Picture of the Day - Miscellaneous

Analysis of captured allied aircraft by Japanese expert but this looks rather general explanation than analysis.


Savoia airacraft history by photos.

Source: Sky (Aug.1942)

Something in my my mind for a long time ...

I tried to find proper / correct words and order to ask this question ...

Here it goes:

Japan and US, have 2 completely different culture, language and customs, they even use different typing systems ...

I don't think back in time, the majority of soldiers, were able to read / write / speak or understand the other language, so:

1- if someone, serving in combat units, knew Japanese / English on medium or higher levels, was he put into action as a simple infantryman or a little bit more "specialised" service? Like in a recon unit or as a translator?

2- if there was no one available able to communicate with the other side, or checking found papers and equipments, were these items sent to a special place? Or officers ask for a specialist (maybe regimental / divisional hq) to try to decipher those papers?

ARTESH said:

Something in my my mind for a long time ...

I tried to find proper / correct words and order to ask this question ...

Here it goes:

Japan and US, have 2 completely different culture, language and customs, they even use different typing systems ...

I don't think back in time, the majority of soldiers, were able to read / write / speak or understand the other language, so:

1- if someone, serving in combat units, knew Japanese / English on medium or higher levels, was he put into action as a simple infantryman or a little bit more "specialised" service? Like in a recon unit or as a translator?

2- if there was no one available able to communicate with the other side, or checking found papers and equipments, were these items sent to a special place? Or officers ask for a specialist (maybe regimental / divisional hq) to try to decipher those papers?

Click to expand...

In the case of Japanese military, military academy graduates were able to read/speak English or German as an officer. Enlisted soldiers had nothing to do with ranking but, in many cases, were given special mission like a translator. Such a guy had better chances to survive or to be treated better than other ordinary soldiers even captured by the enemy.

Shinpachi said:

A captured Curtiss Kittyhawk P-40D in the Mindanao Island in 1942.

View attachment 696977
Source: Sky (July 1942)

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I wonder what they thought of the P-40 after having the opportunity to inspect & test it.

manta22 said:

I wonder what they thought of the P-40 after having the opportunity to inspect & test it.

Click to expand...

Education Documents Batch during August to December 1942
by 50th Sentai (Flight Squadron)

Title
Research for combat reference on the "Curtiss" P40E single-seat fighter


Pages 1379 to 1382

Research for combat reference on the "Curtiss" P40E single-seat fighter

Section 1: Survey/Purpose

To investigate combat references for the captured and serviced Curtiss P40E single-seat fighter.

Note
"Curtiss" P40 has appeared on each battlefield except Malay. In the direction of the Philippines, about two-thirds are B-type and the remaining one-third are E-type. The E-types were also replenished and are used in the Dutch-Indies direction. Judging from this, all P40s in Australia are considered to be E-type. Those P40s which are considered to appear in India in the future will be E-type.

Judging from the fact that P40s captured in the direction of Burma are all B-type, P40s of the US military squadron in Chongqing will be all B-type. The difference between the E-type and the B/D types is shown in the attached table. Here, we will mainly discuss the E-type.


Section 2: Structure and specifications

On the structure and specifications of this fighter, refer to the appendix and photographs attached.


Section 3: Investigative findings

This fighter can be characterized by its high speed and powerful firepower. In other words, as the maximum speed is so fast as about 550km/h that its take-off is quick. However, the stall point is high and the turning performance is not good. Therefore, this fighter's tactics is to attack from a high position with its powerful firepower and then immediately leave by diving. As a countermeasure, we need to be more vigilant against this surprise attack. However,this P40's ammunition capacity is 235 rounds per gun, so this fighter is not intended for relentless combat.

This fighter is equipped with a bulletproof steel armor with a thickness of 9.5 mm behind the cockpit to protect the back when leaving. However, behind this armor is equipped a fuel tank (Type B has a fuel tank and a lubricating oil tank). Therefore, the chasing fire is still effective. Also, as the cooler is mounted under the engine, this is considered a weak point for this fighter.

It is estimated that this fighter can be equipped with six 20-pound small bombs intending ground attack. Caution is required.



Pages 1383 to 1389

Appendix: General specifications


Pages 1390 to 1391

Attached photo


Source: JACAR C14060479800

Original text

Nice shots shinpachi!

Shinpachi said:

Education Documents Batch during August to December 1942
by 50th Sentai (Flight Squadron)

Title
Research for combat reference on the "Curtiss" P40E single-seat fighter


Pages 1379 to 1382

Research for combat reference on the "Curtiss" P40E single-seat fighter

Section 1: Survey/Purpose

To investigate combat references for the captured and serviced Curtiss P40E single-seat fighter.

Note
"Curtiss" P40 has appeared on each battlefield except Malay. In the direction of the Philippines, about two-thirds are B-type and the remaining one-third are E-type. The E-types were also replenished and are used in the Dutch-Indies direction. Judging from this, all P40s in Australia are considered to be E-type. Those P40s which are considered to appear in India in the future will be E-type.

Judging from the fact that P40s captured in the direction of Burma are all B-type, P40s of the US military squadron in Chongqing will be all B-type. The difference between the E-type and the B/D types is shown in the attached table. Here, we will mainly discuss the E-type.


Section 2: Structure and specifications

On the structure and specifications of this fighter, refer to the appendix and photographs attached.


Section 3: Investigative findings

This fighter can be characterized by its high speed and powerful firepower. In other words, as the maximum speed is so fast as about 550km/h that its take-off is quick. However, the stall point is high and the turning performance is not good. Therefore, this fighter's tactics is to attack from a high position with its powerful firepower and then immediately leave by diving. As a countermeasure, we need to be more vigilant against this surprise attack. However,this P40's ammunition capacity is 235 rounds per gun, so this fighter is not intended for relentless combat.

This fighter is equipped with a bulletproof steel armor with a thickness of 9.5 mm behind the cockpit to protect the back when leaving. However, behind this armor is equipped a fuel tank (Type B has a fuel tank and a lubricating oil tank). Therefore, the chasing fire is still effective. Also, as the cooler is mounted under the engine, this is considered a weak point for this fighter.

It is estimated that this fighter can be equipped with six 20-pound small bombs intending ground attack. Caution is required.



Pages 1383 to 1389

Appendix: General specifications


Pages 1390 to 1391

Attached photo


Source: JACAR C14060479800

アジア歴史資料センター

アジア歴史資料センターは、近現代（1860年代から1945年前後）の日本とアジア近隣諸国との関係に関わる歴史資料（目録・画像）をインターネット上で提供する電子資料センター（データベース）であり、国立公文書館で運営されています。

www.jacar.go.jp

Original text

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Ihank you!!

I have found a picture for you, manta

GHQ school buses in Tokyo in 1950

Source: Camera (April 1950)

Shinpachi said:

I have found a picture for you, manta

GHQ school buses in Tokyo in 1950
View attachment 697275
Source: Camera (April 1950)

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Good picture! Thank you. We only had to walk to school a short distance at Grant Heights '47 to '50. Rode an Army school bus from Mannheim-Feudenheim to Heidelberg for my high school sophomore year- '54 to '55.

ARTESH said:

2- if there was no one available able to communicate with the other side, or checking found papers and equipments, were these items sent to a special place? Or officers ask for a specialist (maybe regimental / divisional hq) to try to decipher those papers?

Click to expand...

Sorry. I forgot to answer above.
IJA/IJN had each special intelligence team to decipher.
If interested, please read my old thread which ended with this staff's testimony -

"A former Imperial GHQ staff Eizou Hori(1913-1995) describes the secret intelligence team in his book like this.



pp 275-277
"Intelligence War by an Imperial GHQ staff"
Eizou Hori (published by Bungei Shunju in 1996)


7. IJA Special Intelligence Unit went underground

In July 1949, I was interrogated by the Allied GHQ about the Japanese-side possibility of decrypting the US-side cipher to read communication during the war. Even in November 1985, I received an abrupt visit of a US historian, Mr C. As the US-side seems to be still interested in this matter, I have to explain a bit more.

As I already mentioned, the unit for decryption was the IJA Special Intelligence Unit (特情部 = Tokujohbu). At the period of ending the war, the main force of this unit was evacuated to a nursing home building "Yokuhu-en" in Takaido district from Tanashi district of Tokyo City. We were intercepting radio broadcasting from enemies and neutral countries days and nights, so we had the chance to know "Japan decided to accept the Potsdam Declaration" in the broadcast from Sydney on August 11 instantaneously. As this broadcast was also captured by our headquarters in Tokyo and one of our branch offices in Niigata, we understood that the time had come at last.

Unit Director Toshio Nishimura immediately gathered executives to show how we should cope with it. From the evening on the day, huge volume of data and records as well as machines for decryption were begun to be destroyed at all offices throughout the country for days before disbanding the 'Tokujohbu' unit. According to memorandum written by Lt Col Yukio Yokoyama who was in charge of planning and operation as Manager of section no.1, details were like this -

"All data for decrypting were incinerated without leaving any piece of paper and the black smoke covered the sky of Takaido district for 3 days. Machines were destroyed into pieces. A part of the cryptogram was buried in the deep ground. These were done so that the coming occupation forces were unable to clarify the role and work of Tokujohbu unit no matter how hard they might try to persue it. Furthermore, in anticipation of the future tracking investigation by the US military, not only the name of Tokujohbu itself was deleted from the organization table of IJA but also main staff names were deleted from the personnel list of the Army Ministry.

Completed all necessary treatments on August 15, Director Nishimura and most of staffs gathered in the backyard of Yokuhu-en building to listen to Emperor's speech on the radio. No sooner had it ended than Nishimura declared disband and all staffs left the building in order to go underground as previously scheduled."

Hereupon, the IJA Special Intelligence Unit, Japan's sole unit after many transitions, for the decryption and cryptography creation which was organized in 1921 as a joint study team of codes by the army, the navy, the ministry of foreing affairs and the ministry of communications had disappeared together with the Emperor's speech as if an Inca Empire without leaving a piece of paper. It was only 25 years history since its establishment."

Source: IJA Secret Intelligence Team at Chofu

Days of chaos in the postwar Japan.
Few remember this Elizabeth Saunders Home today but there was.

"Elizabeth Saunders Home is an orphanage in Japan established in 1948 by Miki Sawada, a Mitsubishi heiress, with the original intent of housing biracial children, typically those born between men of the occupying US Armed Forces and Japanese women, who were abandoned by their parents and ostracized by Japanese society immediately after World War II.
Elizabeth Saunders Home - Wikipedia "


Photo source: Color Photos (Nov.1953)

Shinpachi said:

Days of chaos in the postwar Japan.
Few remember this Elizabeth Saunders Home today but there was.

"Elizabeth Saunders Home is an orphanage in Japan established in 1948 by Miki Sawada, a Mitsubishi heiress, with the original intent of housing biracial children, typically those born between men of the occupying US Armed Forces and Japanese women, who were abandoned by their parents and ostracized by Japanese society immediately after World War II.
Elizabeth Saunders Home - Wikipedia "

View attachment 697283
Photo source: Color Photos (Nov.1953)

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Wow. It's easy to forget the human side to major upheavals. Miki Sawada was a compassionate person.

Shinpachi, thank you for sharing this. I really know nothing about these events and it moves my heart to learn of the tragedy of these children and her response to the needs of the innocent. Her actions are more profound when you consider the prevalent vitriol of racism in that environment and that she transcended it to meet the children's needs.

What a heroine she was.

Zippythehog said:

Wow. It's easy to forget the human side to major upheavals. Miki Sawada was a compassionate person.

Shinpachi, thank you for sharing this. I really know nothing about these events and it moves my heart to learn of the tragedy of these children and her response to the needs of the innocent. Her actions are more profound when you consider the prevalent vitriol of racism in that environment and that she transcended it to meet the children's needs.

What a heroine she was.

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Thanks for your kind comment, Zippythehog.

One of my friends at the kindergarten was not orphan but biracial too.
That was my first step to be curious about foreign people and culture.
He now lives in Hawaii.

Elizabeth Saunders Home

Source: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b3/5e/3e/b35e3efc8addf1fda8bae596fb8b539b.jpg

Shinpachi said:

Thanks for your kind comment, Zippythehog.

One of my friends at the kindergarten was not orphan but biracial too.
That was my first step to be curious about foreign people and culture.
He now lives in Hawaii.

Elizabeth Saunders Home
View attachment 697691
Source: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b3/5e/3e/b35e3efc8addf1fda8bae596fb8b539b.jpg

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Reminds me of the song we used to sing, as kids, in Sunday school. Jesus loves the children.

The tipping custom seems to have been popular in the prewar Japan.
It is rare to see today.


Source: Photo Guide Book for Amateur (1938)

Cameras were expensive but popular. Imported ones were about $7k in today's value. Even domestic ones were priced $3k a set.


Source: Photo Guide Book for Amateur (1937)