Are possible late-war and postwar Axis designs too poorly documented to study?
Short answerNo; useful material survives, especially in Italian and German collections, though Japanese evidence and particular programs can be much more uneven.
NotesThe panel rejects the idea that historians have nothing beyond the designs already fielded by Germany, Italy, and Japan. Italy's governmental transition left a comparatively usable archival trail, while Japanese evidence depends heavily on the institution and collection consulted. More German material survived than the popular image of wholesale document destruction suggests. Important gaps remain, but the archival problem is uneven rather than absolute.