The ATIS Advanced Echelon

     During WWII, the Allied powers (the most powerful being the U.S., the U.K., the Soviet Union, China, and France) battled the Axis powers (the most powerful being Germany, Italy, and Japan). The Pacific Theater of the war refers to Japan, China, the Philippines, and land battles in the Pacific Ocean. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in December 1941, prompting the U.S. to declare war on Japan. By the end of 1941, the Japanese had invaded the Philippines, Burma, and Hong Kong, and they continued capturing U.S. military bases and attacking European-controlled lands in 1942. In 1943 and 1944, the Allies recaptured much of the territory the Imperial Japanese Army had occupied. Still, there was more territory left to liberate. The Philippines was next, with airfields that were strategically important to the war effort. The US- and UK-led invasion of the Philippines began in January of 1945, and continued until September 3, a day after the Japanese formally surrendered. 

     During the 1945 recapture of the Philippines and other Japanese-controlled territories, a unit called the Allied Translator and Interpreter Section (ATIS) Advanced Echelon became incredibly important. Japanese officers kept detailed records, and very few people stopped to destroy documents as they prepared for a battle they believed they would win. The ATIS Advanced Echelons were in the field of battle, capturing and translating documents left behind and interrogating soldiers. They were crucial to the war. They intercepted messages containing commands for soldiers, translated and interpreted maps of underground tunnels and secret bases, discovered plans for attacks and defense measures, and recovered intelligence on how Japanese forces were responding to Allied actions. 

    The U.S. 8th Army, 6th Army, and other divisions worked with the UK’s army and other allied forces to recapture Japanese-controlled lands and occupied Japan after the war ended. The 8th Army’s ATIS Advanced Echelon captured and translated hundreds of documents (links to archive/collection). Many of these were captured from airfields or after battles in the Philippines. On Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines, there were a few major airfields. One of these is Clark Air Field. It was responsible for sinking and/or damaging over 70 U.S. vessels by the end of 1944, and its position on the coast meant it was crucial for control over the port and coastline, and could be used to attack planes and ships passing by. Clark Field was surrounded by anti-aircraft defenses and soldiers who monitored Allied movements. Still, the U.S. planned an attack that would work even with the advanced notice and the airfield's defense system. They began the attack in January and continued to fight until February, when they succeeded. 

     One of the documents the 8th Army ATIS Advanced Echelon translated was a 50-page listing of all aircraft arrivals and departures from Clark Field. From this document, the U.S. identified the names of pilots and officials, as well as the pilots’ aircraft models and serial numbers. The date and time are listed, along with details about the mission each plane was on. Knowing where planes were going, what they were carrying, and when allowed them to make connections between other documents they found, the reports from soldiers they interrogated, and any other intelligence they may have gathered.

Items referenced from this Exhibition: