PAST EVENTS
At our March meeting we again had the privilege of having the Society's national chairman, Major Darrell Hall, as our guest speaker. By way of a 'supporting' programme, even though his main talk had no need of any support, he first presented a short slide talk on the hijacking of the Italian pleasure cruiser 'Achille Lauro'. This was very well received. Darrell must be complimented on having been able to collect highly interesting, unknown, and unique pictures for presenting his story. Even more impressive were his comments accompanied by pictures and illustrations which explained in the clearest possible way the highly technical and complex organisation of the U.S. air force which made it possible to intercept and force down the airliner carrying the culprits.
Darrell's main talk on The Secret War with Japan supplemented the talk he gave us in August last year under the heading "The Secret War of 1939-45". On that occasion he had indicated that concurrently with the physical shooting war, a secret undercover war was being fought, and that without success in the latter victory might not have been achieved. His present talk placed the same emphasis on the war with Japan. Again the pictorial material and the facts and figures which he presented were impressive, but also gave glimpses into the weaknesses and short-comings of human beings. One shudders to think how often, within one's own camp, jealousies and rivalries often endanger even the most important undertakings. Thus also, the story of the secret war against Japan is interwoven with jealousy, rivalry and disaster, but fortunately ending in success. Japan's relatively late entry into the war had given the Americans a good head-start in under-cover groundwork. The basic German cypher machine 'Enigma', which had been rebuilt in England, was also duplicated in Japan. American crypt-analysts had built an apparatus like the Japanese version and called it 'Purple'. By September 1940 the U.S. Army's Signal Intelligence Service had completed the Purple solution, and the resulting recovery of Japanes'e cyphers was code-named from then onward 'Magic'. Eventually the codenames 'Magic' and 'Ultra' were applied to diplomatic and military cypher recovery respectively.
Japan entered the war on 7 December 1941 with its surprise attack on Pearl Harbour. The attack was mainly directed at the naval vessels in the harbour, but the harbour installations, buildings and administrative centres remained largely intact. After Pearl Harbour it was realised that liaison between naval and air force information services had been insufficient and unreliable, while within the Pacific Fleet and the military district of Hawaii, radio communication left a lot to be desired. Scape-goats were found in the persons of Rear-Admiral Kimmel of the U. S. Navy and Major-General W. Short, Army Air Force, commanding the military district of Hawaii, both were superceded[sic]. Then came a turning-point in the fortunes of war. Commander Joseph Rochefort head of the Combat Intelligence Unit had worked indefatigably and highly successfully. Progress with breaking the Japanese naval code had been made. Intelligence forecasts preceded the battle of Coral Sea and guided the U. S. Navy. The coded objective of an impending Japanese attack was identified by Rochefort as being Midway, after setting an intelligence trap into which the Japanese fell. The success in shooting down the plane carrying Admiral Yamamoto by U.S. fighters only became possible through secret surveillance and the ability to read Japanese cypher.
It is sad to think that Cdr. Rochefort, notwithstanding his major achievements was twice refused the recommended award of the Distinguished Service Medal, and that this was awarded him only in 1985 - posthumously, and forty years after the war had ended!
Much more was revealed than can be repeated in a brief review, but this talk lifted enough of the veil to give everyone an appreciation of the staggering dimensions of the subject which it covers.
Mrs. Carol Smale expresssed the thanks and appreciation of the audience.
FUTURE EVENTS
A one day outing to visit Colenso to follow the route of Colonel Long's guns and hear details about their eventual fate, is planned for SUNDAY 25TH MAY. Please keep this date open. Details will appear in our next news-letter.
NEXT MEETING
APRIL 10TH Fellow-member COMMANDANT JUSTIN HULME, JCD, will give a talk entitled "50 YEARS AGO" (SADF 1929 - 1933).
The venue will be the Lecture Room, lower ground floor, 'SB' Bourquin Building, head office of the Natalia Development-Board, on the corner of Jan Smuts Highway and Buro Crescent, Mayville, commencing at 8 p.m. Glasses and ice will be supplied so please bring your own bottled or canned refreshments. Friends and interested persons are welcome to come along.
WELCOME
A hearty welcome is extended to new members Ms Gill Berning and Mr. D.J. Humphreys.
(Mrs) Tania van der Watt,
Secretary, Durban Branch,
S.A. Military History Society,
Box 870, HILLCREST, 3650.
Tel. (031) vvvvvv