Unique or Rare
 --: [Intelligence Report on] Japanese Suicide Craft , US Naval Technical Mission to Japan, January 1946.10 x 8 inches, 25 x 20 cms, 43 printed typescript pages, 25 figures of mechanical details. A lovely example in its original soft cover wrappers, protected in an archival clear plastic sleeve and preserved in a modern red cloth slip-case, leather label on spine. In the summer of 1945 and defeat of Japan, however it was to be achieved, was considered imminent, the United States Navy established a mission to determine the position of the Japanese in the field of naval technology. Two of the Japanese naval targets for investigation were "Shinyo" (special attack boats) and "Kaiten" (human torpedo/one man submarines). Both types of vessel were suicide craft, seaborne equivalents of "Kamikaze" aircraft. "Shinyo" held an explosive charge in their bows and were designed to ram the side of enemy vessels. They were manned by school boys in their mid-teens, around 16 or so years of age. "Kaiten" were one-man submarines, substantially altered torpedos having human control and additional fuel capacity. These midget or suicide submarines were manned by volunteers of 18 to 20 years of age. The Japanese claimed great success in the encounters between "Kaiten" and enemy shipping. An exceedingly rare example of the original 1946 Report covering both "Shinyo" and "Kaiten", marked as "Restricted" and with the tipped-in slip of the British Intelligence Objectives Sub-Committee shown as being "Copy No. 66". (Price includes postage UK) (Book ref. as-1851) £220.00 The payment methods accepted by the seller, Unique or Rare , are shown in the right-hand column. |
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