Imperial Japan National Flag, 1942-1945, taken by 2nd US Marine Air Wing, defaced with USMC battle honors.
Due to the nature of its acquisition, this flag is a war trophy. The possession of a captured enemy flag is often considered the ultimate war trophy; literally one has captured the flag.
In late 1940s Congress authorized a naval air fleet of fifteen thousand aircraft. The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW) was activated in San Diego, California on July 10, 1941. Its first component was Marine Air Group Two, which was based at the Marine Corps Air Station in Ewa, Hawaii. This subsequently gave 2nd MAW some of the oldest squadrons in Marine aviation. Although the Hawaii based squadrons sustained extensive damage during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the 2nd MAW was present for 83 South Pacific combat operations. Marines and aircraft from 2nd MAW participated in major battles or campaigns at Wake Island, Guadalcanal, Midway, Saipan, Tinian, Guam and Okinawa. Since this flag includes battle honors up to and including Okinawa, it is likely that it dates from this period of their service.
During WWII, returning US soldiers from both the European and Pacific theaters of war sought both German and Japanese flags, which coincidentally were plentiful as a result of both political and cultural practices. The capture of flags as war trophies continued to a lesser extent during the Korean Conflict, was revived again during the Vietnam War, and again most recently in the conflicts in the Middle East.
Little is known about the actual history of this Japanese flag. It was acquired as a bring-back through private purchase in 2007. The flag itself is of unusual construction, particularly because the sin disc pieced together. Furthermore, the flag is finished with an open sleeve along the hoist and a sleeve along the top,for either horizontal or vertical display.
This flag was acquired by members of the United States Marine Corps 2nd Air Wing who defaced it with their battle honors, their distinctive unit insignia, a drawing of a Japanese fighter plane giving off smoke, and a caricature of a Japanese soldier about to be bombed. The sun disc has been inscribed with "Tokyo Here We Come".
ZFC Significant Flag
Item is Framed
Provenance:
• 2nd U.S. Marine corps Air Wing, 1941-1945.
• Acquired by Mike Welter, Cantrall, IL, until 2007.
• Purchased by the Zaricor Flag Collection, 2007.
Sources:
War Trophy, Wikipedia, 15 November 2011, from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_trophy
Good Luck Flags (Hinomaru Yosegaki), Nambu World, 15 November 2011, from: http://members.shaw.ca/ursacki/flags2.htm
2nd Marine Aircraft Wing History, Official U.S. Marine Corps Web Site, 15 November 2011, from: http://www.marines.mil/unit/2ndmaw/Pages/Info/History.aspx
2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, Wikipedia, 15 November 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_Marine_Aircraft_Wing
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
