Smoke screen operations

Captured Japanese documents, like Lessons from the China Incident no. 7 (April 1939) and Collection of Combat Examples of the use of smoke and others (TN war gases) (June 1943), present assessments of CW operations. Where failures occurred, there were two principal explanations. Sometimes there was a lack of confidence in the effectiveness of gas or undue misapprehension about the toxic qualities which resulted in a failure to make a timely attack through the smoke-screen. On other occasions attacks had foundered because of a lack of co-ordination between the smoke units and other forces. Nevertheless, special smokes had been used effectively in many operations, especially when the enemy was inadequately protected... 

Smoke Screen Shields Unloading Operations During Air Raid Alert, SaUmo. 

An extensive First Army screening operation took place along the Rhine at the southern outskirts of Bonn. Under technical control of the 23d Smoke Generator Battalion, smoke was started at 0501, 21 March, and continued without interruption for sixty-one hours. After... 

Meanwhile, on the night of 24 March one section of the i62d set up a smoke screen in support of a deceptive move made by the 333d Infantry, 89th Division. The ruse was successful in that the enemy directed a large amount of artillery and small arms fire into the screened, but unoccupied area. The actual assault came early on 26 March smoke operations ceased after half an hour because of inter-... 

The naval doctrine on use of smoke in amphibious operations was published in Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet) Smoke Screens for Amphibious Operations, 8 Nov 44. 

Comments on smoke operations at Okinawa were of special importance because of their influence on planning for the invasion of Japan. Captain Chamberlain reported that the initial skepticism among ship captains as to the value of smoke over the anchorage quickly changed "to an almost frantic clamor for smoke cover when it was found that only those ships outside the smoke screen were being hit by suicide planes. ... 

How effective would these smoke curtains have been if the paratroopers had landed in the face of enemy opposition Maj. Tristram J. Cummins, Jr., Chemical Officer, Fifth Air Force, felt that two of the screens were too close to the wooded areas to have screened the observation of Japanese had they been located in the outer fringes of the woods. If the screen had been placed 2,000 feet from the woods, the troopers could have landed and organized with a potential enemy still cloaked by the drifting smoke. The operation also disclosed shortcomings in filling equipment and difficulty with the attachment of tanks to the aircraft. 

All of the air screening operations in the Pacific were carried out unhampered by enemy opposition, certainly a factor which contributed to their over-all success. But this much can be garnered from the Pacific experience given proper planning, an adequate amount of smoke correctly placed, and good weather conditions, smoke delivered by air could add great insurance to the success of any airborne operation. 

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