Evening star., 1946-07-16
Bios Seen in Report
On the Pacific War
Little Mention Made of Efforts Of
Navy and Marine Forces
By David Lazvrence

BY David Laurence
Eleven civilians appointed by the
Secretary of War to make g. study OF
''the effects Of all types of air attack
in the war against Japan" have rem
dered a report which in many respects
is the most astonishing commentary on
the war with Japan that has been
issued from any official source.
The main conclusion is that Japan
would have surrendered even If the
atomic bombs had not been dropped,
even If Russia had not entered the
war and even If no invasion had been
planned or contemplated.
Such an assumption is exactly what
the De Seversky school Of thought has
been saying In order to prove that air
power should be in supreme command
Of our military and naval establishment.
The report is plainly biased in that
1t has hardly any mention in it of the
part played by the United States Navy
and the Marines, as well as the ground
forces of the United States Army.
Navy Mentioned Once.
Only once in the whole report is the
name of our Navy mentioned. No
where is the term aircraft carrier"
used Nowhere is there any mention
OF the part played by sea power in
destroying japanese surface forces and
nowhere is there any mention made
OF the manner in which the Marianas
Islands and OkinaWa were captured
The whole report gives the impression
| that air power and air power alone
caused Japan to surrender.
Perhaps the men who comprised the
survey commission didn't intend it that
way and perhaps they didn't themselves
write the final report or notice the
omissions. But as historical docu-
ment, the survey will fail of its purpose
because it is so clearly an attempt to
Justify the use of air power almost to
the exclusion of sea power or land
power.
Several times there are references TO
A japanese Army and Navy and men
ton Is made Of the destruction OF the
Japanese Navy, but no statement is
made that the United States Navy and
it's feet Marine Force carried the
attack across the long stretches OF the
Pacific up to the very coast of Japan
! and, aided by valiant divisions OF the
United States Army, took such an i'm
portant base as OkinaWa, a victory
which unquestionably impaired Japa-
nese morale
The report does concede that United
States submarines sank SIS per cent
of the japanese merchant feet and
then adds that "our Navy and Army
Air Forces made important contribu-
tions by sinking 40 per cent of Japan's
total shipping lost" This is an over
condensation.
Actually the surface forces and air
craft carriers of the Navy did the major
lob. Ofhcial data are available from
joint Army-Navy intelligence reports
which show that in the entire Pacific
war, the Army Air Forces are credited
with the sinking of only one combat
ship larger than a destroyer. This was
the Jap cruiser Yura on october 25,
1912. and Navy dive bombers share the
credit for that sinking with Army Bits.
In combat ships Japan lost 331. The
official assignment of credit, in which
the Army Intelligence joins, shows that
surface vessels of the United States
Navy sent l02 of these to the bottom,
that submarines sank "a, and that naval
aircraft, largely dive bombers from air
craft carriers, sank 86. Army airplanes
are credited with the sinking OF g
smaller japanese vessels of war. Other
causes. including mines and unknown
factors. accounted for the other 81
vessels.
Record on Cargo Ships.
In merchant vessels the record IS
much the same, although here the re-
ports are built up largely from japanese
naval reports. The japanese report
1929 steel merchant vessels lost.
Submarines are credited with 1850.
or more than half Planes from aircraft
carriers are credited with sinking S76
| and mines are believed 10 have sunk
/ 239 Action of Navy surface ships and
/ other causes account for the sinking
/ of 264.
Thus. less than IA per cent at the
most Of japanese merchant shipping
could assuredly have been sunk by
/ Army aircraft, according to the above
/ figures
( Certainly a record like this would
seem to warrant some mention OF "sea
power" and of surface ships in the So
called strategic bombing survey" Is
/ sued by the War Department.
The Army Air Forces did wonderful
job in the war but so did the Marines
who sleep in the cemeteries of Two Jima
and Saipan and the Army doughboys
who fought alongside of the Marines to
take Guam and Okinawa-from which
bases Army bombers eventually launched
their brilliant attack on Japan. 1t
would have been a fine thing II the
bombing survey commission had seen
fit to include mention of the work done
by the United States Navy and the
ground forces of the Army in forcing
Japan to notwithstanding that the
atomic bomb was really superf1uous.
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