Japanese orders and medals of the Second World War. Awards. Sash tape
1 - cotton work uniform;
2 - field uniform made of woolen fabric with white cotton lining. The lining bore the owner's mark, the model type (type 98) and the manufacturer's stamp.
In a large inner pocket of his uniform, the soldier kept a soldier's pay book (2a), a material allowance book (2b) and another document (2c) .;
3 - field cotton trousers with ribbons at the ankles;
4 - side bag of the 1938 model;
5 - the most common side bag from 1941;
6a - leather waist belt (6b) type 30 (model 1897) with two pouches for 30 rounds each and one "reserve" pouch for 60 rounds.
As a rule, two pouches were worn on a belt on the belly, to the right and left of the buckle, and one on the back; the design of the “rear” pouch was somewhat different from the front ones. An oiler (6c) was attached to the right end of the rear pouch. This pouch was larger in size and had not two, but three compartments for 20 rounds each, that is, a total of 60 cartridges could fit in the pouch.
The infantryman had no right to use cartridges from the rear, reserve, pouch without a special order.
A loop is put on the belt for attaching the sheath of the bayonet-knife. The scabbard had two narrow loops or one wide one.
The belt was equipped with an open metal buckle - aluminum, copper or steel. The buckles were sometimes dyed dirty olive or black.
Throughout the war, the design of the waist belt did not change, but instead of leather, the ammunition was sewn from fabric.
The belt was supported on the tunic by two loops sewn to it, one on the right and one on the left;
6c - oiler;
7 - identification plate of an oval-shaped soldier, measuring 32 x 50 mm; medallions were made of aluminum or copper.
Along the edges of the medallion, there was one square hole.
The Japanese have always cremated the dead, so a second medallion, intended to identify the body of the murdered, was not required.
The medallion contained a minimum of information about the soldier (in the picture below, left).
The inscription on the medallion was read from top to bottom: the upper symbol is the type of troops, then the number of the regiment, the individual number of the soldier. The surname and rank were also indicated on the officer's medallion (in the picture below on the right);
8a - underwear;
8b - two pairs of socks;
8c - toiletries;
8g - small towel;
8d - a large towel;
8e - slippers;
9 - an early type backpack.
The infantryman's backpack was a simple shoulder bag with a large flap at the top.
On the inner surface of the backpack there were straps for attaching all kinds of things.
The old style backpack was made of leather and had a rectangular shape. The leather was stretched over a wooden frame.
Shortly before the start of the war, a cloth version of the bag's backpack on a wooden frame appeared.
In wartime, these backpacks were made of waterproof fabric.
The dimensions of the backpack are 127 x 330 x 330 mm.
Dry rations and personal belongings were carried in a backpack;
10a — Old-style 1 pint flask;
10b - 2.5 pint flask type 94.
The 1934 flask was made of aluminum and painted a dirty olive green, with a natural cork top.
A metal cup lid was worn over the cork, tied to the flask with a ribbon so that it would not get lost.
The flask could be attached to the belt with vertical or horizontal straps .;
11 - a pot consisting of four items: a lid / plate attached to the side of a round frying pan, a bowl for soup and a bowl for rice.
The last two containers were connected with a wire.
A simplified pot model was also produced with a capacity for rice only.
The pot was placed in a quilted cover, which did not allow the contents of the pot to cool quickly in the cold.
Immediately after the Manchu incident, the most common military medal of Japan, the Medal "For participation in the Chinese incident" (medal of the Japanese-Chinese war of 1937-1945), was received.
On July 7, 1937, the Japanese invasion of North China began with the "incident at the Marco Polo Bridge". On this day, Japanese troops, conducting maneuvers, fired at the Chinese garrison. The Chinese also responded with fire. The battle began, which lasted until July 9, after which an armistice was concluded. However, the conflict did not end there.
On July 14, the Japanese resumed hostilities, and on July 26 they presented the Chinese with an ultimatum to withdraw their troops from Beijing within 48 hours. The Chinese authorities rejected this demand, and the next day (July 27, 1937), in fact, full-scale military operations began, which did not stop for 8 years, until the end of World War II. In accordance with "tradition" they received the name "China Incident" from the Japanese militarists.
On March 30, 1940, a puppet "central government of China" was formed in Japanese-occupied Nanking.
By the end of 1941, Japan had seized Chinese territory with a population of about 215 million. In the hands of the Japanese were the most developed regions of the country, mainly the coastal Chinese provinces, where the largest cities, seaports and industrial enterprises, the main railways and waterways were located.
And then Pearl Harbor, Okinawa, Midway, atomic bombings, Gobi and Khingan, Port Arthur, landings on the Kuril Islands and surrender.
Japan's last military medal of the 20th century.
The original Imperial Edict No. 496 of July 27, 1939 was later supplemented by Edict No. 418 of 1944.
Prescribed the awarding of a medal to soldiers heading to China until the summer of 1945. This award is quite common.
Ribbon 37 mm wide, made of moire silk, has longitudinal stripes: 3 mm blue (symbolizing sea and naval forces), 3 mm light blue (sky and air force), 7.5 mm yellowish brown (the yellow soil of China and, accordingly, the land forces), 3.5 mm dark pink (the land of China, irrigated with blood) and 2 mm bright red (blood and loyalty). The strip for the planks had pink stripes turning into brown, but it was never used as a ribbon for the medal itself.
The medal diameter is 30 mm, it is made of bronze. Its articulated suspension and bar are similar to previous military medals. The obverse depicts the mythological creature "brave raven" ("yata-no-karasu"), which sits on crossed army and naval flags. Behind him are rays of light, and on top is the imperial coat of arms of the chrysanthemum.
The reverse features classical Chinese images of mountains, clouds and sea waves, symbolizing respectively North China, Central China and the Yellow Sea. The inscription on the back of the medal: "Chinese incident".
Black box with silver hieroglyphs
This pepper has medals for the Manchu and Chinese incidents hanging together - from one incident to another at once.
This pepper is similar
It remains to throw two Japanese military medals into the box - the war of 1895 and the boxer, then arrange everything on a stand and you can close the topic for yourself.
Beautiful, somewhere romantic, exotic, but somehow everything is fast and affordable.
And therefore a little sad.
Japan awards. Orders, medals, badges of the Second World War with photographs and descriptions.
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The reward system in the Japanese Empire began to take shape during the Meiji era. In early March 1873, a commission was organized to study foreign award systems. In early March 1873, a commission was formed to analyze foreign materials related to the award system.
The ambassador to France Mukayama, having ascertained how great the prestige of the orders in the diplomatic circles of Paris, reported in March 1866 that in Western European states orders and medals are awarded not only for the military, but also for services in the civilian field. Awards, wrote Mukayama, are made using gold, silver, precious stones. Orders and medals are awarded not only to citizens of their country, but also to rulers and subjects of foreign countries, the Japanese ambassador pointed out. As a symbol of recognition of merit, they are highly valued in society, more than the encouragement of a large amount of money.
The first presentation of the award in Japan took place in 1874. For a long time, the external appearance of Japanese awards remained practically unchanged, but the text on them could be modified (for example, since 1936, instead of "Emperor of Japan" - "Emperor of the Great Empire").
Until the end of the war in 1945, the owners of orders and medals were respected in the Land of the Rising Sun, they were treated like heroes. But in connection with the surrender in World War II, the attitude towards military awards changed not for the better. Japan's combat awards have appeared in markets and used stores. US military personnel traded Japanese orders and medals for cigarettes, food and other trifles as a kind of "souvenirs". Japan's military awards could be seen hanging from the belts of geisha kimonos, dog collars, etc.
After World War II, Japan's reward system underwent dramatic changes. Since May 1946, the Japanese cabinet has canceled all military awards as "symbols of militarism." The 1947 Constitution abolished all privileges and cash payments to those previously awarded. Only in the event of the death of persons awarded with orders of the first degree was the amount allocated to pay for the burial ceremony.
Only in 1963 was the possibility of awarding Japanese awards restored (except for the Order of the Golden Kite and some medals). In 1964, the posthumous awarding of the dead participants in hostilities, as well as those who died in captivity, was resumed. The total number of such awarded in 1988 was 2,049,071 people, about 90% of the awards are the Order of the Rising Sun, seventh and eighth degrees.
Dedicated to the 90th birthday Anatoly Vasilievich Ivankin (1927-1990), the famous Soviet writer, military pilot of the 1st class, military adviser in the Republic of Syria, in 1975-1977 the head of the tactics department of the Kachin Higher Aviation School, and in 1981-1990 the director of the Volgograd Museum-panorama "Battle of Stalingrad".
Before posting the new material by my colleague Chechako1, I had to re-read the book by Anatoly Ivankin "The Last Kamikaze". The novel shows the events that took place in the history of Japan from 1941 to 1945, when Soviet troops defeated the Kwantung Army, finally undermining the samurai spirit of the army of the Land of the Rising Sun and, thereby, putting an end to relations with Japan, which began at the end of the 19th century, and in XX continued by Tsushima and the Russo-Japanese War.
Chief Editor SAMMLUNG / Collection Alexey Sidelnikov
"Let's give Siberia to our divine mikado!" And then a sobering up came ...
Morimoto
One of the books about the war, read in Soviet times, was the book by Anatoly Ivankin "The Last Kamikaze".
To be honest, neither before nor after it did I come across fiction about Japan, about the war with Japan during the Second World War.
And the book became a kind of source of knowledge about this "side of the coin" of the war.
The plot is twisted like this:
- a certain Japanese taxi driver Takahiro enters the cinema to watch a film about kamikaze pilots, sees on the screen people he personally knows, including the commander of a squad of kamikaze pilots Yasujiro Hattori.
Next is the story about Yasujiro from Nagasaki, about his formation as a pilot, about his mentors, life, participation in the attack on Pearl Harbor, combat episodes, Okinawa, about August 05, 1945, about the fact that his last flight as a kamikaze was not took place "for reasons beyond the control of the victim," that after having passed the last ceremony before the failed flight, he changed his name, and now the taxi driver Tahakiro is the former Yasujiro Hattori.
In short, twisted like in a Brazilian TV series about an unfortunate slave on a Mexican ranch.
But this book also became the first encounter with the names of Japanese orders, of which before that I had only heard about the Rising Sun of the captain of the Varyag.
There was no Internet then, therefore, apart from the names, it was really impossible to know anything.
But if I had the Internet then, I would know the following.
“In early December, Yasujiro was discharged from the hospital. He walked without a cane, almost limping. But overall health remained weak and depressing. The medical commission temporarily prohibited him from flying, granting him a month's leave to visit his family.
Throwing off his dressing gown, which had been disgusted by many months of illness, soaked through with the smell of drugs and disinfection, he put on a new uniform, just brought from a tailor. The old one, with all his belongings, went down with the Akagi. While he was in the hospital, he was awarded the rank of lieutenant commander, and another award was adorned with the chest of his uniform - order of the Golden Kite - the highest award for flight merit.»
“Yasujiro was stunned by what he heard. From this angle, he had never looked at his life, service and ideals. If he had heard these speeches from someone else, he would have thought it was a communist who undermined the foundations of the empire, corrupted the consciousness of loyal subjects. But he heard this from Sensei, his most authoritative teacher, the captain of the 3rd rank, whom Mikado himself noted the highest flight award - the Order of the Golden Kite».
“Before the formation is a young lieutenant commander with the tired eyes of a mature man. Correct facial features, high forehead - a truly noble samurai, Lieutenant Commander Yasujiro Hattori! He is wearing a white scarf. Chest beautifies order of the Golden Kite - an award for high flying valor... In his hand is a flask of rice vodka. He approaches the pilot on the right flank. The pilot's burial suit makes him stand out from the ranks of the officers dressed in the usual uniform. This is Yasujiro Hattori's deputy lieutenant Ichihara, the same Ichihara Hisashi, whose courageous face with an overwhelming, cruel gaze now rises on the facade of the cinema.
The lieutenant licked his dry lips, glanced absently somewhere past the commander, faked a smile with difficulty and accepted the last cup of sake with a bow. "
The order was established by decree of Emperor Mutsuhito on February 18, 1890 as an award solely for military merit.
The name is based on the legend of the golden kite sent by the gods to the first emperor, Jimmu, during his unification of Japan.
Legend has it that the first emperor of Japan, striving to unite the country divided between the princes, was defeated, and then the gods sympathetic to him sent a golden kite to advise the emperor to resume the battle at dawn and advance from the east. The rays of the rising sun and the glow of the falcon blinded the enemies, and the emperor won.
His sign (the order had seven degrees) is very complex, multicolored and full of military paraphernalia
It is based on ancient banners with a golden kite crowning them.
The creators of the order thought out its symbolism well. The order became a symbol of Japanese militarism. Many Japanese soldiers and officers were awarded this order for "blinding" the peoples of Korea, China and Southeast Asia with machine gun and cannon fire.
After the end of World War II and the occupation of Japan in 1946, payments to the knights of the order were canceled, and on May 30, 1947, the award itself was canceled by a decree of the occupying government.
I have only one Kite in my drawer - the lowest degree of the Second World War.
The badge of the order as a "pancake with red caviar" is relatively uncommon (non-everyday), simple, flat and at the same time sophisticated and "tasty".
Well, it goes without saying that the Order of the Golden Kite was not a purely flight award, just as the Order of the Sacred Treasure was not an award of financiers, but of the Rising Sun - of meteorologists and astronomers.
Well, about sake, about the ritual of drinking - the Japanese army and navy have a beautiful tradition of award and commemorative sake girls.
I also bought myself two such army cups. They belong to the service in the 19 and 35 infantry formations.
“A few days after this conversation, Yasujiro was lodged with a complaint against NCO Godzen by an unfamiliar class 1 sailor with rising Sun Medalattached to a hospital gown. He was shell-shocked: his head and hands were shaking, and tears of resentment rolled from his eyes. Stuttering heavily, the sailor first told him why he had received the award. Their patrol boat was sunk by an American destroyer thirty miles off Truk Island. When the Yankees began to pick up the floating ones, he did not want, like some cowards, to go up on the deck of an enemy ship. He preferred death to capture and sailed away from the destroyer. Those Japanese sailors who refused to surrender were shot by the Americans. He only escaped because he was alone and far from the group holding onto the wreckage.
“When I was talking about my feat in the ward,” he said, sniffing, “NCO Gozen said that, apparently, I was just a moron before, but now, after a shell shock, I became idiot with a medal.
Yasujiro almost smiled. This Gozen knew how to give a precise definition.
- He condemned my feat, mister senior lieutenant, saying that a smart man in my place would surrender. And in general, this Gozen is conducting a red campaign. Yesterday he said that war brings only grief to ordinary people, that war invalids, no matter what heroes they are, are not needed by either the family or the state. And he called the Japanese people submissive cattle, which generals and admirals drive into battle.
“Okay,” Yasujiro stopped him, “I'll deal with him and punish him today. Thank you for your vigilance and honesty. You acted like a real patriot. And now I ask you not to tell anyone about our conversation. This is a military secret.
The flattered Class 1 sailor froze to attention, as if Yasujiro was about to pin another medal on his washed-out robe. "
Honestly, when I re-read this episode, "Schweik" is not what it smelled like. Schweikov's "newspaper stories" are closely intertwined with this story in pathos.
Yes, the Order of the Rising Sun is the most famous of the Japanese orders. And its two lowest degrees - the seventh and eighth, the awarding of which has been discontinued since 2003, are called medals in some sources.
In April 1875, one of the most famous and beautiful modern orders, the Order of the Rising Sun, was officially approved. It has already embodied all the principles of the Japanese order system, the entire schedule of subsequent awards, taking into account both national traditions and the simplicity and sophistication of Japanese applied art.
The insignia of the Order of the Rising Sun, which has eight degrees, symbolizes the Japanese coat of arms and flag. The center of the order, the sign of which repeats the star established for the two highest degrees, is the sparkling red sun. This effect is achieved in an unusual way - the cent is a concave mirror covered with a red glass lens - a cabochon. Thirty-two white enamelled beams of varying lengths radiate from the center. The sign is attached to a green pendant depicting the leaves and flowers of the sacred tokwa tree - paulownia. And the two lower degrees of the order are an enlarged pendant, which is worn separately, like a medal. The ribbon of the order is white with red stripes along the edges.
For me, Japanese faleristics is a side interest, but I acquired the lower degrees of the order - 8, 7 and 6 degrees.
The eighth and seventh degrees are simple and beautiful.
The sixth is something Martian. It is rare that the idea of \u200b\u200ba country's culture can be illustrated in the minds of its orders.
European "krestovshchina", in principle, is the same, monotonous - a cross, a crown, swords.
Japan is just the case when its own, unique. Memorable right away. Simplicity, uniqueness, nationality.
Here I photograph and admire how it shimmers.
“I wonder what will mark him for the unprecedented raid on Hawaii? Of the highest Japanese orders, he did not have only order of the Chrysanthemum, but only members of the imperial dynasty and crowned persons were awarded them. Maybe he will be given the next rank and made a member of the imperial council - Genro? "
I do not have the Order of the Chrysanthemum and will not have it.
The Highest Order of the Chrysanthemum (菊花 章, Kikkasho :) is the oldest of the Japanese orders.
The badge of the order on a large ribbon was established by Emperor Meiji in 1876; the order's degree with the order chain was added on 4 January 1888. Although formally only has one degree, there are two types of orders: the order of the Chrysanthemum with a chain and the order of the Chrysanthemum with a large ribbon. Unlike European ones, posthumous awards are also possible for Japanese orders.
The chain of the order is awarded to Japanese citizens only posthumously. An exception was made for the heads of foreign states, to whom the chain of the order is awarded as a sign of special honor.
The large ribbon is the highest degree of honor that can be awarded to a Japanese citizen during his lifetime. In addition to members of the imperial family and heads of foreign states, the Grand Ribbon was awarded to only three living Japanese nationals and eleven posthumously.
The badge of the order is a four-pointed gilded badge with rays of white enamel, in the center of which is a disc of the sun of red enamel. Between the rays is a yellow enamel chrysanthemum flower with green enameled leaves.
The badge with the help of a pendant in the form of a chrysanthemum flower in yellow enamel is suspended from the order chain or the rosette of the Big Ribbon.
The star of the order is like a badge, but without a pendant. It is worn on the left side of the chest.
The large ribbon is a red shoulder strap with dark blue stripes along the edges. Worn over the right shoulder.
Well, and indirectly on the events of the history of the XX century with the participation of Japan, reflected in Japanese faleristics.
The quote is great, but that's what the topic is to read, right?
I highlighted the main thing in bold.
“Kenji Takashi poured the remains of Smirnovskaya into glasses.
- Let's drink Russian vodka for japanese Siberia, We must conquer it for the empire!
- Banzai! shouted Yasujiro and Hoyuro.
- For a new Tsushima! For the new Port Arthur!
Morimoto put down his glass without taking a sip. His thick brows furrowed. Not a trace of the recent gaiety remained. He realized that the time had come to tell the truth to these barely fledged chicks who imagined themselves to be eagles, for conceit and underestimation of the enemy always led to sad results.
“I see that I’ll have to tell you what I didn’t want to talk about today… Listening to you, I, as a commander, are pleased that you strive for deeds in the name of the empire. But don't you think that you too easily expect to defeat the Russians? .. When I was younger, I thought the same way as you. I'm not the only one. We rushed into battle headlong, like fighting cocks, completely unwilling to reckon with the enemy. In China and Manchuria, we got away with it. Having achieved great success, we thought that everything would continue to go the same way. We were ready to break through Mongolia to the Urals without looking back. "Let's give Siberia to our divine mikado!" And then there was a sobering up ... In the summer of 1939 we flew from Manchuria, who knows what wilderness. Desert. A trashy town of Halun-Arshan. One line of the railway connects with the rest of the world. Our detachment was thrown into the August battles over the Khalkhin-Gol river... We were lucky at first. The Russians flew in old I-15 fighters. Our I-97s surpassed them both in speed and in armament. I remember one battle ... Twenty I-97s went to attack ground troops. We were attacked by a dozen Russian I-15s. We withdrew from the battle, gained altitude to the side, and then piled on top of them. We had a qualitative and quantitative advantage on our side. We shot down all ten Russian fighters, but also lost seven of our own. The Russians fought heroically, died, but not one left the battle, although from the very beginning it was clear that they had lost this battle. Our attack on the Russian troops did not take place that day.
And then Stalin sent the latest I-15.3 and I-16 aircraft with cannon armament to Khalkhin Gol. And the pilots who returned from Spain flew on them. A total hell began in the air. Every day, every sortie increased the score of our losses. On August 28, my highly esteemed elder brother, Shojiro Morimoto, died before my eyes. And he was a brave pilot with great experience. The day after the funeral, I flew out with the idea of \u200b\u200bavenging my brother's death. On this flight, I met some Russian devil and almost followed after Shojiro. I do not know which of the aces piloted the fighter pursuing me, Gritsevets or Kravchenko, but he did it perfectly. Morimoto was silent for a moment, as if stumbling over difficult names. I broke my I-97 to a nosebleed, but I could not shake the enemy off the tail. The marks on the face that Yasujiro asked about are from that fight. The plane caught fire, I left it and opened the parachute. The Russian slowed down and walked a few meters away from me, while I, burnt and bloody, hung on a silk rag between heaven and earth. The Russian did not need to slash at me with a burst of a machine gun or hack with a wing on the lines of the parachute. But he didn't, and that's why I'm sitting with you, drinking cognac. Morimoto paused, looking at the cigarette smoke. - The devil understands them, Russians! They are sometimes fierce in battle, like tigers, then they are generous to the defeated enemy. Not at all like us. But the Russians are a strong and brave people, and Siberia, where they live, is immense, impassable and brutally cold,
- My father in the twentieth year left a leg there, and he does not even want to hear about this Siberia- quite soberly expressed the completely intoxicated Khoyuro. Morimoto approved:
- I also would not want to meet with the Russians in battle. There are many other peoples that can be pushed back to give the empire more space. And the Russians? If I were a high strategist, I would leave them alone, along with their Siberia and polar bears.
Yasujiro listened anxiously to his commander. Did he hear these words from him, Morimoto, invincible in sports and flying, imperturbable, brave samurai? "
This excerpt contains almost the entire military history of Japan in the twentieth century.
1.Tsushima and Port Arthur. The war known to us as the Russian-Japanese war of 1904-1905.
Medal "Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905."
The medal for the war with Russia was instituted by the imperial edict No. 51 of March 31, 1906. It has a diameter of 30 mm and is made of light gilded bronze. On the obverse there are crossed flags of the Japanese army and naval forces, above them the imperial coat of arms is a chrysanthemum, under the flags in the lower part of the medal there is a coat of arms - paulownia. The reverse depicts a traditional stylized Japanese shit, on which the inscription "Military Campaign of 37-38 years Meiji" (1904-1905) ("Meiji 37-38 nen sen'eki") is written vertically in hieroglyphs.
The Japanese shield is framed by branches: on the left - palm, on the right - laurel. At the time of the establishment of the medal, palm and laurel as traditional symbols were characteristic of the award systems of Western countries and were not previously used by the Japanese.
The suspension is of the usual articulated type, with an attached bar bearing the inscription "Military Medal". The ribbon is 37 mm wide, made of moire silk. Its color scheme follows the colors of previous military medals: green with 3mm white edges, but with the addition of a 9mm blue stripe in the center, symbolizing military victories at sea.
The military conflict between Japan and Russia was largely predetermined by the presence of deep contradictions in the imperialist interests of the two countries, although for a long time it did not seem inevitable to the tsarist government.
Having made the decision to begin preparations for war with Russia, Tokyo spent most of the indemnity received from Beijing under the Shimonoseki Peace Treaty on the modernization of the army and navy. It is curious that a loan to cover the costs of paying the indemnity was provided to China by Russian banks, which actually financed military preparations against their own country.
2. Siberian campaign to Russia.
For participation in the military campaign 1914-1920.
On April 4, 1918, two Japanese employees of a commercial company were murdered in Vladivostok. On April 5, the Japanese, under the pretext of protecting Japanese subjects, landed troops in the city. Following the Japanese, the troops of other countries landed in Vladivostok. On June 29, 1918, with the help of rebellious Czech prisoners of war, Soviet power was overthrown. The military operations of the allied forces were led by the Japanese General Otani.
The number of the Japanese contingent in the fall of 1918 reached 72 thousand people (the American expeditionary force numbered 10 thousand people, the troops of other countries - 28 thousand). Under the auspices of Japan, the United States, France and England, White Guard detachments of Semyonov, Kalmykov and Orlov were formed in Manchuria, and the detachment of Baron Ungern in Dauria.
By October 1918, Japanese troops occupied Primorye, Amur and Transbaikalia. By the summer of 1922, 15 capitalist states de jure or de facto recognized the Soviet state. Dissatisfaction with the intervention in Japan, the threat of a military defeat of the Japanese army by units of the people's revolutionary army and partisans advancing on Vladivostok, forced the Japanese command to sign an agreement on the withdrawal of their troops from the Far East.
On October 25, 1922, Vladivostok was liberated. Japanese troops remained only in Northern Sakhalin, until the signing of the 1925 Soviet-Japanese convention on the establishment of diplomatic relations. During the occupation, Japan increased its gold and foreign exchange reserves by illegally appropriating a significant portion of Russian gold.
The medal was established by the imperial decree No. 41 of February 1920, to award the Japanese who participated in the battles of the World War in 1917-1918 in the Mediterranean, the intervention in Siberia in 1917 and the occupation of Vladivostok until 1922 with the wording “for participation in the military campaign of 1914- 1920s. " On the reverse there are ten hieroglyphs - “For the military campaign of 3-9 years of the Taisho era” (Taisho sannen naysi kyunen sen'eki) (1914-1920).
3. “In China and Manchuria, we got away with it. Having achieved great success, we thought that everything would continue to go the same way. "
On September 18, 1931, accusing the Chinese of "sabotage" on the railroad, Japanese troops began to seize Chinese cities on the South Caucasus Railway and disarm the Chinese garrisons. Within five days, they occupied all the most important settlements of the Manchu provinces of Mukden and Jirin. In the next three months, the Kwantung Army completely captured three provinces in Northeast China. This war of conquest in Japan was called the "Manchurian Incident".
On September 21, the Council of the League of Nations began to consider a complaint from the Chinese government regarding the armed invasion of Japan. After a three-month discussion, at the suggestion of the Japanese representative, an international commission was formed, headed by the British Lord V.R. Lytton. She began to familiarize herself with the situation in northeastern China in the spring of 1932. However, the Japanese, having decided to present the commission with a fait accompli, inspired the proclamation of the puppet state of Manchukuo there on March 1, 1932.
October 2, 1932. the Lytton Commission issued a report recognizing Japan's act of aggression against China, and also confirming that Manchuria is an integral part of the latter. The resolution of the Assembly of the League of Nations of February 24, 1933 on the said report contained a demand for the withdrawal of Japanese troops from Northeast China, although it also recognized Japan's "special" interests in this region. Tokyo responded to the resolution by withdrawing from the League of Nations and expanding its aggression. On the day this document was adopted, Japanese troops invaded Rehe province and soon occupied it. Then they began their advance to Heibei Province. By the end of May 1933, Japanese units approached Beijing and Tianjin.
On May 31, 1933, Chinese representatives were forced to sign an armistice agreement with the Japanese command, according to which Beijing recognized the establishment by the Japanese of control over Northeast and part of North China.
This medal, established by Imperial Edict No. 255, was made of bronze and has a width of 30 mm. On the hinged pendant there is an ornament symbolizing moss growth. There is a metal bar with the traditional inscription: “War Campaign Medal”. On the top of the obverse is the imperial coat of arms (chrysanthemum), under which there is a vulture sitting on a traditional Japanese shield. Beams of light radiate from behind the kite. On the reverse there are images of army and naval helmets against the background of sakura flowers. There is an inscription of ten characters: "Incident from the 6th to the 9th year of Showa" (1931 - 1934).
Medal ribbon 37 mm wide, made of moire silk. Stripes run from left to right along the ribbon: 2.5 mm - dark brown, 6 mm - light brown, 5 mm - pink, 1.5 mm - gold, 7 mm - dark brown, 1.5 mm - gold, 5 mm - pink, b mm - light brown, 2.5 mm - dark brown. A cardboard box for a medal is black, on top is the name of the medal, filled with gilded hieroglyphs.
4. The Chinese incident (including the events at Khalkhin Gol).
Medal "For Participation in the China Incident" (Sino-Japanese War 1937-1945)
Ribbon 37 mm wide, made of moire silk, has longitudinal stripes: 3 mm blue (symbolizing sea and naval forces), 3 mm light blue (sky and air force), 7.5 mm yellowish brown (the yellow soil of China and, accordingly, the land forces), 3.5 mm deep pink (the land of China, irrigated with blood) and 2 mm bright red (blood and loyalty). The strip for the planks had pink stripes turning brown, but it was never used as a ribbon for the medal itself. The award box is made of black cardboard with its name inscribed in silver hieroglyphs.
On July 7, 1937, the Japanese invasion of North China began with the "incident at the Marco Polo Bridge". On this day, Japanese troops, conducting maneuvers, fired at the Chinese garrison. The Chinese also responded with fire. The battle began, which lasted until July 9, after which an armistice was concluded. However, the conflict did not end there.
On July 14, the Japanese resumed hostilities, and on July 26 they presented the Chinese with an ultimatum to withdraw their troops from Beijing within 48 hours. The Chinese authorities rejected this demand, and the next day (July 27, 1937), in fact, full-scale military operations began, which did not stop for 8 years, until the end of World War II. In accordance with "tradition" they received the name "China Incident" from the Japanese militarists.
On March 30, 1940, a puppet "central government of China" was formed in Japanese-occupied Nanking.
By the end of 1941, Japan had seized Chinese territory with a population of about 215 million. In the hands of the Japanese were the most developed regions of the country, mainly the coastal Chinese provinces, where the largest cities, seaports and industrial enterprises, the main railways and waterways were located.
The original Imperial Edict No. 496 of July 27, 1939 was later supplemented by Edict No. 418 of 1944.
The awarding of medals to soldiers traveling to China until the summer of 1945 was prescribed. This award is quite common.
The medal diameter is 30 mm, it is made of bronze. Its articulated suspension and bar are similar to previous military medals. The obverse depicts the mythological creature "brave raven" ("yata-no-karasu"), which sits on crossed army and naval flags. Behind him are rays of light, and on top is the imperial coat of arms of the chrysanthemum. The reverse features classical Chinese images of mountains, clouds and sea waves, symbolizing respectively North China, Central China and the Yellow Sea. The inscription on the back of the medal: "China Incident".
The Puppet State of Manchou-kuo celebrated these events with a medal.
Manchukuo. Medal “Military border incident” (“Nomon-khan”). 1940. Established by Imperial Edict No. 310 in memory of the battles with Mongolian and Soviet troops on Khalkin Gol
Mentioned in the book and awards of the opposing side - the US Army.
“Fearing the admiral's wrath, even the doctors were reluctant to enter his room. Hellsey forbade bringing him newspapers full of victorious articles.
Most of the time he lay on the bed, from time to time kissed on a flask of whiskey, which was secretly supplied by his adjutant. He was not even pleased with the American Legion of Honor, sent to him by the president for the raid on Tokyo. "
The Legion of Merit is a US military award given to members of the United States Armed Forces and members of friendly nations for exceptional and distinguished service and achievement in an emergency.
Proposals for an Emergency Service Award have been made since 1937. However, only after the United States entered World War II, this idea was realized. On December 21, 1941, it was proposed to establish the Medal of Merit. On April 3, 1942, this project was submitted to the US Secretary of Defense, with the original name being changed to Legion of Honor. On July 20, 1942, the US Congress approved the project. The new award was planned to be awarded to the military personnel of the United States and the Philippine commonwealth, as well as the military personnel of the countries - allies in World War II.
On October 29, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt approved the regulation on the award, according to which it must be presented on behalf of the President of the United States. In 1943, the authority to award US military personnel was transferred to the Department of Defense.
The Order of the Legion of Honor for awarding US military personnel is not divided into degrees and exists in a single degree ("legionnaire"). The award is mainly intended for general and senior officer ranks, but in special cases it can also be awarded to junior ranks.
Flight Merit Cross
“- Charles, I'm serious. This woman, among other things, has something in the bank account.
“My friendly advice is to spit on her. Find another, and in a week or two this gorgeous miss will disappear from your memory. And now I will tell you the great news: there is a telegram at the headquarters - the president threw us on the cross "For flight services".
- Are you kidding?
“Staff Sergeant Gorris swore he read the telegram with his own eyes. He says that tomorrow it will be announced officially.
- By God, I can't believe that we were awarded, although I know that crosses will not be given in vain. We honestly deserve them. "
“An accidental nail or splinter on the runway tore off his combat mission. But the loser lieutenant was not alone this morning. Soon after, the second "lightning" from Mitchell's group entered the landing, returning from the route. He did not generate fuel from the outboard tanks. The scolding of this fellow about the failure of technology was even more challenging and sophisticated - he was prepared for three whole days for a top secret responsible flight, for which he hoped to receive at least the Cross "For Flight Merit".
The Distinguished Flying Cross was established on July 2, 1926. The first to be awarded was Charles Lindbergh for his flight over the Atlantic in 1927.
From March 1, 1927, awards were made only to the military. Currently, the cross is awarded for heroism and bravery in aerial combat.
Best regards Chechako 1
On August 20, 1945, the last commander of the Kwantung Army, Otozo Yamada, surrendered to the Soviet troops by signing a surrender. Let us recall the combat path of this "invincible" army.
The combat history of the Kwantung Army begins with the Manchu Incident of 1931. In general, originally the Kwantung Army ("Kwantung" is translated from Japanese as eastern in relation to the Great Wall of China) was created mainly to protect the railway lines in China outside the Japanese colonies. Gradually, this army becomes the most powerful military group of the Japanese Imperial Army in its entire history.
So, in 1931, the Kwantung Army was instructed to take full control of Manchuria. The officers of the Kwantung Army, in turn, proposed to the Imperial Headquarters to carry out a number of provocations that would justify the Japanese offensive. For example, an explosion on a railroad guarded by the Japanese. And just a few hours after the explosion, Japanese troops stormed the Chinese military units and put the Chinese soldiers to flight. Manchuria became Japanese.
Medal depicting Emperor Pu Yi - the ruler of Manhuria. All participants in the "liberation campaign" of the Kwantung Army were awarded this medal.
Over the next several years, the Kwantung Army has been participating in operations of various scales in China. The Japanese command carried out the patronage of the puppet state of Manchukuo, whose government Tokyo tried to present as the only legitimate power in China, plunged into a civil war.
Medal with the image of the flag of Manchukuo.
In 1933, the Kwantung Army carried out Operation Nekka, the goal of which was the final subordination of the northern Chinese provinces to the government of Manchukuo and the spread of Japanese influence in Inner Mongolia. The operation lasted exactly six months, from January to May. The most famous episode of this conflict was the battle for the Great Wall of China, some parts of which repeatedly passed from hand to hand.
The highest order of Manchukuo "Order of the Pillars of the State"
Award from the Japanese government "For the protection of Manchukuo"
On July 7, 1937, the Japanese invasion of North China began with the "incident at the Marco Polo Bridge". On this day, Japanese troops, conducting maneuvers, fired at the Chinese garrison. The Chinese also responded with fire. The battle began, which lasted until July 9, after which an armistice was concluded. However, the conflict did not end there. On July 14, the Japanese resumed hostilities, and on July 26 they presented the Chinese with an ultimatum to withdraw their troops from Beijing within 48 hours.
The Chinese authorities rejected this demand, and the next day (July 27, 1937), in fact, full-scale military operations began, which did not stop for 8 years, until the end of World War II. In accordance with "tradition," they received the name "China Incident" from the Japanese militarists.
Chinese Incident Medal
When the large-scale Sino-Japanese War began in 1937, units of the Kwantung Army were in a state of hostilities of varying degrees of intensity for six years, which turned the army in Manchuria into the most prestigious part of the Imperial army.
Many Japanese officers dreamed of starting a military career in Manchuria, as this guaranteed a rapid career growth. As a result, the Kwantung Army became a kind of incubator for the Japanese officer corps on the eve of the outbreak of World War II. Even the unsuccessful 1938 operations against Soviet troops near Lake Khasan and on the Khalkhin-Gol River had little effect on the prestige of the Kwantung Army.
Japanese Veterans Medal imperial army - such "flowers" in their buttonholes were received by officers who had served in combat conditions for at least 6 years.
An officer's medal, the name of which can be translated as "For courage in battle".
Japanese soldier's medal for participation in the battles in Manchuria. Only fighters of the Kwantung Army were awarded.
Medal from the government of Manchukuo for combatants in Manchuria.
Medal for the battles on Khalkhin Gol
The fighting on Khalkhin Gol was a local armed conflict that lasted from spring to autumn 1939 near the Khalkhin Gol River in Mongolia near the border with Manchukuo between the USSR, Mongolia, on the one hand, and the Empire of Japan and Manchukuo, on the other. The final battle took place in the last days of August and ended with the complete defeat of the 6th separate army of Japan. The armistice between the USSR and Japan was concluded on September 16, 1939.
According to official Soviet data, the losses of the Japanese-Manchu troops during the fighting from May to September 1939 amounted to more than 61 thousand people. killed, wounded and taken prisoner (of which about 20 thousand - officially declared losses of the Kwantung Army). The Soviet-Mongolian troops lost 9,831 Soviet (together with the wounded - more than 17 thousand) and 895 Mongolian soldiers.
Japanese Order of the Red Cross Society, which helped the wounded.
Red Cross Medal from the Government of Manchukuo.
A rare badge of a participant in the Russian-Japanese sports games. The fact is that a large Russian community lived in Harbin in those years, and many former officers of the White Army began to cooperate with the Japanese occupation authorities.
Toy soldier of the Kwantung Army.
The number of the Kwantung grouping on the eve of World War II was constantly increasing. When Japan declared war on the United States in December 1941, 1.32 million soldiers were concentrated in northeastern China. Since Japan abandoned plans to invade the USSR and focused on the war with the United States, the most combat-ready units began to be withdrawn from the Kwantung Army.
The result of these decisions of the Japanese command was a reduction in the size of the grouping to 600 thousand soldiers (11% of the 5.5 million Japanese army). And now, for the most part, these were not experienced, battle-hardened soldiers, but recruits who were transferred from the beginning of 1945 to Manchuria, anticipating the imminent invasion of the USSR.
Most of the modern military equipment was also withdrawn from the Kwantung Army long before 1945.
Medal of the participant in the hostilities in the Great East Asian War (as the Second World War was called in Japan).
In August 1945, the USSR declared war on Japan and launched an invasion of Manchuria.
Armament of soldiers and officers of the Kwantung Army
August 9, 1945, on the first day of the offensive to the troops Soviet armythey had to overcome the most heavily fortified border areas. The troops of the 1st Far Eastern Front, which delivered a blow from Primorye, broke through a strip of Japanese reinforced concrete fortifications and penetrated into enemy territory up to 15 km, and the formations of the 2nd Far Eastern Front, crossing the Amur and Ussuri rivers, captured bridgeheads on the right bank of the Amur. Even greater success was achieved by the troops of the Trans-Baikal Front, which took by storm the Manchur-Chzhalaynor fortified region.
Premium set for sake. Distributed to officers who showed courage in battle.
On August 10, the government of the Mongolian People's Republic joined the Soviet government's statement on August 8 and declared war on Japan.
A Pacific Fleet sailor next to a killed Japanese soldier in a forest on Sakhalin.
On August 11, the People's Liberation Army of China also intensified hostilities against the Japanese invaders. As a result of the first powerful blow of the Soviet Army, the very next day after the outbreak of hostilities, the Japanese government announced through the Soviet ambassador in Tokyo that it was ready to accept the terms of the declaration of July 2 (July 3, calling for its unconditional surrender. However, the Japanese command did not give the order their armed forces lay down their arms, and the Soviet troops, crushing the resisting enemy, continued to carry out the tasks previously assigned to them.
Loading a torpedo with the inscription "Death to the samurai!" on the Soviet submarine of the Pacific Fleet of the "Pike" type.
Despite the fierce resistance of the enemy, who took advantage of the mountainous and wooded terrain and strove with all his might to delay the offensive of the Soviet armies, its pace grew more and more every day. And as a result of the first five days of the offensive of the Soviet Army, the Japanese fortifications in Manchuria were broken through.
Soviet troops dismembered the Kwantung Army and by rapid advance in all directions did not give the enemy the opportunity to organize consistent resistance on the river and mountain borders.
Colonel of the Red Army with the surrendered soldiers of the Japanese army.
From August 19, Japanese troops began to surrender almost everywhere. To speed up this process, to prevent them from evacuating or destroying material assets, airborne assault forces were landed in Harbin, Mukden, Changchun, Girin, Port Arthur, Dalniy, Pyongyang, Kanko, (Hamhyn) and other cities.
Japanese traders prepared for the arrival of Soviet soldiers by preparing posters with inscriptions in Russian.
The capture of Japanese warehouses in the zone of operations of the 53rd Army of the Trans-Baikal Front in the vicinity of the Chinese city of Fuxin.
Immediately after the signing of the surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945 and the end of hostilities, it was decided to take under the protection of Soviet troops numerous military warehouses with food, weapons and other property located in China.
Negotiations of the Soviet command with representatives of the Kwantung Army headquarters on the terms of the surrender of the Japanese troops.
On August 20, the last commander of the Kwantung Army, Otozo Yamada, signed a surrender. After the defeat in Manchuria, Japan no longer had significant forces left to conduct operations outside the country.
Sword of the Kwantung Army Commander (photo from the Kwantung Army Museum in Port Arthur)
War flag of the Imperial Japanese Army.
Banner of the Kwantung Army.
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