Okinawa pre-invasion intel maps and guides

[Bob Hudson]

This book is

CONFIDENTIAL

UNITED STATES PACIFIC FLEET

AND PACIFIC OCEAN AREAS

 

INFORMATION BULLETIN

 

OKINAWA GUNTO

 

CINCPAC CINCPOA

BULLETIN 161-44

15 NOVEMBER 1944

 

The website https://www.raremaps.com/gallery/detail/68092/united-states-pacific-fleet-and-pacific-ocean-areas-inform-cincpac says of this book:

 

"This booklet was produced in November of 1944, four months before the invasion would take place. This campaign required extensive coordination and planning due to the sheer enormity of troops and material needed to overrun the island. This booklet would have been used extensively by central command, captains, pilots, generals and others during the lead-up to the battle, fighting, and occupation. The booklet contains extensive notes regarding targets, assumed defensive tactics, navigational information, and much more. This source is important both for its breadth and specificity, being a work that would have been invaluable to anyone involved in the planning and execution of the battle, from high-level officers to pilots in bombing raids."

 

This particular book had  a folded up map inside (the book itself is folded in half). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bob Hudson]

There are something like 127 pages, but I show  just a few:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bob Hudson]

The map inserted in the book has some names written on it: I believe they are the locations for aircraft operations. One of the names is HEINE 1 and I found an account of HEINE 1 being involved in the anti-kamikaze patrols during the Okinawa invasion.

 

 

 

 

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[P-59A]

That is a stunning little book! Thanks for posting.

[Bob Hudson]

1 hour ago, P-59A said:

That is a stunning little book! Thanks for posting.

And that's less than 10 percent of the content - it has some fairly detailed information but you wonder how much of that actually got passed down to the grunts on the ground?

[12thengr]

 Wow, an island paradise. Endemic diseases, poisonous snakes, rates of many types, yikes. Great booklet, I love the maps.

[Bob Hudson]

It looks like a lot of the intel is from photo interpretation: