Miscellaneous, Intelligence Bulletin, April 1944 (Lone Sentry)

1. HANDLING PRISONERS

That at least some high Japanese officers recognize the importance of capturing prisoners for intelligence purposes is borne out by the following enemy statements:

Since prisoners often furnish profitable intelligence, after you have examined them as to their unit, you will send them back immediately to higher headquarters. This procedure is doubly imperative when an important enemy officer is captured.

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Interrogating intelligent prisoners of war is a profitable manner in which to accumulate information.

If we make a special effort, we can capture prisoners with ease. Therefore, all front-line units, sentries, and patrols will take advantage of opportunities to execute surprise attacks for this purpose. You will find it profitable to use pitfalls.

2. USE OF ENGINEERS

The Japanese Army engineer is very much a frontline soldier. He is employed in the advance guard during an approach; he is used in the first waves of troops during landing operations; or he is detailed to any job which requires special training, such as special assault detachments or parties for attacking strongly fortified positions, for attacking tanks at close range, and for raiding hostile artillery positions, and so forth.

It is interesting to note the percentage of engineers the Japanese use in assault groups. In fighting tanks or attacking pillboxes, the enemy party may be composed entirely of engineer troops. From 50 to 75 percent of the personnel in raiding parties are engineers.