Original U.S. WWII Captured Japanese Naval Landing Forces Issue 130-Patch Souvenir Patch Blanket with Data Tag - 60 x 84'

Item DescriptionOriginal Item. Only One Available. Before the late 1920s the IJN did not have a separate marine force, instead it used naval landing forces or rikusentai formed from individual ships's crews, who received infantry training as part of their basic training, for special and/or temporary missions. In the late 1920s the navy began to form Special Naval Landing Forces as standing regiments (albeit of battalion size). These forces were raised at - and took their names from - the four main naval districts/bases in Japan: Kure, Maizuru, Sasebo, and Yokosuka. These SNLF units saw action in China from 1932 in the January 28 Incident and at the Battle of Shanghai in naval operations along the China coast and up the Yangtze River and its tributaries during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Soon, they became involved in successful Japanese seaborne assaults throughout South East Asia.This is an outstanding Japanese Naval Landing Forces issue blanket which was captured by an American, possibly a Marine or an Army soldier, and covered with roughly 130 patches, some organized and others not. It looks to have been unfinished, with many divisions missing as well as a few Air Forces.At the top is a great bullion Combat Infantryman Badge next to a ruptured duck patch and 7 overseas stripes. The right has marine patches going down vertically, and the middle has some of the Armies over the Corps and then the Divisions, with many National Army divisions missing as noted. Closer to the bottom are a couple armored divisions and at the bottom are the Air Forces, with 10-12 missing, and some other units including Amphibious Engineers, US Forces in Austria, CCC, and more. There are a lot of interesting patches, with one at the top that looks handmade, with the motto 'We Guard as They Did'. A good research project.The blanket measures roughly 60 x 84' and retains the original Japanese data tag. It is unfortunately a bit washed out so we cannot make out the date.A great captured Japanese blanket, ready to hang as a centerpiece of your collection!Shipping RestrictionsThis product is available for international shipping.Payment OptionsEligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle