Dec. 13th Holiday Elegance Fine Estate Auction
Lot 217438:
Description
Lot of two pieces of Japanese aircraft skin, many newspaper clippings and army bulletins largely related to the battle of Saipan, fifty-five photographs, and other documents. All of these are presumed to have been the possession of US Navy personnel Harry H. Nolan, whose name appears on many of the documents.
The aluminum skin consists of one 9 X 5.5″ piece with a portion of the Japanese red sun and one roughly 4 X 3.5 piece with Japanese text. These were often taken from downed Japanese aircraft as souvenirs, in this case likely from the Battle of Saipan given this lot’s other contents.
The bulk of this lot concerns the Battle of Saipan (15 June – 9 July, 1944), which was a major US victory in the Mariana that resulted in the death of Chuichi Nagumo (main commander of the Pearl Harbor attack), the Japanese’s first public admission of the possibility of defeat, the dismissal of Hideki Tojo, and the establishment of an airbase for firebombing Japan.
The Saipan documents in this lot are divided between military memos and newspaper clippings.
The memos include one untitled piece which reports the death of Chuichi Nagumo in a bulletin on major Japanese losses, the July 8 1944 issue of “The Hell Hussy Now and Then News” which includes a report on the evacuation of civilians during the last stages of the US invasion, the July 13 issue of “Hell Hussy” which reported the respective US and Japanese casualties from the battle and the impending invasion of Guam from Saipan, the July 19 “Hell Hussy” which reported the demotion of Tojo and the impending invasion of Guam, the July 10 issue of “Ajaxpress” which reported the final Japanese resistance on Saipan, the July 11 issue of “The Bailey Daily” which summarized the battle, and the August 1944 issue of the “Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin” which featured four pages of photography from the battle.
The newspaper clippings include a fragment from the June 21, 1944 headline of the Yakima Morning Herald that announced the advance of the Japanese fleet on the Marianas, one map depicting the American advance on Southeast Asia, with Saipan highlighted as a recent acquisition, a map of the second week of the offensive on Saipan, a June 20 report that the Americans had taken the southern half of Saipan, a June 21 article describing Japanese claims of progress during the fighting in the Marianas, and a sensationalized description of the initial assault by the Times military correspondent Robert Sherrod. One other newspaper clipping describes the peaceful daily life of soldiers stationed on the US-occupied island Rota, which may be the location of one collection of photos.
There are also fifty-five photographs, divided in three major collections. One collection depicts life on a warship, featuring shots of the sea, islands, passing ships, captured Japanese flags, and random equipment. The other collection depicts life on an island base, either on Saipan or Rota, mostly consisting of group photos. The final collection seems to be of the soldier’s family and has been included to preserve the completeness of the lot. One more photograph is Harry’s naval portrait.
Another collection of items concerns weapons training, including a guide describing the mechanics of a Browning machine gun, a field manual for a Thomson (“Tommy”) submachine gun, and Harry’s notes for a lecture on 20 mm anti-aircraft machine guns.
The final collection consists of documents and permits, including a membership card for the Sacred Order of the Golden Dragon, an unofficial award for those who cross the international date line, a camera pass for Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, and a notice for a change of address to the ship that Harry was stationed on, the SS John P. Holland.
The final item is a translation of a captured Japanese medical officer’s diary, which appears to record his final days.
This lot, boasting variety in its artifacts and documents yet also thoroughness in its treatment of the Battle of Saipan, is a worthwhile collection for the avid collector of militaria and the curious historian of the Pacific Theater.
Condition: See pictures.
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