BAAG Report KWIZ #67 Naval Reports
Elizabeth Ride has sent BAAG Report KWIZ #67 , dated 22nd September 1944, and noted earlier: After KWIZ #4, the Naval section is not included in the AWM papers, and does not appear again until KWIZ #66, and then in a slightly different format.
HF: I am afraid because of time constraints I am no longer able to summarize and list the most salient points in KWIZ reports as I did with the BAAG Naval Intelligence Reports, many of which are listed in our Index.
HF: If you are able to provide images of vessels or locations mentioned in this report or information about subjects referred to which you think is relevant to our website I would be delighted to hear from you.
The British Army Aid Group (BAAG) was a military intelligence unit which operated in China between March 1942 and December 1945, originally as a branch of MI9. The officers were mainly European men with a Hongkong connection, and the operative agents were mostly local Hongkong men and women who offered their services, often at great risk, in occupied Hongkong and outside, in the fight for the restoration of their home and freedom. Throughout the the war the BAAG provided unique intelligence – military, political and economic – about conditions in both Hongkong and China; they also gave medical and humanitarian assistance to civilians and military alike, and eventually were able to play a part in the restoration of legal rule in Hongkong.
Further information:
- For general information about the Elizabeth Ride collection, her father Sir Lindsay Ride, and the British Army Aid group during WW2 a very useful introduction is through http://gwulo.com/node/13968
- The BAAG papers are kept at the Hong Kong Heritage Project https://www.hongkongheritage.org/Pages/FindingAids/LibraryCollection/Elizabeth_M_Ride_Collection.aspx
Our Index contains several examples of BAAG Naval Section Intelligence Summaries, other BAAG material plus many articles about Hong Kong during the Second World War.
This article was first posted on xxxx xxxx.
Related Indhhk articles:
- BAAG Report KWIZ#1, Naval Reports
- BAAG Report KWIZ#2, Naval Reports
- BAAG Report KWIZ#3, Naval Reports
- BAAG Report KWIZ#4, Naval Reports
- BAAG Report KWIZ #66 Naval Reports – information about Taikoo, Aberdeen, Kowloon & Cosmopolitan dockyards
Our Index contains numerous examples of BAAG reports, extracts from them and other articles related to Hong Kong during World War Two.
Another interesting download of material. Having said this the accuracy of the identifications in the report is significantly less than other reports. Very few of the ships mentioned are identifiable, even tentatively, and where a ship can identified often the description of it is at odds with the reality. Comments as follows:
5/59 Nichiko Maru – closest is Nisshun Maru 日春丸 but this ship had been sunk in 1943. Next closest was Risshun Maru 立春丸 but this ship known to be on way to Manila on these dates. In sum, no idea.
5/60 – no idea. Nothing fits.
5/61 – closest is Yurin (Yulin) Maru . 楡林丸 There were two ships both trading in the Hong Kong area but both were MFM profile.
5/62 closest is Ryusei Maru 龍勢丸 (04, 2087) which is a possibility as ship was in general area at this time.
5/63 Haruoka Maru ex Kinta 治岡丸 (02, 1219) is closest but the profile of this ship was VERY distinctive and does not match description.
5/64 closest is Ikomasan Maru 生駒山丸 (16, 3175) that was known to be in area but ship had normal MFM profile
5/65 and 5/66 and 5/68 need further investigation.
5/67 appears to be Shokei Maru (38, 2664) although kanji suffices are wrongly shown. Should be . 昭慶丸. This ship was in Hong Kong late August 1944 so appears likely.
5/69 closest is Kasuga Maru 春日丸(20, 219) which was in the area at the time. Dimensions quoted are however wrong. The ship was a former trawler and as such, would have been fairly distinctive, you would have thought..
5/70 – no idea.
5/71 There are two Kaiko Marus 海光丸 with this kanji. The first (22, 1514) was in the Chichijima-Tokyo area at this time. The second (21, 233) was in the area at this time. But like Kasuga Maru this ship was a former trawler.and much smaller than indicated.
5/72 – the closest ship of this name is the tanker Choran Maru 朝嵐丸 . But this ship was operating between Singapore and Palembang on this date.
In sum only 5/67 and 5/71 (and perhaps 5/62) can be tentatively identified with some level of confidence. I think the agents probably didn’t see the ships names and were relying on third parties word of mouth that as shown appears unreliable.
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