[Black 6]

I am reading a book called The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors which details one of the last major naval engagements in the Pacific. BTW, I highly recommend this book as it is very well written, informative, and gripping in its description of the men and equipment involved.

The book describes the use, by the Japanese, of artillery and anti-aircraft shells which left colored smoke or water (when in sea water) when they exploded. The colors were used by individual gun positions or turrets to denote where there fire was directed in relation to their target. The book makes it sound as if it was a common practice as Navy pilots describe a veritable rainbow of colored smoke from exploding AA bursts as they attacked Japanese ships. US Navy ships and crew were bathed in the colored splashes of shells hitting the water near their ships.

I had never heard or read of this before, nor have I ever seen it depicted in any documentary or movie. Has anyone here heard of this? I can't seem to locate any info on the internet either.

[STARMAN 352ND]

I saw this in one of the last shows on Battleground 360...USS Enterprise..
While the Enterprise crew were attacking the Japanese ships they saw different colors of flak coming at them..
Each ship seems to have a different color flak. There were red, green, yellow, pink, purple, white, and grey.
I guess it was a way for the Japanese to know which ship hit what by the colors and to adjust their aim better.
JP

[timbo]

This was a very common practice with a number of navy's in the "big gun" era - I believe both the French and Italian navy's also did it. It was designed to aid a ship in aiming, as with vasual range finding one ships fall of shot will look pretty much like anothers (esp if thay were after the same target.) Mix a colour into it and you can accurtately identify where your particular shot is falling in relation to everyone else's and adjust accordingly.

Radar range finding pretty much made this practice obsolete.

[Black 6]

Thanks JP and Timbo. I find it odd that it is something that appears to be rarely mentioned in docs and movies. In the book I am reading it is commented upon a great deal by the Americans fighting this battle. It sure makes sense to do such a thing as the Japanese radar/targeting was not as perfected as the US Navy's at this time and was more or less still based upon visual observations.

[Raven]

Originally Posted by Black 6

I am reading a book called The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors which details one of the last major naval engagements in the Pacific. BTW, I highly recommend this book as it is very well written, informative, and gripping in its description of the men and equipment involved.

Just finished this book myself last month - great book! Talk about bravery! Makes Bull Halsey look bad for leaving the invasion fleet exposed...

[Black 6]

Originally Posted by Raven

Just finished this book myself last month - great book! Talk about bravery! Makes Bull Halsey look bad for leaving the invasion fleet exposed...

It is a terrific book isn't it? I think it would make an awesome movie as long as Hollywood didn't interject a bunch of (think Pearl Harbor). It's hard to second-guess Halsey on his decision to chase the Jap. carriers rather than stay with the Leyte fleet, but it doesn't look good in hindsight.

[STARMAN 352ND]

Originally Posted by Black 6

It's hard to second-guess Halsey on his decision to chase the Jap. carriers rather than stay with the Leyte fleet, but it doesn't look good in hindsight.

They talked about that on BattleGround 360 : Enterprise....Good stuff on that TV program ....Now i need to buy that book your talking about
too...Looks to be a good read.
JP