USSBS Kyushu Airplane Co., Report No. XV.Pdf

^ ^.^41LAU Given By U. S. SlIPT. OF DOCUMENTS 3^ THE UNITED STATES STRATEGIC BOMBING SURVEY Kyushu Airplane Company CORPORATION REPORT NO. XV (Airframes) uV Aircraft Division February 1947 \b THE UNITED STATES STRATEGIC BOMBING SURVEY Kyushu Airplane Company (Kyushu Hikoki K K) CORPORATION REPORT NO. XV (Airframes) Aircraft Division Dates of Survey: 13-15 November 1945 Date of Publication: February 1947 \A/, -, APfi 8 ,947 This report was written primarily for the use of the United States Stra- tegic 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 material covered and as subject to further interpretation in the light of further studies conducted by the Survey. FOREWORD The United States Strategic Bombing Survey was establislied by the Secretary of War on 3 November 1944, pursuant to a directive from the late President Roosevelt. Its mission was to conduct an impartial and expert study of the effects of our aerial attack on Germany, to be used in connection with air attacks on Japan and to establish a basis for evaluating the importance and potentialities of air power as an instrument of military strategy for planning the future development of the United States armed forces and for determining future economic policies with respect to the national defense. A summary report and some 200 support- ing reports containing the findings of the Survey in Germany have been published. On 15 August 1945, President Truman requested that the Survey conduct a similar study of the effects of all types of air attack in the war against Japan, submitting reports in duplicate to the Secretary of War and to the Secretary of the Navy. The officers of the Survey during its Japanese phase were: Franklin D'Olier, Chairman Paul H. Nitze and Henry C. Alexander, Vice Chairmen Directors Harry L. Bowman Frank A. McNamee, Jr. Monroe E. Spaght J. Kenneth Galbraith Fred Searls, Jr. Dr. Lewis R. Thompson Rensis Likert Theodore P. Wright Walter Wilds, Secretary The Survey's complement provided for 300 civilians, 350 officers, and 500 enlisted men. The military segment of the organization was drawn from the Army to the extent of 60 percent, and from the Navy to the extent of 40 percent. Both the Army and the Navy gave the Survey all possible assistance in furnishing men, supplies, transport, and information. The Survey operated from headquarters established in Tokyo early in September 1945, with subheadquarters in Nagoya, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki, and with mobile teams operating in other parts of Japan, the islands of the Pacific, and the Asiatic mainland. It was possible to reconstruct much of wartime Japanese military planning and execution, engagement by engagement, and campaign by campaign, and to secure reasonably accurate statistics on Japan's economy and war production, plant by plant, and indu.stry by industry. In addition, studies were conducted on Japan's over-all strategic plans and the back- ground of her entry into the war, the internal discussions and negotiations leading to her acceptance of unconditional surrender, the course of health and morale among the civilian population, the effectiveness of the Jap- anese civilian defense organization, and the effects of the atomic bombs. Separate reports will be issued covering each phase of the study. The Survey interrogated more than 700 Japanese military, government, and industrial officials. It also recovered and translated many documents which not only have been useful to the Survey, but also will furnish data valuable for other studies. Arrangements have been made to turn over the Survey's files to the Central Intelligence Group, through which they will be available for further examination and distribution. m TABLE OF CONTENTS Page The Corporation and Its Importance in the Aircraft Industry 1 The Air Attacks 7 Production Statistics 7 Evaluation of Pre-attack Intelligence 7 Appendix A— Layout of the Zasshonokuma Plant facing page 8 Appendix B— Layout of the Kashii Plant 9 Appendix C— Layout of the Itazuke Plant 10 Appendix D— Organizational Table of the Kyushu Airplane Co. 11 Appendix E— Component Flow to Final Assembly of the Four Types of Aircraft Manufactured During 1945 .... 12 Appendix F— Graph of Employee and Manhour Trends 16 Appendix G— Indirect, Direct and Total Manhours Worked .... 17 Appendix H— List of Dispersal Locations 18 Appendix I — Map of Dispersed Sites 19 Appendix J— Table of Ordered and Actual Production 20 Appendix K— Graph of Ordered and Actual Production 21 Appendix L—Comparison of MIS Estimates with Actual Produc- tion 22 IV . THE CORPORATION AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN THE AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY Introduction facture of aircraft landing wheels was decided upon as a logical beginning. The Kyushu Airplane Co. (Kyushu Hilcoki Although Watanabe's previous K K)yv&s, a significant producer of naval trainer connections had been almost entirely with the aircraft and the foremost aircraft manu- Japanese Navy, the Army was the first to place orders facturer on the island of Kyushu. During 1943 for the manufacture of landing wheels. The this firm produced about 12 percent of the Navy soon followed suit, however, and finally, total output of naval trainers but only three realizing his closer associations with this percent of the total combat planes. With the service, Watanabe in 1926 sought production of the Type reconnaissance sea- orders for the manufacture of complete aircraft with the plane, Jake, in 1941, Kyushu Airplane Co., then Naval Air Headquarters. Despite repeated known as the Watanabe Ironworks Ltd {Wata- at- tempts, orders were not forthcoming until 1929 nabe Tekkosho K K) , started assembling com- when Admiral Ando, then the chief of bat aircraft. Production of another combat Naval Air Headquarters, offered the Navy's full coopera- type, the Tokai patrol bomber, Lorna, began tion in establishing a new plant in which Wata- in September 1943. Subsequently, in June nabe was to 1945 Kyushu completed the development of the manufacture aircraft for the Navy. The site chosen for the new plant was at Zass- first of a new pusher-type naval fighter. Shin- honokuma on the southeastern outskirts of den. Only one aircraft of this type was com- Fukuoka. pleted prior to the cessation of hostilities. Plans to produce the twinjet aircraft, Kikka, were Difficulties encountered in the construction never fulfilled and no models of this Nakajima- and operation of the new plant were overcome designed aircraft were ever produced by with the help of the Navy which supplied engi- Kyushu. neers and technical specialists. Furthermore, As a producer of aircraft landing-wheel units, limited numbers of Watanabe personnel were Kyushu was second only to the firm of Oka- trained in aircraft production techniques at the moto Industries Ltd (Okamoto Kogyo K K) Sasebo naval arsenal which was then the only Wheels manufactured by Kyushu were deliv- naval arsenal in the area engaged in aircraft ered to all the principal producers of naval production. aircraft including Mitsubishi, Nakajima, Ka- Construction of the Zas.shonokuma plant wanishi, Aichi and Hitachi. (Appendix A) was completed late in 1930, and Prior to the formation of the Kyushu com- production started in 1931. A new Watanabe pany in 1943, this concern was known as the ordnance plant was built adjacent to the Zass- Watanabe Ironworks. It was founded in 1886 honokuma aircraft plant and ordnance manu- by Fukuo Watanabe. In 1919 this firm com- facture, on a larger scale than previously, was menced the manufacture of torpedo tubes and commenced at this new site in 1934. parts for the Imperial Japanese Navy at its By 1940, the site of the Zasshonokuma plant plant at Chiyomachi near Higashi park in the had been fully built up, and in order to accomo- town of Fukuoka. date additional expansion, the acquisition of construction of further Watanabe anticipated the future importance more land and the envisaged. In 1941, the Kashii of the aircraft industry. Realizing that there plants was (Appendix B) was constructed on re- was no aircraft-manufacturing activity on the plant claimed land to the northeast of Fukuoka, and island of Kyushu other than the small-scale in the following year, landing-wheel manu- production then taking place at the Sasebo facture was transferred from Zasshonokuma naval arsenal, he became determined to start a newly constructed plant at Itazuke (Appen- aircraft manufacture in a section of his iron- to dix , one mile north of Zasshonokuma. works. During the early 1920s, when Watanabe C) started making plans for aircraft manufacture, By 1943, both the aircraft and ordnance divi- funds were not available for the anticipated sions of Watanabe had grown to such propor- assembly of complete airplanes, so the manu- tions that it was decided to create two distinct organizations. Watanabe remained as president of both, and the personnel were allotted with respect to their previous activity in the MAP SHOWING THE LOCATION manufacture either of aircraft or naval ordnance. In October 1943. therefore, the Kyushu Ordnance Co. (Kyushu Heiki K K) and the Kyushu Airplane Co. were established. During 1944, lesser plants of Kyushu Air- plane were constructed at Setaka, 35 miles south of Fukuoka, and Karatsu. 30 miles west-south- west of Fukuoka (Fig. 1). Another small plant was built at Meinohama, 5 miles west of Fuku- oka, in 1945. The Kyushu Airplane Co.'s manufacturing facilities (Table 1) therefore, consisted of two aircraft-assembly plants, one landing-wheel plant, and three lesser parts plants. The Army, Navy and Munitions Ministry did not exei-cise a strong influence over Kyushu, whose failure to meet production orders did not arouse criticism or stricter control. A par- allel may be drawn with Japan International Aircraft Industries, Ltd (Nippon Kokusai Koku Kogijo K K) , another firm of secondary stand- ing engaged largely in the manufacture of trainers for the Army, and whose low output was never a matter of concern to the officials of the Munitions Ministry.

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