Heitai: Uniforms, Equipment & Personal Items of the Japanese Soldier, 19371945: Uniforms, Equipment and Personal Items of the Japanese Soldier, 1931-1945 - Hardcover

Agustin Saiz

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 8496658317 ISBN 13: 9788496658318

Publisher: Andrea Press, 2012

Synopsis

Once the seemingly invincible conquerors of nearly all of East Asia, today relatively little is known of the exact weapons, uniforms, and lifestyle of World War II Japanese soldiers (the Heitai). In this lavishly illustrated book, readers and historians alike can finally glimpse the precise personal effects of the Imperial infantryman.

Thanks to a collection carefully nurtured through the decades, every aspect of the Heitai's daily existence is shown in detail with superb color photography accompanied by informative descriptions. Items range from weapons to clothing (both tropical and arctic), eating implements, communications equipment, awards, helmets, insignia, visual devices, gas masks, canteens, cameras, tents and footwear. Also included are propaganda leaflets and simple reading material issued to the Heitai during long, slow periods of service on isolated (sometimes bypassed) Pacific islands.

By examining the exact possessions of a Japanese soldier--from dagger to toothbrush, from hand grenade to undergarments--one is able to see history come to life in a way no cinema or text alone could convey. At the same time, it is of interest to note both the differences between an Imperial fighter's equipment with that of a GI, and how in many ways it was similar.

As a companion volume to the bestselling Deutsche Soldaten, this over-sized, one-of-a-kind work on the Imperial Heitai provides a uniquely illuminating view of the Japanese fighting man who was once America's most fearsome enemy.

About this title

Product Description:

Heitai is a stunning visual history of the japanese soldier, providing a unique insight into how they lived, ate, maintained themselves at the front and how they behaved when out of the line. Through the medium of the author's unique collection of personal items and artefacts that they left behind, we discover what the misguided yet courageous Japanese infantryman did in his spare time, his ambitions and worries, and also how he spent his all too infrequent leave.

About this edition

• Publisher: Andrea Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 8496658317
• ISBN 13: 9788496658318
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 480