[Topside]

I just received this from my Grandfather. He served in the Pacific in WWII. I was wondering if someone could translate it for me. There are 2 sides to translate. Could you tell me if one side is the front or back or does it matter? I scanned the tag in and inverted the color....that seems to help.

Thanks

 

[whitesharkseeker]

First side, line on the left reads "Number 136" which is apparently the soldier/officer's personal ID number. The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare have a list of numbers of individual soldiers. Second line (first symbol unk. at this time) reads 3133 which is a Code number for the unit the soldier belonged to. This info is in the same format as my Japanese dog tag that I found on a skeleton on Peleliu and had it translated by a Japanese interpretor. This seems like an unusual identity disc. Mine is made of brass. Do you know where your grandfather found the tag? What unit did he serve in (I assume he was in the military?).

-Eric

 

[Topside]

This dog tag is brass too. My grandfather was actually in the navy. He was on the USS Warren, an attack transport. My Grandfather drove the Higgins boat (the troop transport). He dropped Marines off at the beaches of Kwajalein, Cape Gloucester, Guam and Peleliu. I do believe it was Peleliu where his Higgins was hit by a mortar and sunk. He was picked up by another Higgins going to the beach and landed on the shores with the Marines. Once on shore they made him a Marine and he fought with the guys until such time when he could get back to the ship. This is the only place I know where he actually touched the beach. He may have gotten it there...the odds are good. Or he could have won it in a card game on the ship...he did love cards

If you know anything more about this tag please let me know.

Thanks.

 

[Edokko]

This tag is actually quite interesting in that each side describes a different ID, without cancelling one of the two. I have yet to find a reference that can decipher the ID on dog tags, but the first photo side seems to be soldier #136 attached to some kind of mobile (auto ?) duty. Other side is soldier #72 from some unit I cannot decipher. It might be the same soldier was transferred from one unit to the other, but very unusual since the goal of IDing a dead soldier would be a bit more difficult if he also has an old unit number intact on his tag, instead of just having it crossed out.

 

[Topside]

Now that you mention it...The second side (second picture) Has vertical scratches running through it. You can just make them out at the top of the picture, but in real life, they are very vivid. I would assume that the second picture is the side that was canceled like you thought.

Thanks

 

[BradB]

Small World

This dog tag is brass too. My grandfather was actually in the navy. He was on the USS Warren, an attack transport. My Grandfather drove the Higgins boat (the troop transport). He dropped Marines off at the beaches of Kwajalein, Cape Gloucester, Guam and Peleliu. I do believe it was Peleliu where his Higgins was hit by a mortar and sunk. He was picked up by another Higgins going to the beach and landed on the shores with the Marines. Once on shore they made him a Marine and he fought with the guys until such time when he could get back to the ship. This is the only place I know where he actually touched the beach. He may have gotten it there...the odds are good. Or he could have won it in a card game on the ship...he did love cards

If you know anything more about this tag please let me know.

Thanks.

I have an M-1 carbine that I bought from a former LtJG. on the Warren (APA-53)! His roomate was one of the beachmasters on Peleliu and picked it up ashore when he was forced to help defend the beach! The beachmaster was transferred shortly after Guam and left the carbine in his locker for the guy I bought it from! I met him last year in a local retirement home after buying the carbine from his son. Here is a link to more information about this great ship and her crew!

http://ftp.metalab.unc.edu/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/APA/apa53.html