Japanese positions at Guadalcanal.

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Smoj
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Japanese positions at Guadalcanal.

#1

Post by Smoj » 20 Jan 2022, 06:28

Hi all, I hope you can ssist me, and my apologies if this info is already posted elsewhere here. There is so much info in these forums, hard to filter it down to what I need.

I'm working on a project, and need to find some resources which describe the positions and movements of Japanese forces during the Guadalcanal campaign. Strong points, strategic locations, HQs, artillery emplacements, supply routes, that kind of thing. With dates if available.

Ideally, charts in English, or photos with clear references against terrain features, or other marks which allow me to find the positions as they may still exist now, using satellite imagery, and/or a field trip (once this Covid thing finishes).

Alternatively, accounts or records in English which describe locations and movement. Unfortunately, Japanese is not a language I have any skill with.

Anything, really. There is plenty about US dispositions and movements, but I have been finding it difficult to get accurate sources from the Japanese side of things.

Thanks in advance for your help with this. I recognise some of your names from around the place, so I know you are the guys who can get the good oil.

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Re: Japanese positions at Guadalcanal.

#2

Post by Akira Takizawa » 20 Jan 2022, 13:13

The sources in Japanese side are, of course, in Japanese. The best source is Senshi Sosho (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senshi_S%C5%8Dsho). But, there is no English translation about Guadalcanal campaign in Senshi Sosho. Senshi Sosho can be read on the net. The volumes of Senshi Sosho regarding Guadalcanal campaign are as follows.

http://www.nids.mod.go.jp/military_hist ... ?kanno=014
http://www.nids.mod.go.jp/military_hist ... ?kanno=028

Taki


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Re: Japanese positions at Guadalcanal.

#3

Post by OpanaPointer » 20 Jan 2022, 15:13

You may find something useful here: https://usacac.army.mil/organizations/cace/carl
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Re: Japanese positions at Guadalcanal.

#4

Post by OpanaPointer » 20 Jan 2022, 15:16

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Re: Japanese positions at Guadalcanal.

#5

Post by Smoj » 20 Jan 2022, 16:38

Akira Takizawa wrote:
20 Jan 2022, 13:13
The sources in Japanese side are, of course, in Japanese. The best source is Senshi Sosho (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senshi_S%C5%8Dsho). But, there is no English translation about Guadalcanal campaign in Senshi Sosho. Senshi Sosho can be read on the net. The volumes of Senshi Sosho regarding Guadalcanal campaign are as follows.

http://www.nids.mod.go.jp/military_hist ... ?kanno=014
http://www.nids.mod.go.jp/military_hist ... ?kanno=028

Taki
Thanks Taki, they are really good. I've found a few handy charts already, still looking. I did download a few of the translated Senshi Sosho the other day which are useful in general terms, but the two you have linked are the ones I need. Hopefully one day, more of these will be translated, a fantastic resource.
OpanaPointer wrote:
20 Jan 2022, 15:13
You may find something useful here: https://usacac.army.mil/organizations/cace/carl
Cheers for that. I'm an Aussie, I'll knock on the door and see if they let me in. I'm sure there is a lot of good stuff in there.
Both very, very good. Many thanks. I have been looking at those documents. Plenty of great, well written info.

Are there any sources for Japanese maps of the area? I can't read the script, but I can read the maps themselves.

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Re: Japanese positions at Guadalcanal.

#6

Post by OpanaPointer » 20 Jan 2022, 17:47

Lots of maps in the Monographs. I haven't looked at the mono(s) on the Solomons for a few decades.
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Re: Japanese positions at Guadalcanal.

#7

Post by Smoj » 21 Jan 2022, 07:34

OpanaPointer wrote:
20 Jan 2022, 17:47
Lots of maps in the Monographs. I haven't looked at the mono(s) on the Solomons for a few decades.
Working through the lot of them now. So far I've found some good stuff, cheers!
The problem is with not getting sidetracked.... Spent three hous reading about Singapore today, instead of Guadalcanal. :)

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Re: Japanese positions at Guadalcanal.

#8

Post by OpanaPointer » 21 Jan 2022, 14:24

I've been called all kinds of things by the partners of people who went into Hyperwar and never came out again. :-)
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Re: Japanese positions at Guadalcanal.

#9

Post by Smoj » 22 Jan 2022, 04:17

Ha ha... I can believe that. It's a pretty good rabbit hole.
Between Hyperwar and Senshi Sosho, I'm going to be busy for a while.

I just finished going through the Senshi Sosho, will clean up some of the maps and post them here for anybody else that could use them. I can't read Japanese, but I can use Photoshop. I just have to choose the right battles. :))

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Re: Japanese positions at Guadalcanal.

#10

Post by daveshoup2MD » 23 Jan 2022, 00:49

Here's the US Army campaign history; published in 1948, so there are positives (immediacy) and negatives (intel not widely discussed) but a lot of insight, useful maps and graphics, etc.

https://history.army.mil/html/books/005 ... ub_5-3.pdf

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Re: Japanese positions at Guadalcanal.

#11

Post by Smoj » 24 Jan 2022, 21:33

daveshoup2MD wrote:
23 Jan 2022, 00:49
Here's the US Army campaign history; published in 1948, so there are positives (immediacy) and negatives (intel not widely discussed) but a lot of insight, useful maps and graphics, etc.

https://history.army.mil/html/books/005 ... ub_5-3.pdf
Thanks Dave. What I've read so far there is a pretty good read.

I'm wading through vast amounts of material, in 100 different directions now. But the project is starting to come together. The foundations, at least. Some really interesting stuff.

I've pulled and processed around 60 of the Guadalcanal charts from Senshi Sosho at this point, still have another 20 or so to process. Some of the plates they used aren't so clear, but on the whole they are pretty good, and they generally have good resolution, so they are often pretty clear and detailed.

I'm giving them a quick look to see if I can place where the actions occured, but haven't dug too deeply into dates, or anything else really. And I'm not messing with colours or anything, to keep the images as clean and original as possible.

Here's an example or two:
Matanikau.png
Ilu River.png

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Re: Japanese positions at Guadalcanal.

#12

Post by daveshoup2MD » 24 Jan 2022, 23:15

Smoj wrote:
24 Jan 2022, 21:33
daveshoup2MD wrote:
23 Jan 2022, 00:49
Here's the US Army campaign history; published in 1948, so there are positives (immediacy) and negatives (intel not widely discussed) but a lot of insight, useful maps and graphics, etc.

https://history.army.mil/html/books/005 ... ub_5-3.pdf
Thanks Dave. What I've read so far there is a pretty good read.

I'm wading through vast amounts of material, in 100 different directions now. But the project is starting to come together. The foundations, at least. Some really interesting stuff.

I've pulled and processed around 60 of the Guadalcanal charts from Senshi Sosho at this point, still have another 20 or so to process. Some of the plates they used aren't so clear, but on the whole they are pretty good, and they generally have good resolution, so they are often pretty clear and detailed.

I'm giving them a quick look to see if I can place where the actions occured, but haven't dug too deeply into dates, or anything else really. And I'm not messing with colours or anything, to keep the images as clean and original as possible.

Here's an example or two:

Matanikau.png
Ilu River.png
Sure -fascinating stuff. If you can get them from the library, Morison's volume (USN), the USMC history, and even the USAAF history all have a lot of good material (less so re ground forces in the USAAF history, of course). I don't think any are available in their entirety via the internet, at least they were not so a few years ago.

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Re: Japanese positions at Guadalcanal.

#13

Post by Smoj » 25 Jan 2022, 17:05

The State Library in my city may have access to those books, but I doubt it. The online copies will probably have to do. Next time I'm down that way, I'll have a look. The Australian War Memorial in Canberra will no doubt have some good stuff from the RAN and RAAF as well.

I'll probably need the next few years to get through all the material I've received the links for from you guys anyway, short of going to Tokyo myself, it's a pretty good start. I really appreciate the push in the right direction. So far I think I have what I need, for now.

But I'll be digging deep for other aspects of the campaign soon enough. It's difficult to not get ahead of myself... And difficult to keep on track, not getting distracted by the info about other battles. But the links you all have provided have been very useful.

If you're interested, I'll keep you guys informed if and when this project hits critical mass, and sees the light of day.

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Re: Japanese positions at Guadalcanal.

#14

Post by daveshoup2MD » 26 Jan 2022, 08:58

Smoj wrote:
25 Jan 2022, 17:05
The State Library in my city may have access to those books, but I doubt it. The online copies will probably have to do. Next time I'm down that way, I'll have a look. The Australian War Memorial in Canberra will no doubt have some good stuff from the RAN and RAAF as well.

I'll probably need the next few years to get through all the material I've received the links for from you guys anyway, short of going to Tokyo myself, it's a pretty good start. I really appreciate the push in the right direction. So far I think I have what I need, for now.

But I'll be digging deep for other aspects of the campaign soon enough. It's difficult to not get ahead of myself... And difficult to keep on track, not getting distracted by the info about other battles. But the links you all have provided have been very useful.

If you're interested, I'll keep you guys informed if and when this project hits critical mass, and sees the light of day.
FWIW:

Morison:
https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/2092918

USMC History:
https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/Histo ... 262400.pdf

USAAF History:
https://media.defense.gov/2010/Nov/05/2 ... 05-010.pdf

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Re: Japanese positions at Guadalcanal.

#15

Post by Smoj » 26 Jan 2022, 20:12

daveshoup2MD wrote:
26 Jan 2022, 08:58
Smoj wrote:
25 Jan 2022, 17:05
The State Library in my city may have access to those books, but I doubt it. The online copies will probably have to do. Next time I'm down that way, I'll have a look. The Australian War Memorial in Canberra will no doubt have some good stuff from the RAN and RAAF as well.

I'll probably need the next few years to get through all the material I've received the links for from you guys anyway, short of going to Tokyo myself, it's a pretty good start. I really appreciate the push in the right direction. So far I think I have what I need, for now.

But I'll be digging deep for other aspects of the campaign soon enough. It's difficult to not get ahead of myself... And difficult to keep on track, not getting distracted by the info about other battles. But the links you all have provided have been very useful.

If you're interested, I'll keep you guys informed if and when this project hits critical mass, and sees the light of day.
FWIW:

Morison:
https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/2092918

USMC History:
https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/Histo ... 262400.pdf

USAAF History:
https://media.defense.gov/2010/Nov/05/2 ... 05-010.pdf
Thanks very much. I can't get to the National Library just now (I'm 4-5,000km away), but the other two links are great. I've started reading the USMC history, and will definitely need to read the USAAF history later too, once I start working the air angle.

Cheers!

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