Bombing

1945 · ref. 87713 — Washington DC: United States Strategic Bombing Survey 1945. Presumed First Edition First printing There is a place for a Copy No. but no number is present. Wraps. Fair. 8 33 29 pages of Exhibits. Photographs Figures. Tables. Front cover torn at two of the three staples and restrengthened with tape. RARE Surviving Copy. This report was written primarily for the use of the U. s. Strategic Bombing Survey in the preparation of further reports of a more comprehensive nature. Any conclusions or opinions expressed in this report must be considered as limited to the specific target covered and as subject to further interpretation in the light of further studies conducted by the Survey. It can be said without exaggeration that no matter what terms are used to explain the extent of damage caused by this one bomb any statement regarding the havoc created at HIROSHIMA would be an understatement. Yet should one attempt to do it justice through a complete and documented description the reader could still not conceive of the magnitude of the destruction both in human lives and property because of the lack of a parallel with which to make a comparison. Many of the personnel concerned with civilian defense were killed and much of the equipment destroyed. Nearly all records were burned. Because of the historical importance of the incident a brief study was made to determine the potentiality of a full survey of civilian defense organizations and operations before and at the time of the atomic bombing. The absence of informative sources made this impracticable and this report is therefore not a thorough analytical study. It consists of impressions based upon inspection and of such information as could be gleaned from officials citizens and records which were still available. The United States Strategic Bombing Survey USSBS was a written report created by a board of experts assembled to produce an impartial assessment of the effects of the Anglo-American strategic bombing of Nazi Germany during the European theater of World War II. After publishing its report the Survey members then turned their attention to the war efforts against Imperial Japan during the Pacific War including a separate section on the recent use of the atomic bomb Little Boy. In total the reports contained 208 volumes for Europe and another 108 for the Pacific comprising thousands of pages. The reports' conclusions were generally favorable about the contributions of Allied strategic bombing towards victory calling it "decisive". A majority of the Survey's members were civilians in positions of influence on the various committees of the survey. Only one position of some influence was given to a prominent military officer USAAF General Orvil A. Anderson and that only in an advisory capacity. Anderson was the only one on the survey board who knew about procedures of strategic bombing as Jimmy Doolittle's former deputy commander of operations. While the Board was not associated with any branch of the military it was established by General Hap Arnold along with Carl A. Spaatz. This report addresses the story of the attack civilian defense activities air-raid warnings fire services emergency medical services shelters evacuation informing and training of the general public and financing. Comments were provided. Exhibits includes a map of Hiroshima showing ground zero a chart showing the Chain of Command of civilian defense organizations the Table of Organization and equipment of the auxiliary police and fire units and several sub-divisions transcripts of interviews with S. Nimura Hiroshima city engineer; Y. Yamano acting chief of the city fire department and S. Yabuki chief of the East Hiroshima fire department. The report ends with a Glossary of Japanese characters with English terms. United States Strategic Bombing Survey paperback