Japanese Flight Helmet
Object NameHelmet, Flight
Dateca. 1944
PeriodWorld War II
Mediumleather, cotton, rubber, metal
ClassificationsPersonal Artifacts
Credit LineCollection of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. Gift of Rear Admiral John Faigle USCG. 2021.30.02
Object number2021.30.02
DescriptionHelmet, Flight; Tan leather Japanese flight helmet. A circular leather patch with the star insignia of the Imperial Japanese Army is attached to the center front forehead. The proper right side of the cap has a long chinstrap extending down from the ear. A short tab with two brass rings extends down from the proper left side of the helmet. Rubber ear pieces protrude out from either side of the helmet. The ear pieces have central holes and are covered on the exterior with the helmet leather fabric. On either side of the ears toward the back of the helmet are two leather straps that have been sewn to the helmet and secured with metal snaps. The snaps are painted red with a wave design imprinted around the outer edge. Across the lower back of the helmet is a leather strap used to tighten the helmet. The proper right strap is long and has a triangular pointed end. The proper left strap is looped with two circular brass rings. The interior of the helmet has green fabric with red stitching.
The interior of the proper right ear piece has four black stamps with Japanese characters on the leather. A large oval stamp is to the left of the central hole and a large rectangle is to the right. A smaller oval and circle stamps are below the hole.
The translation of the Japanese characters was determined as follows:
Large oval stamp:
Reading right to left= 本廠 = honshō = Abbreviation for 陸軍被服廠 (Rikugun Hifuku Honshō) = (Main) Imperial Army Clothing Depot in Ōji District (current day Kita District), Tokyo.
Reading top down) 昭和十九製 = Shōwa Jūkyū Sei = “Manufactured in 1944“
Rectangular stamp:
Reading top down: 新井納 = Arai nō = “Received at Arai” (possibly an Imperial Japanese Army supply/distribution depot)
Small oval and circle:
Larger cartouche, reading top down: 高須 = “Takasu” (a Japanese place or family name – perhaps the personal name stamp of the Army inspector who first approved receipt of the item)
Smaller circle: Illegible, but possibly a quality ranking stamp of some kind
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