This series contains two sub-series
This series contains the papers of the Graham Committee and its successor the Traill Committee. The Graham Committee was set up to investigate the role of fire support in seaborne landings. Minutes, notices of meetings, agendas, and reports form the bulk of the items.
Contains five files
This sub-series contains minutes and memoranda, and papers and reports on all aspects of the committee’s work. Draft reports and one copy of the final report are also included. The committee, chaired by Air Vice-Marshal Ronald Graham, was set up in 1943 "to consider all existing means of providing fire support when landing forces on a heavily defended coast and to make recommendations, as a matter of urgency, for improving the degree of support." The committee also considered the reports of previous operations to see if any lessons could be learned.
SZ/FS/1/1 Terms of reference, agendas, and minutes 1942-1943
Contains two sub-files
SZ/FS/1/1/1 Minutes and agendas 1942-1943
Contains six items including minutes of the first two committee meetings and agendas for the first three. Also includes papers produced by the Combined Operations Headquarters Committee on Assault Support on fire support for coastal landings.
SZ/FS/1/1/2 Papers on beach obstacles 1943
Contains six items including papers on assaulting a heavily defended beach and projects relating to developments in methods of breaching reinforced concrete walls. A War Office report on different types of German beach obstacles, and covering letters are also included.
SZ/FS/1/2 Papers on support for beach assaults 1943
Contains seven items being papers on: considerations governing the support of a seaborne assault against a heavily defended coast; the neutralisation of beach defences by bombing; German coast defences in Belgium, including a map; tactical fire support by the army, including a map; and naval fire to support an assault.
SZ/FS/1/3 Sub-Committee on Fire Support 1943
Contains two sub-files
The terms of reference of this sub-committee, chaired by SZ, included the study of the relative effects of various forms of fire support on different types of target, secondary damage, "and the cumulative effect of such damage in relation to the neutralisation of coast defence guns and beach defences." The sub-committee’s report was issued on 4.10.43.
SZ/FS/1/3/1 Minutes, drafts, and papers 1943
Contains 11 items being minutes, correspondence and papers on bombing accuracy and bomber formations, papers on beach defences, and drafts of the sub-committee’s report.
SZ/FS/1/3/2 Correspondence and papers from C.D. Ellis 1943
Contains three items: a paper on the effects of bombardment; a covering note from Ellis, of the War Office; and SZ’s thoughts on the paper.
SZ/FS/1/4 Bombardment reports 1943
Contains 18 items including papers by Patrick Blackett, MOHS RE, and the Sub-Committee on Fire Support on the type and distribution of coastal defences, methods of their neutralisation, the bomb densities required, and aerial and naval assaults.
SZ/FS/1/5 Final report 1944
Contains one copy of the Inter-Service Committee’s final report entitled Fire Support of Seaborne Landings Against A Heavily Defended Coast. The report collates all the committee and sub-committees’ work on beach defences, naval and aerial bombardment, factors affecting a landing and fire support, drenching fire and bombing accuracy, and neutralisation of beach defences. The report contains two detailed maps of German coast defences.
Contains four files
This sub-series contains minutes and agendas, and reports on Operation Overlord and other seaborne landings relevant to the sub-committee’s work. The sub-committee, chaired initially by Air Commodore Traill, was established to succeed the Graham Committee and revise its findings in the light of Overlord and other amphibious landings.
SZ/FS/2/1 Agendas and minutes 1944-1945
Contains 29 items being notices of meetings, agendas, and minutes of meetings held between 13.7.44 and 3.7.45.
SZ/FS/2/2 Operation Overlord reports 1944-1945
Contains 47 items including papers on various aspects of the aerial and naval bombardment, and the troop landings during Overlord, and three copies of the sub-committee’s final report on the lessons learned. Included are papers by SHAEF, extracts from American and Canadian reports, and interviews with officers who took part in the landings giving their views on the effect of the bombardment, the tactics used, and the landing itself. A translation of a German document on the landings is also included.
SZ/FS/2/3 Pacific reports 1944-1945
Contains six items including: a US Naval Bomb Disposal School report assessing the effect of different weapons on Japanese defences; a translation of a captured Japanese document on the defences of Saipan which includes a log of the naval shelling of the island; and papers by the Traill Committee on American actions in the Pacific.
SZ/FS/2/4 Other reports and documents 1945
Contains nine items being reports and papers on seaborne landings, the role of artillery fire, and the effect of preliminary bombardments. Also includes an AORG report on a seaborne assault in the Netherlands and a paper considering possible reasons why American casualties in Operation Overlord were heavier than British casualties.