Comes with a hand-signed C.O.A.

This extraordinarily rare, museum-grade World War II artifact is an original "SECRET" marked "Battle Experience - Informational Bulletin," meticulously produced by the United States Fleet under the Headquarters of the Commander in Chief. During WWII, the operations and strategic planning of the U.S. Navy were directed by two prominent commanders: Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander in Chief of the United States Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC), and Admiral Ernest J. King, Commander in Chief of the United States Fleet (CINCUS). Their combined leadership played a pivotal role in the Allied victory.

This highly classified and intricately detailed bulletin, issued by the Headquarters of the Commander in Chief, contains secret military maps, intelligence reports, tactical movements, and a unique compilation of "battle experiences." These experiences were drawn from war diaries and battle reports submitted by various commanders and ships engaged in key operations. The bulletin was printed in extremely limited quantities, strictly for the eyes of high-ranking military officials, including Officers and Generals.

The rarity of this document is underscored by the directive on its first page, which states: "Information must not fall into enemy hands - when no longer required they shall be destroyed by burning. No report of destruction need be submitted." As a result, only a handful of these original "SECRET" "Battle Experience - Informational Bulletins" are believed to still exist.

This particular "SECRET INFORMATION BULLETIN NO. 8" is a remarkable example, titled "Battle Experience - Solomon Islands & Alaskan Areas of Bombardments - May and July 1943" It offers an unparalleled glimpse into the strategic operations and experiences of the United States Navy during some of the most crucial campaigns of the Pacific Theater.

The WWII Solomon Islands and Alaskan Areas of Bombardments – May and July 1943

World War II saw some of the most intense and widespread military engagements in human history, ranging from European theaters to the Pacific and even the often-overlooked North American region of Alaska. Two specific areas of interest during this period were the Solomon Islands, part of the larger Pacific theater, and the Alaskan Aleutian Islands, which marked a northern front in the war against the Japanese. The bombardments and battles in these regions, particularly in May and July 1943, were pivotal moments that helped shape the course of the Pacific War.

These two regions had distinct strategic importance but were united by their role in the broader Allied strategy to halt Japanese expansion and recapture lost territory. Understanding the context of both the Solomon Islands and Alaskan operations provides valuable insight into the nature of the war in 1943, as well as the tactical shifts that took place in these remote but crucial theaters of combat.

Strategic Importance of the Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands, located in the South Pacific, were of immense strategic value to both the Allies and the Japanese. Following Japan's capture of Guadalcanal in early 1942, the Solomon Islands became a battleground in the fight for control over the sea lanes and airspace of the South Pacific. This region offered a gateway to Australia, New Zealand, and crucial Allied supply routes. If the Japanese had maintained control over the Solomon Islands, they could have continued to threaten Allied operations in the Pacific and potentially sever communication lines between the United States and its southern allies.

By early 1943, the Allies had turned the tide in the Guadalcanal campaign, securing the island in February 1943. However, the broader Solomon Islands campaign continued, with a series of confrontations between Allied forces and Japanese units entrenched in nearby islands, including New Georgia and Bougainville. The campaign in this area would be marked by fierce land, sea, and air battles, all aimed at securing airfields and naval bases to support further Allied advances toward the Japanese stronghold of Rabaul.

The Bombardment of New Georgia – May 1943

The Allied focus in May 1943 shifted to New Georgia, an island in the central Solomons that housed an important Japanese airfield at Munda Point. The New Georgia campaign, which began with the bombardment and invasion of the island in late June 1943, was preceded by significant preparatory actions in May. Allied air forces, primarily from the U.S. Navy and the Army Air Forces, conducted repeated bombing raids on Japanese positions across New Georgia to weaken defenses and disrupt Japanese supply lines.

These bombardments were part of a larger air campaign that sought to neutralize Japanese air power in the region. The Japanese were heavily entrenched, using the dense jungle terrain to their advantage. Allied bombers targeted airfields, supply depots, and troop concentrations, but the effectiveness of these bombardments was often limited by the thick canopy that provided cover to Japanese positions.

Nonetheless, the aerial assaults were instrumental in softening up key targets before the ground invasion that would follow in late June and early July. The importance of the Solomon Islands campaign, particularly New Georgia, lay in its proximity to Rabaul, a major Japanese base in the South Pacific. Securing New Georgia would bring Allied forces closer to Rabaul, which was considered the linchpin of Japanese defenses in the region.

The Aleutian Islands and the Forgotten Alaskan Front

While the Solomon Islands were an essential part of the Allies' South Pacific strategy, the Alaskan Aleutian Islands represented a different kind of front in the war against Japan. Often referred to as the "Forgotten Battle," the Aleutian Islands campaign saw Japanese forces occupy the islands of Attu and Kiska in June 1942, marking the only time during the war that Japanese forces occupied American territory. This northern front in the Pacific War was far less well-known than the battles raging in the South Pacific, but it had significant strategic implications.

The Aleutian Islands, stretching across the North Pacific from the Alaskan mainland, provided a potential springboard for Japanese attacks on the west coast of the United States and Canada. Conversely, the islands offered the Allies a base from which to launch attacks against Japan's northern islands, as well as a buffer to protect North American territory from invasion. The occupation of Attu and Kiska alarmed American military planners, who feared that the Japanese might use the islands as a base for further incursions.

In May 1943, after months of preparatory air and naval bombardments, American forces launched a massive amphibious assault to retake Attu, one of the two Aleutian islands occupied by Japan. The Battle of Attu, fought from May 11 to May 30, 1943, was one of the bloodiest and most grueling campaigns of the Pacific War. The harsh, freezing conditions of the Aleutian Islands, combined with the mountainous terrain, made the battle particularly difficult for both sides.

The Japanese had fortified their positions on Attu, preparing for a protracted defense. American forces landed on the island under intense fire and faced determined Japanese resistance. Despite overwhelming numerical superiority, American troops struggled to dislodge the Japanese defenders, who used the rugged landscape to their advantage. However, after weeks of fierce fighting, American forces finally secured Attu, with most of the Japanese defenders choosing to die in banzai charges rather than surrender.

The Bombardment of Kiska – July 1943

The second half of the Aleutian campaign focused on Kiska, the other island occupied by Japan. In July 1943, American and Canadian forces launched a sustained bombardment of Kiska, using air and naval power to target Japanese positions. The Allies expected Kiska to be as heavily defended as Attu, and they prepared for another bloody amphibious assault.

However, unknown to the Allies, the Japanese had secretly evacuated Kiska in late July, leaving behind booby traps and dummy installations to confuse the attackers. The Allied bombardment of Kiska continued throughout the month, but when American and Canadian troops finally landed on the island on August 15, 1943, they found it deserted. The occupation of Kiska marked the end of the Aleutian Islands campaign and removed the last Japanese threat to Alaska and the northern Pacific.

A Turning Point in the Pacific War

The bombardments of the Solomon Islands and Alaskan areas in May and July 1943 marked critical turning points in the Pacific War. In the Solomon Islands, the Allied push through New Georgia set the stage for further advances toward Rabaul, helping to neutralize Japanese air power and bring Allied forces closer to their ultimate goal of defeating Japan in the South Pacific. The relentless bombardments of Japanese positions in the Solomons, coupled with fierce ground fighting, demonstrated the Allied commitment to a strategy of "island hopping," bypassing heavily fortified Japanese strongholds and cutting off their supply lines.

Meanwhile, in the Aleutian Islands, the successful recapture of Attu and the bombardment of Kiska eliminated the Japanese presence in North America and ensured the security of the northern Pacific. Although the Aleutian campaign was often overshadowed by larger battles elsewhere, its significance in securing the American homeland and denying Japan a foothold in the North Pacific cannot be overstated.

Together, these operations in the Solomon Islands and Alaska exemplified the global nature of World War II and the strategic importance of remote, often overlooked regions. The bombardments of 1943 in both theaters helped shift the balance of power in the Pacific and paved the way for future Allied victories that would ultimately lead to the defeat of Japan two years later.