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Bring backs of an Iwo Jima Marine


GIKyle
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Group to a veteran of C Company of the 5th Marine Battalion- This Marine brought a camera and also took a couple souvenirs home with him.  The flag is presumably signed by members of his platoon with their names and addresses.  When I first got the group in 2008 I sent over thirty letters in hopes of tracking down members of the platoon but received zero responses from vets.  Some family members responded to say the Marine had passed.  
 

Aside from the flag there’s a small box and a Samurai sword.  Outside of the sword having an officer’s tassel I don’t know much about either item.

 

The photos and paper are really neat- original shots of Marines playing with war trophies, shots of the Iwo Jima landscape and activities of his platoon which was responsible for setting up showers and moving water onto the island.  I really like that he saved the eulogy from the Iwo Jima Cemetery dedication.  
 

Iwo was his only campaign so I’d like to think these all cane off the island but this Marine likely pulled some occupation duty and might have brought these home from the Home Islands.  
 

 

 

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Kurt Barickman

Very nice! The 5th Engineer Battalion also suffered through a major banzai charge at the very end of the campaign on Iwo Jima and probably had many opportunities to acquire souvenirs. 

 

Kurt

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I had a Good Friend who passed in 2015 named Hank Gerow who served with "C" 5th Engineers until he was WIA on February 24 or 26 1945

 

I wonder if his name is on that flag?

 

Bill

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The sword is a Navy sword and the tassel is absolutely correct for this sword. The tang is upside down in the pictures, the blade needs to point up to read the Kanji.  Really nice find.

 

marty

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WOW great! The sword is a beauty. Hope you can get an ID on the sword maker. Funny about that one blemish on the blade.  Also, I'd love to know what the case was for. My Dad brought back a nice officers sword from the Pacific but sold it while I was off to school. I always cringe when I see photos of those boat loads of Japanese guns and swords being dumped into Tokyo Bay post war.

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7 hours ago, 644td said:

The sword is a Navy sword and the tassel is absolutely correct for this sword. The tang is upside down in the pictures, the blade needs to point up to read the Kanji.  Really nice find.

 

marty

Actually, it's a pattern 1944 Army Officer's sword.

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Kurt, you are spot on. I was transfixed on the suba and did not look at the other components. I know the swords were referred to in the past and still today as ‘Naval landing forces’ swords. I have seen this tassel on Navy swords.

 

marty

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Thank you Gents for your help.  I’ve flipped the photos so the Writing is correctly oriented, but rust makes a couple symbols tough to distinguish.  
 

 

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The sword was made at the First Army Arsenal in Tokyo 東京第一陸軍造兵廠 (Toukyou Daiichi Rikugun Zouheishou) on an unspecified day (吉日) in December 1942 by Nobutake (宣威)

 

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

Interestingly to note are the two holes in the sword. 
 

These were made so that the soldier could apply his good luck flag or national flag to the blade and rise it in a Parade e.g. with the flag together. 
 

There quite rare. 

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  • 1 year later...
stcroixblades

Actually, there are two mekugi-ana (holes in the tang/nakago) so that the handle can be secured to the blade with two mekugi pegs--not just one.  Most Japanese swords are secured with one peg--this type, as well as some others you see occasionally, have two holes.  

 

 

 

--Matt

 

www.StCroixBlades.com

 

Buyer and seller of Japanese swords, U.S. and Allied fighting knives, and Militaria of all countries

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