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Iwo Jima Timeline question


30-30remchester
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30-30remchester

Hoping to get some advise on the authenticity of the pictured bracelet.  Little back story, I bought this at an antique show from a man who had purchased the estate of a WWII veteran.  Of all the items I bought the bracelet because it caught my eye.  It is obviously crudely made and etched, it's small size made me think that some serviceman made this for his girlfriend.  The writing is crudely formed but it is what is written on it that lead me to buy it.  It has the initials EY and then it says Iwo Jima on one part then the date 2-10-1945, then on the inside it has the words Japanese Zero.  Apparently a serviceman made this for his girlfriend from a downed Japanese Zero.  The kicker on all of this is the date, we did not invade Iwo Jima until 9 days after the date on the bracelet.  Does anyone have any insight?  Could this artifact have been taken during our softening up of the island prior to the invasion? 

bracelet 1.jpg

bracelet 2.jpg

bracelet.jpg

bracelet 3.jpg

bracelet 3.jpg

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The lack of any patina, the brand new condition, and the incorrect date make me think it’s a fantasy piece that someone didn’t do enough research on. Could be wrong of course 

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30-30remchester

I have owned the bracelet for the last 30 plus years and it has been on the mantle of the fireplace. It has been viewed by many and taken to school for show and tell. It has suffered no patina in those 30 years so I can assume that lack of patina from the previous owner would not be a clue. Starting nine months before actual landing on the island, the US bombed from air and ship the tiny island. In fact it was the longest pre invasion bombardment. A least one ship was hit, and over fifty sailors killed. My guess and that is all it is, is that this might have been salvaged by a sailor from a downed Zero prior to landing during the pre invasion shelling. 

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As to the patina, while I can't give you the metal scientifics, some metals don't patina. We've had items (not military) from the first half of the 20th Century, and they don't show patina. You'd have to find out what exactly that metal is before figuring if it would show patina or not. 

 

Cool item, that's for sure! Thanks for sharing!

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Old Crow 1986

Let me throw a couple of guesses into the mix.

 

2-10/1945 could be 2 October 1945.  Maybe the original craftsman mixed up standard military date format (e.g. 6 June 1944) with civilian date shorthand (e.g. 6-6-1944)

 

or

 

Maybe 2-10 isn't a date, but a unit designation.  As Iwo Jima was taken because it had an air base, any number of non-USMC units (USA, USAAF, USN, USCG...etc) could have been resident throughout 1945 post campaign.  These post campaign, garrison, GIs would have had the luxury of downtime to scavenge derelict Japanese aircraft and make trench art as contrasted to the desperate Marines of February and March. 

 

Just guesses.  As you said, the date 2-10 (if it does equate to 10 February) - 9 days before the invasion - just does not make sense. 

 

My guesses are an attempt to make a round peg fit in a square hole.

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suwanneetrader

Here are some bracelets - watchband made from shot down aircraft on Guam by my Dad 3rd Div 21st Marines when they returned from Iwo Jima to Guam.  I hope you can see thickness as I used pics I already had in my computer,  maybe you can enlarge. Richard

 

 

 

 

Dad made from downed planes on Guam.JPG

Dad's bring home WWII.1.JPG

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30-30remchester

With the date on my bracelet, the only hope for original would be a Zero shot down actually late in the battle for Iwo but before the land invasion. I believe it was the longest battle in the Pacific for an invaded island. From June 1943 till March 1944. We bombed from the air and shelled from the sea for nearly 9 months prior to boots on the sand. The thickness being heavier than known examples of bracelets known to be from downed Japanese airplanes is not a worry to me. All metal thickness was not the same. Skins were thin. Cowling, seat frames, struts , ect were all heavier. Not a big thing if it is or isnt, Just a neat item I found for $5.

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