This small archive—from the estate of J.D. Coker, who served in the U.S. Navy on the US Strategic Bombing Survey Ships’ Bombardment section, and who later became a leading official in the U.S. Atomic Preparedness programs (such as the President’s Committee on Emergency Preparedness)—are mimeographs and manuscripts that comprise what seems to be the summary of the Navy’s bombardment of Kamaishi, Muroran, Hitachi, Kushimoto, Shimizu, Hakodate, Nojima, Saki, and Hamamatsu.  This was about the extent of the Allied naval bombardments against Japan, as it was not possible for battleships to maneuver close enough to the Japanese homeland to fire against industrial and production centers.  (It may have also been the case that the aircraft used to protect the assaulting ships could have perhaps done as much damage to the targets as the ships themselves.) $1750

Ships Bombardment Surveys Original, Confidential Material

Group of 14 documents of 63 leaves concerning the bombing surveys at Hamamatsu, Hitachi, Kamaishi, Hakodate, Kushimoto, Nojima Saki (Japan) in 1945. Includes the following sections:

(1) “Memo from the Chairman”

Marked CONFIDENTIAL.

“Preliminary Summary of report on Ships’ Bombardment Survey Party.”

8vo, 7pp, carbon typescript on onion skin paper, heavily annotated and corrected in pencil.

By N.A. Chapin, Capt., USN.

This detailed report reviews the damage done to the areas under bombardment including Kamaishi, Hamamatsu, Hitachi, Muroran, Shimizu, Shionomisaki, Nojima Saki

“Primary task of units attacking first four objectives was bombardment, and principal components of these Task Units in general were fast battleships and heavy cruisers. Attacks on the last three were secondary tasks during anti-shipping sweeps … .In general the mission assigned by commander Third Fleet was to bombard certain vital areas of Japanese Mainland in order to destroy vital industries and demoralize transportation, and lower will to resist of Japanese people”.

(2) ”Ships’ Bombardment Survey Party, Order of Publication of Reports”

8vo, 18pp, carbon typescripts on onion skin paper. Outlines this segment of the survey and provides statement on the distribution of bombing data, how reports are to be made, structure of reports. For example, for “Japan Iron Works” in Kamaishi the order of report should be the decription of target (functional and physical), followed by analysis of damage (physical, funcitonal, fall of shot and general damage plot, photos of Japan Iron Works and machinery; building and machinery layouts; tablesof production. This is the general outline and does NOT include the actual data, though it does outline about three dozen target areas. (Dated as revised in December 1945.)

• 2a-3f are all ship-board mimeographic reports, staple bound, of the six target areas outlined above.

(2a) ”Ships’ Bombardment Party. Field Memo No. 1. U.S.S. Haines, at Sea, 2 October 1945.”

Marked CONFIDENTIAL. 3pp.

Data recorded summary includes, for example:

Kamaishi area.

Target: Japan Iron Works. Invloving the ships USS Indiana, South Dakota, Massachusetts, using 16” guns, delivering 802 rounds on 14 July 1945.

(2b) “Ships’ Bombardment Party/. Field Memorandum No.2 U.S.S. Haines, at Sea 7 October 1945”

Includes data on Nihon Steel Works and Wanishi Iron Works under bombardment by USS Missouri, Iowa Wisconsin, all 16^, delivering 434 rounds. Also provides coordinates for target areas. 2pp.

(2c) “Ships’ Bombardment Party/Confidential/ Field Memorandum No.3 U.S.S. Haines, at Sea, 16 October 1945.”

CONFIDENTIAL.

Objectives/bomb targets: RADAR Installation (Iso Saki), Hitachi Steel Works. Hitachi Arms Factory, and several others.

The battleships involved include North Carolina, Alabama, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa (all 16”), plus Atlanta and Dayton (6”).

(2d) ”Ships’ Bombardment Party/ Field Memorandum No.4. U.S.S. Haines, at Sea, 3 Novmber 1945”

CONFIDENTIAL. Offset printed. 3pp.

Kushimoto area (seaplane base, airfield, urban area, radio station). Targets distributed among the 5” and 6” guns of the USS Pasadena, Springfield, Astoria, Wilkes Barre, Wedderburn, Twining, Stockham, Uhlmann, Cushing, Colahan, Benham.

(2e) “Ships’ Bombardment Party, Field Memo No.5 U.S.S. Haines, at Sea; 6 November, 1945”. Offset printed.2pp.

Shimizu area (metal alumina plant, oil refinery, railroad area, urban area). Targets were bombarded by the USS McKee, Murray, Rodgers, Harrison, Ringold, Schroeder, Dashiell, with 1063 rounds.

(2f) ”Ships’ Bombardment Party, Field Memo No. 6 U.S.S. Haines, at Sea, 6 November 1945”. 3pp. Offset printed. Hamamatsu area; (Japan Musical Company (?), railroad station, military barracks, railway, loom works, tool works, and more). Bombardment data from the USS Massachusetts, Indiana, South Dakota, all 16”; plus the Chicago, St. Paul, Boston, Quincy, all at 8”, laying in about 1200 rounds.

( 3) “Economic Effects of Incendiary Attack of 19 July 1945 on Hitachi Urban Area.” 16pp. Typewritten carbon sheets. Discusses damage done to the Hitachi works as wells to the civilian population (in an attack that killed 700). Including “Hitachi Economic Effects” pp 1-4; “Hitachi Mine”, 2pp; Utilities, 2pp; “Morale”, 2pp; “Effect of Attack Upon Public Health”, 1pp, plus 5pp of stats.