witnesses to history

[BIG]

Ausschnitt okkupation PDF.pdf

[BIG]

It's a pdf from Toshiyuki Kono about swords losses during occupation time. You can read it at pdf pages 198 -206 

 

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/57d0/65df8aa4e002b73b1f0073d2dd12eb9b765d.pdf?_ga=2.39444325.717750995.1598168393-395309905.1568955402

 

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[Bruce Pennington]

Thanks Peter, interesting article! 

 

Most of the dated correspondance he discussed can actually be found here in the member articles: WW2 US Govt Archived Documents

He states 569,013 swords were collected, compared to Fuller's citation of Allied estimates of 661,621, though Fuller's number is of "swords and sabres taken in the south-west Pacific and Japan."  Fuller's personal estimate at the real number "exceeds 2,000,000", compared to Kono's 3,000,000.  So both sources are in the same ballpark of each other and serve to verify the vast numbers taken.  

 

It is interesting to see how many times the Allies flip-flopped between "take them all" and "ok, let them keep the art/treasure swords", but that isn't surprising considering the multitude of controlling agencies, various commanders involved, and turf-war mentalities that can be involved in organizations of any size.