th Infantry’s records are filed with other 24th Division material in the HRS DRB AGO. Artillery records for all echelons of the HTF vary from bad to good. For instance, one artillery battalion After Action Report, some five and one-half pages long, devotes a good half of that space to describing the escape of two men from behind Japanese lines.
CYCLONE Task Force (CyTF). The records of Headquarters, CyTF, are generally adequate for the operation described. Most of them are filed under the task force title in the HRS DRB AGO, but some are to be found in the files of the 158th Infantry in the same place. The records of the CyTF’s other major subordinate echelon—the 503rd Parachute Infantry—are found under that unit’s numerical designation in the HRS DRB AGO. The 503rd’s records are not as complete as those of the 158th Infantry.
TYPHOON Task Force (TyTF). Most of these records are filed under the task force title in the HRS DRB AGO and are sufficient for the operation described, although lack of planning material leaves a noticeable gap. The documents of some subordinate units, such as the 6th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop and the 6th Medical Battalion, are with the 6th Infantry Division files in the HRS DRB AGO. Other miscellaneous materials are filed with the 6th Division records in ORB RAC AGO.
TRADEWIND Task Force (TrTF). The most important records of this task force and its major subordinate units are filed under the task force title in the HRS DRB AGO. These records lack planning information but otherwise provide enough material for the operation described. Additional material is to be found in the files of XI Corps, 31st Infantry Division, and the 126th Infantry of the 32nd Infantry Division in the HRS DRB AGO and the ORB RAC AGO.
Other U.S. Army Combat Records
The 81st Infantry Division. The major body of U.S. Army combat records not mentioned in the foregoing classification are those of the 81st Infantry Division and its organic and attached units engaged in operations in the western Carolines. The 81st Division’s After Action Report for these operations has three parts: Angaur, Peleliu, and Ulithi and other Caroline islands. These three provide an excellent summary, but gloss over points of error or poor performance, as do most After Action Reports. The division headquarters’ general staff sections’ Journals and Journal files are voluminous and provide excellent material on operations, intelligence, personnel, and logistics from which to write a detailed story of the division’s operations. The records of the 321st Infantry for Angaur were lost, and
the story had to be reconstructed from other available sources. For Peleliu, the 321st Infantry’s files are more than adequate, as are those of the 323rd Infantry for that island and for Ulithi. The 322nd Infantry’s records for Angaur are good. The division’s artillery records are outstanding—by far the best used in preparing this volume.
Miscellaneous. In addition to the numerically designated ground task force units, the records of many other units were used in the preparation of this volume. These records fall into two categories: the records of task force subordinate units not organic to divisions; the records of Southwest Pacific units which, originally designated as task forces, reverted to their numerical designation after ALAMO Force “closed” the task force period of operations. For the latter group, the relevant bodies of records not discussed under the ground task force classification are those of the Eighth Army, the X Corps, and the 93rd Infantry Division, all of which provide valuable information concerning the mopping-up periods following the close of task force operations and the transfer of responsibility in the areas concerned from the Sixth Army to the Eighth Army. The most important group of records of units not organic to divisions is that of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Engineer Special Brigades and their boat and shore regiments. These records are especially valuable for information concerning the landing phases of Southwest Pacific Area operations described in this volume. The records are filed variously in the HRS DRB AGO and in the collection of the Office of the Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army. Other useful records are those of nonorganic tank, engineer, tank destroyer, chemical, and field artillery units.
U.S. Navy Records
Seventh Fleet.—The largest single body of U.S. Navy records employed in the preparation of this volume were the plans and reports of Task Force 77, U.S. Seventh Fleet, for operations in the Southwest Pacific Area. These and the other records of the Allied Naval Forces, Southwest Pacific Area, are in the custody of the U.S. Navy, although copies of most of the Task Force 77 reports are in the HRS DRB AGO, filed separately or in ALAMO Force and GHQ SWPA Journals. Such reports as are not located there are in The Office of Naval Records and Library. For each of the SWPA operations discussed, there is available a Task Force 77 report which covers briefly naval planning, ship bombardment, and landing operations. Additional material for more detailed coverage of the naval phases of the various operations is found in the reports of task groups, task units, and relevant individual ships of Task Force 77.
Third and Fifth Fleet.—Plans and reports of the Fifth Fleet provide material for that unit’s operations at Hollandia and those of the Third Fleet for the operations in the western Carolines. Copies of most of the relevant records are in the HRS DRB AGO, either filed separately or in the Journals of the G-3 Section GHQ SWPA.
CINCPAC-CINCPOA. While Admiral Nimitz’ Pacific Ocean Areas headquarters was technically a Joint and Allied command, its records are in the custody of the U.S. Navy, just as the records of GHQ SWPA are in the custody of the U.S. Army. Copies of most of the important CINCPAC-CINCPOA documents used in the preparation of this volume are located in the files of the HRS DRB AGO, although some were
obtained from The Office of Naval Records and Library. The records include intelligence estimates, campaign plans, staff studies, and monthly operations reports, most of them adequate for the purpose of this volume.
U.S. Marine Corps Records
Marine Corps records used in the preparation of this volume were principally the plans and reports of the 1st Marine Division and the III Amphibious Corps for operations in the Palaus. These documents were employed mainly to obtain planning information, for which they were invaluable. The story of Marine participation in the Hollandia operation is found in the report of Company A, 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, for that operation. Copies of most of the Marine Corps records consulted are filed in the HRS DRB AGO, and the rest are in Marine Corps files.
Records of Allied Forces
Some of the Australian source material employed in the preparation of this volume was obtained by the author through the courtesy of Australian services historical groups, and copies are on file in the OCMH. The most important of these records are the report of the 6th Australian Division for operations from Aitape to Wewak, the report of Task Force 74 (the Australian cruiser-destroyer component of Allied Naval Forces, SWPA) for operations at Aitape in July 1944, and a summary of Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) airfield construction squadron activities in New Guinea. Copies of other Australian reports are to be found in U.S. Army collections. Among these is the report of the Chief Engineer of the PTF at Aitape, actually the report of No. 62 Works Wing (RAAF), which is filed in the collection of the Office of the Chief Engineer, GHQ AFPAC. Another report of the same unit (then redesignated No. 62 Airfield Construction Wing) for its operations at Noemfoor is included among the records of the CyTF. These two reports were invaluable for information concerning engineer activities at Aitape and Noemfoor. An excellent source for details of landing operations at Morotai is a British document entitled British Combined Operations Observers, SWPA, Report of Naval and Army Observers on the Morotai Operation. A copy of this report is filed with the TrTF collection in the HRS DRB AGO.
Sources of Japanese Information
Japanese source material falls into three major categories: a series of postwar studies prepared by former Japanese officers; Japanese documents captured and used in wartime; and interrogations of Japanese prisoners.
Japanese Studies in World War II
The most comprehensive available accounts of Japanese operations described in this volume are those contained in the series entitled Japanese Studies in World War II, prepared by former Japanese Army and Navy officers in Tokyo under the direction of the Historical Section, G-2 GHQ FEC. Translations of most of these studies—which total about 125 separate reports—were accomplished by the Allied Translator and Interpreter Section, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (ATIS SCAP), in Japan. Parts of many of these studies were reorganized and retranslated by Japanese
language experts of the Pacific Section, OCMH, and questionable parts of all translations were checked against the original Japanese by the same men. The studies provide invaluable information concerning Japanese high level command decisions, planning, orders, personnel, order of battle, dates, and times, much of which cannot be found in other records. The Japanese who prepared the studies relied upon available official Japanese records, on personal diaries, on their own memories, and on the memories of other Japanese officers participating in the actions described. Wherever possible, information in the studies was checked against other sources of information, such as captured documents and U.S. Army combat records. Such checking indicated that the studies are remarkably accurate except for minor discrepancies of dates and times. The major deficiency of the Japanese Army studies used in the preparation of this volume is their lack of data concerning the decisions of division or regimental commanders and the activities of smaller units. A number of the studies fall into subseries. For instance, there are five separate studies covering the planning, operations, and logistics of the 18th Army during that unit’s activities in New Guinea, and there are two annexes to these five, one of them providing maps and the other supply and personnel statistics. Among the most valuable of the studies is the third of the 18th Army group—18th Army Operations III—which contains much detailed information concerning Japanese operations at Aitape. The most valuable single source for Japanese strategic planning was the study entitled History of the Army Section, Imperial General Headquarters, 1941–1945, which contains summaries of plans, resumes of high command conferences, and the story of decisions at the highest Japanese command levels. Some of the studies concerning Japanese naval operations were also valuable, particularly for the development of the story of Japanese attempts to reinforce Biak. Copies of both the translated and Japanese versions of these studies are in the OCMH files. Since there were many changes in the numbering and title system of the studies during their preparation, the OCMH copies have different numbers and a few different titles (in translation) from the numbers and titles initially assigned by the G-2 Section, GHQ FEC.
Contemporary Official Japanese Records
Official Japanese documents captured during the war are to be found in translated form in various U.S. Army files. Among the most important of these translations are those found in the ALAMO Force G-2 Weekly Reports in the files of the G-2 Section GSUSA; the 24th Infantry Division’s report for the Hollandia operation, in the HRS DRB AGO; the files of the G-2 Sections of the PTF and its major subordinate echelons in the HRS DRB AGO; and the files of other task forces or divisions in the same collection. One of the most valuable of the official Japanese captured documents was the Field Diary of the 2nd Battalion, 80th In[antry, 20th Division, for that unit’s operations in the Aitape area. This diary is filed with other records of the G-2 Section, 32nd Infantry Division, in the custody of the ORB RAC AGO. The Current Translations and Enemy Publications of ATIS GHQ SWPA, copies of which are filed in the HRS DRB AGO, also contain
valuable translations of official Japanese records captured during the war. Discussion of such records would not be complete without mention of a Japanese wartime document entitled Army Section, Imperial GHQ, Special Report on Lessons from the War, No. 33, Operations of the Yuki Group [ 36th Division] in the Biak Island and Sarmi Areas. A translation of this official Japanese report is filed in the OCMH.
Interrogations of Japanese Prisoners
Wartime Interrogations.—Wartime interrogations of Japanese prisoners fall into two categories: the preliminary “tactical” interrogations made at the front by Japanese language experts attached to combat units; and interrogations undertaken at prisoner of war compounds in rear areas. Copies of the former interrogations are in the files of the tactical units concerned in the custody of the HRS DRB AGO. Many of these are of value for checking information obtained from other sources, such as Allied intelligence estimates, the Japanese studies, and wartime translations of captured documents. The principal body of interrogations of the second category used in the preparation of this volume are those filed with the ATIS GHQ SWPA records in the HRS DRB AGO. Since many of these rear area strategic interrogations are nontactical in nature, they add little new information for the ground combat story at a given time. On the other hand, they are invaluable for material concerning the development of Allied intelligence estimates of the Japanese situation with respect to future operations and Japan’s ability to wage war at a given time or place. They contain, for instance, much information upon which Allied forces based their estimates of Japanese war production.
Postwar Interrogations.—The most important postwar interrogations are those of the United States Strategic Bombing Survey (USSBS), some of which have been published and are listed below under published works. In addition to this group, many special interrogations were conducted by ATIS SCAP in Japan. At the time of this writing, no complete file of the latter group is available, but copies of those employed in the preparation of this volume, as well as some unpublished USSBS interrogations similarly used, are located in the files of the OCMH or the G-2 Section, GSUSA. Such interrogations are especially valuable for material concerning Japanese planning.
Miscellaneous Sources of Japanese Information
In this category are included publications of the Military Intelligence Division, War Department General Staff, especially those concerning Japanese Order of Battle and articles on Japanese defenses on Biak and Peleliu. The latter are found in the MID WD serial publication Military Reports for December 1944 and January 1945, respectively; various Japanese documents now filed with the Central Intelligence Agency collection in the National Archives, many of which were perused or translated by Japanese language experts in the Pacific Section, OCMH; and, last but not least, an ATIS GHQ SWPA publication providing a translated list of Japanese Army officers, giving rank and position as of September 1942. The U.S. Navy Historical Section maintains a roster of Japanese Navy Officers.
Unpublished Studies
Manuscript Histories
As indicated in the preface to this volume there was no contemporary historical coverage of U.S. Army unit operations in the Southwest Pacific Area other than that provided for by U.S. Army regulations. However, a historian accompanied the 81st Infantry Division during that unit’s operations in the Palaus and later prepared an incomplete manuscript entitled “The Palaus Campaign.” Written by Maj. Nelson Drummond, Jr., this MS provides a detailed account of 81st Division activities on Angaur, especially for the 321st Infantry—an extremely fortunate circumstance since that unit’s records were lost. The work relies for the most part on official records of the 81st Division and those of its attached units, but it also includes some material which Major Drummond obtained by observation and interview. The manuscript does not finish the story of Angaur and has little information on operations of 81st Division units on Peleliu. A copy is on file in the OCMH.
Special Studies
A number of special studies and reports produced by students at advanced officer courses in the various U.S. Army service schools—principally the Infantry School and the Command and General Staff College—were perused in the preparation of this volume in an attempt to find additional material not included in official wartime records. Despite the obvious potential value of such studies written by officers who participated in the operations, most of them are only re-workings of unit After Action Reports and are hence of little value. Two notable exceptions are as follows:–
Maj. Edward O. Logan (formerly S-2, 124th Infantry), The Enveloping Maneuver of the 124th Infantry Regiment, East of the Driniumor, Aitape, New Guinea, 31 July–10 August 1944. This report, written at The Infantry School, Fort Benning, Ga., for the Advanced Officer’s Course, 1946–1947, was supplied to the author through the courtesy of the library of The Infantry School, where the report is filed. It supplements the sketchy information concerning TED Force operations found in official records and provides valuable extracts from the Journal of the 3rd Battalion, 124th Infantry, 31st Infantry Division, that are not in other files.
Lt. Col. Cecil C. Snoddy, Jr., et al., of Committee No. 14, Armored Officers’ Advanced Course, 1949–1950, Armor in Angaur–Peleliu Campaign. This research report, prepared at The Armored School, Fort Knox, Ky., provides material concerning tank operations in the Palaus not to be found in official records. A copy is filed in the OCMH.
AAF History
A valuable manuscript source is found in Dr. Robert F. Futrell’s draft of chapters concerning the approach to the Philippines and the invasion of Leyte from a projected fifth volume of the series THE ARMY AIR FORCES IN WORLD WAR II, bearing the tentative title, “ The Pacific—MATTERHORN to Nagasaki.” Two manuscript chapters were made available to the author through the courtesy of Dr. Futrell, and a photostatic copy of this material is in the files of the OCMH. The chapters provide valuable data with regard to air force planning
and operations immediately preceding the invasion of the Philippines and are especially useful for coverage of air activities during the Morotai and Palau operations.
Miscellaneous Sources of Information
Interviews
In order to obtain additional information, especially concerning command decisions, the author interviewed a number of officers who participated in the operations described. Copies of all interview notes are filed in the OCMH. Interviews with the following officers, listed according to the positions they held, produced much valuable information:–
Lt. Gen. Robert L. Eichelberger. CG I Corps and Eighth Army; Comdr. RECKLESS and HURRICANE Task Forces.
Lt. Gen. Charles P. Hall. CG XI Corps; Comdr. PERSECUTION and TRADEWIND Task Forces.
Brig. Gen. Julian W. Cunningham. CG 112th Cavalry Regimental Combat Team.
Col. Oliver P. Newman. CO 186th Infantry, 41st Infantry Division.
Col. Edward M. Starr. CO 124th Infantry, 31st Infantry Division.
Lt. Col. Peter L. Hooper. Executive Officer, 112th Cavalry Regimental Combat Team.
Maj. Joseph L. Manz. Adjutant, 169th Infantry, 43rd Infantry Division.
Capt. Leonard Lowry. CO Company I, 127th Infantry, 32nd Infantry Division.
In connection with these interviews, it must be pointed out that none were undertaken until the spring of 1947, by which time memory had perhaps dulled or events of one campaign had become mixed in the mind with those of others.
Correspondence
A number of letters written to the author in answer to specific questions provided additional information used in preparing this volume. These letters, with inclosures, are in the files of the OCMH. Some wartime correspondence, part of it of a semiofficial nature and some of it personal, was also lent to the author. Copies of such letters are not to be found in official files. The most important correspondence used in the preparation of this manuscript consists of the following:–
Letters, John Balfour, Office of the Official War Historian, Australia, to author, 21 May 1947, 1 October 1947, 30 April 1948, 26 May 1948, 15 March 1949. Copies in OCMH.
Letters, Flt. Lt. Arthur L. Davies (RAAF), War History Section, Headquarters RAAF, to author, 8 March 1948, 2 April 1948, 7 July 1948. Copies in OCMH.
Letter, Brig. Gen. Julian W. Cunningham (CG 112th Cavalry RCT and Comdr., South Force, PERSECUTION Task Force) to RANGOON SIX (Maj. Gen. William H. Gill, CT 32nd Infantry Division and Comdr., PERSECUTION Covering Force, PERSECUTION Task Force), 30 July 1944. Copy filed in the OCMH.
Letters, Col. Edward M. Starr (CO, 124th RCT, TED Force of PERSECUTION Task Force) to Maj. Gen. John C. Persons (CT, 31st Infantry Division), 6 July 1944, 22 July 1944, 13 August 1944. These letters were lent to the author by Colonel Starr, but are not to be found in official files.
Miscellaneous Notes
Lt. Gen. Robert L. Eichelberger. Dictation dated 4 April 1948, entitled
Background for the Biak Operation. A copy of these notes, which were prepared by the general for his use during the writing of a series of articles in The Saturday Evening Post, is on file in the OCMH.
General Eichelberger, memorandum dated 10 February 1949, entitled The Biak Operation. This memorandum was for Mr. Milton MacKaye, who collaborated with the general in the preparation of The Saturday Evening Post articles. A copy is on file in the OCMH.
Extracts and Notes from the Personal Diary of Maj. Gen. Paul J. Mueller, CG, 81st Infantry Division, covering the period 6 July–25 November 1944. These notes and extracts were prepared by Maj. Nelson L. Drummond and used in the preparation of his manuscript on the Palau operation. A copy of the notes is on file in the OCMH.
Capt. Leonard Lowry, CO, Co. I, 127th Infantry, 32nd Infantry Division, notes entitled Actions of 3rd Battalion, 127th Infantry, During Aitape Campaign, 1944. Copy in OCMH files.
Notes and Comments on Volume
Prior to publication of this volume, almost fifty officers (or ex-officers, now civilians) who participated in the events described, or who otherwise had some intimate knowledge of some of those events, read all or parts of the manuscript, supplying additional material and making suggestions. Copies of all these notes are on file in the OCMH, as are copies of reviews from official historical agencies of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and the Australian Army. In the footnotes, these comments are cited as letters to Gen. Orlando Ward, Chief of Military History.
Published Works
General
While not all the published works listed below are cited in this volume, all furnish background information bearing on the approach to the Philippines.
Arnold, General of the Air Force Henry H. Global Mission. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1949. An interesting and valuable source of information concerning the Army Air Forces’ plans and policies.
Arnold, General of the Army Henry H. Second Report of the Commanding General of the Army Air Forces to the Secretary of War. Washington: War Department, 1945. An official, summary account of Army Air Forces action during the last two years of the war.
Craven, Wesley Frank, and Cate, James Lea (Eds.). The Pacific: Guadalcanal to Saipan, August 1942 to July 1944. Vol. IV in the series THE ARMY AIR FORCES IN WORLD WAR II. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1950. This, the Air Forces’ official history, provides information concerning Army Air Forces planning and operations.
Eichelberger, Lt. Gen. Robert L., and MacKaye, Milton. “Our Bloody Jungle Road to Tokyo,” The Saturday Evening Post, CXXII, Nos. 7–13, (13 August 1949–24 September 1949). A series of seven articles concerning General Eichelberger’s experiences during the war. Written principally from the public relations angle, these articles are not always objective and they contain minor inaccuracies.
Eichelberger, Robert L., and MacKaye, Milton. Our Jungle Road to Tokyo. New York: The Viking Press, 1950. An extension of The Saturday Evening Post articles
in book form. There are many minor inaccuracies concerning both operations and planning. By no means scholarly, the volume does provide many interesting sidelights on the operations in which General Eichelberger participated.
Feldt, Comdr. Eric A. (RAN). The Coast Watchers. Melbourne: Oxford Press, 1946. Interesting and authoritative accounts of intelligence activities behind the Japanese lines. There is also a shorter American edition.
Halsey, Fleet Admiral William F., and Bryan, Lt. Comdr. J., III. Admiral Halsey’s Story. New York and London: Whittlesey House (McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc.), 1947. A well-written and interesting account of Admiral Halsey’s activities providing, inter alia, the story of Admiral Halsey’s opposition to the invasion of the Palaus.
Heavy, Brig. Gen. William F. Down Ramp! The Story of the Army Amphibian Engineers. Washington: Infantry Journal Press, 1947. A summary account.
Hough, Maj. Frank O., USMCR. The Island War: The United States Marine Corps in the Pacific. Philadelphia and New York: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1947. Although based on official records, this unofficial account is written from the Marine Corps’ point of view. It provides a reasonably accurate summary account of Marine action.
Hough, Maj. Frank O., USMCR. The Assault on Peleliu. Washington: Historical Division, Headquarters U.S. Marine Corps, 1950. An excellent detailed account of Marine action in the Palaus. This is the Marine Corps’ official history of the Palau operation.
Joint Army-Navy Assessment Committee, The. Japanese Naval and Merchant Shipping Losses During World War II, By All Causes. Washington: Navy Department (NAVESOS P-468), 1947. A detailed listing based on official Allied and Japanese records available at the time of publication. Information obtained since publication indicates that there are a few errors in the listings.
Kenney, Gen. George C. General Kenney Reports: A Personal History of the Pacific War. New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1949. Based on personal papers, memory, and official records. This account presents the picture as General Kenney saw it from his position as Commander, Allied Air Forces, SWPA, 1942–1945. There are some minor inaccuracies, but much information, especially concerning personal relations, is included that is not to be found in official records.
King, Fleet Admiral Ernest J. United States Navy at War: Second Official Report to the Secretary of the Navy, Covering Combat Operations March 1, 1944, to March 1, 1945. Washington: The United States News, 1945.
Marshall, General of the Army George C. Biennial Report of the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, July 1, 1943, to June 30, 1945, to the Secretary of War. Washington: War Department, 1945.
Office of the Chief Engineer, General Headquarters, Army Forces Pacific. ENGINEERS OF THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC, 1941–1945. Engineers in Theater Operations. Washington: OCE GHQ AFPAC, 1946. This is Vol. I of an eight-volume work bearing the same series title, some other volumes of which have already been published. The series is ostensibly the report of the Chief Engineer, GHQ SWPA and GHQ AFPAC, Maj. Gen. Hugh J. Casey. Most of the research and writing for the volume was accomplished by Dr. Karl
C. Dod, under the direction of Lt. Col. George A. Meidling, general editor. This official account is based on official Allied records and on interviews; it is a valuable and accurately documented account.
Robson, R.W. (Ed.). The Pacific Islands Handbook, 1944 (North American Edition). New York: The Macmillan Company, 1946.
United States Strategic Bombing Survey (USSBS). Summary Report (Pacific War). Washington: USSBS, 1946. A brief account emphasizing the part of air power.
USSBS, Military Analysis Division. Air Campaigns of the Pacific War. Washington: USSBS, 1947. A summary account useful for general information.
USSBS, Military Analysis Division. Employment of Forces Under the Southwest Pacific Command. Washington: USSBS, 1947. A brief account from the high command level. Almost a verbatim copy, with certain organizational changes, of manuscripts prepared overseas in 1945 by the author and other members of the Historical Division, G-3 GHQ SWPA. It is accurate and authoritative insofar as the original authors were able to make it so from documents available to them.
USSBS, Naval Analysis Division. Interrogations of Japanese Officials. Two vols. Washington: Navy Department (OPNAVP-03–100), 1946. Extremely valuable interrogations of Japanese high commanders and cabinet members. Some of the interrogations must be used cautiously, for the Japanese who were interrogated tried to please and sometimes responded according to the interrogators’ branch of service.
USSBS (Pacific), Naval Analysis Division. The Campaigns of the Pacific War. Washington: USSBS, 1946. Emphasis is given to summaries of naval engagements. There are a few minor errors discovered from study of sources not employed by the writers.
Unit Histories
After the war many unit histories were published, most of them written by and for the wartime members of the various units. Most of these books are not very scholarly and contain a great deal of material written from the public relations point of view. Many of them, however, contain interesting sidelights on unit operations and bits or pieces of information not appearing in official records, especially exploits of individuals or small units. The most important ones consulted are as follows:–
McCartney, 1st Lt. William F. The Jungleers: A History of the 41st Infantry Division. Washington: Infantry Journal Press, 1948.
McMillan, George. The Old Breed: A History of the First Marine Division in World War II. Washington: Infantry Journal Press, 1949.
The Division Public Relations Section. The 6th Infantry Division in World War II, 1939–1945. Washington: Infantry Journal Press, 1947. Among the best of the unit histories.
The 81st Wildcat Division Historical Committee. The 81st Infantry Wildcat Division in World War II. Washington: Infantry Journal Press, 1948. An outstanding unit history which is based primarily upon official records.
The 33rd Infantry Division Historical Committee. The Golden Cross: A History the 33rd Infantry Division in World War II. Washington: Infantry Journal Press. Based upon a manuscript prepared by Capt. Sanford H. Winston and reflecting some sound research.
Zimmer, Col. Joseph E. The History of the 43rd Infantry Division, 1941–1945. Baton Rouge: The Army and Navy Publishing Co., n.d.
Anon. History of the Second Engineer Special Brigade, United States Army, World War II. Harrisburg: The Telegraph Press, 1946. This volume is obviously based on extensive research into official records and provides a good summary account.
Anon. Surf and Sand: The Saga of the 533rd Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment and 1461st Engineer Maintenance Company, 1942–1945. Andover: The Andover Press, Ltd., 1947.
Anon. History of the 31st Infantry Division in Training and Combat, 1940–1945. Baton Rouge: The Army and Navy Publishing Co., 1946.