Japanese ID Tag

[AtomicShop]

I need some help figuring out this Japanese ID tag. I think this is a tag from the 105th Division that was formed in 1944 in the Philippines. The badge numbering is a bit of a puzzle but my best guess is the right column is: 1- 0?- 6- 6- 2 . If this is correct, then it would represent 82nd Independent Infantry Battalion of the 105th. I am not sure why the middle column has a 3 and nothing else. The left column has a character I could not find but the ID is 53.

This ID tag was collected by the US 6th Army during the battle for the Philippines. The tags were used to train intelligence officers as they prepared for the invasion of Japan. This tag was stapled to the index card and has not been removed so I can not tell you what may be stamped on the back.

Thanks in advance. BTW how do you rotate images?

[byBen]

Nice tag never seen one with cardboard like that, the cardboard gives this tag more value than the actual tag itself... Really cool.

You basically figured the hardest Part out yourself already so you did a really good job, the number is hard to read but your translation 10662 is the only one that makes sense with the code 勤, it belonged to the 182nd Independent Infantry Battalion Part of the 105th division. Here and excerp from Rod Grigors book, the middle column is just the company in this case 3rd company most tags only have a number there... In the left column your question is about the "ban" 番 character, it just means soldier number and the soldiers Individual number was 53... Also they were at one point before being assembled in the 105th division Part of the 33 independent mixed brigade, Rods Book and my other PDF both take Note of that.

I had never an issue with need of rotate an image but i have read somehwere on here if you crop picture slightly it stays the correct way around.

[ghp95134]

I do not know the particulars, but the kanji look to me like:

勤 一ノ六六二
Tsutome 1-662

三
3

番五三
No. 53

-- Guy

Edit: changed 五二 52 to 五三 53 ... my error.

[ghp95134]

I see that Ben was more helpful! I guess my reading of the space 勤 一ノ六六二 was incorrect.

Sorry about that.
-- Guy

[byBen]

I see that Ben was more helpful! I guess my reading of the space 勤 一ノ六六二 was incorrect.

Sorry about that.
-- Guy

Guy,
No need to be Sorry, without Access to the lists your translation would have seemed perfectly plausible, the tag is faulty stamped and especially that space character was used on certain tags and to add to that a number of japanese tags are really goofy and odd... So their meaning / unit are lost to history.

Also usually if I don’t know a Japanese character I use photo translation apps to find out name or something, that doesn’t always work sadly though… like I told you before even your straight translation without interpretation is plenty helpful to me.

- Ben

[AtomicShop]

Thanks Guy and Ben, very helpful! I can see now why I did not recognize the 番 character. The tag has some pitting and tarnish. Plus, looks like the person doing the stamping was a bit sloppy.

I am curious as to why they switched from brass to aluminum and steel. I would think brass would be much easier to work with.

[AtomicShop]

Guy & Ben- Thanks again. I did buy a Kindle version of Rod Grigors book and have been using it for researching the collection of tags I have. The index cards were used to catalog the tags as part of a training class for intelligence specialists in preparation for the invasion of Japan. These were from my father who served in the the 6th Army in an intel unit in the Philippines and later in the Army of Occupation. I have a couple I do not understand and will post later. Thanks in advance for your help.

[Kiipu]

Ben & Guy, sometimes the Japanese handwrite the 〇 (zero) as a small square. The sides of which usually angle inward toward the bottom. It is also noticeably smaller than the other surrounding characters. Hope this helps some.