TO&E Japanese Infantry Company, infantry regiment Type 2, 1945. Type 2 regiments were for "Mobile Striking Divisions", intended to counter-attack US forces, that landed on Japanese Islands. Note team organization of squads. More details in my blog: vijsko.blogspot.com/2025/09/to-d... #ORBATBoys

From photo it's easy to see, how Taigei was intended for quick conversion into aircraft carrier for war. To have flush flying deck one need to remove lightly build superstructure, smokestack, 2 masts + reroute smoke to side of ship. Small hangar is already present. > CV is ready.

TO&E drawing of the infantry company of infantry regiment of the Imperial Japanese Army according to the 1940 and 1943 mobilization plans. This was the standard organization of Japanese infantry during 1940-1945. More details in my blog: vijsko.blogspot.com/2025/09/to-d... #ORBATBoys

Good discussion on oft-discussed topic - why Imperial Japanese military fielded no strategic bombers?

TO&E drawing of the draft of the new organization of the infantry company of the Type “A” infantry regiment of the Imperial Japanese Army, based on the 1936 document, acquired by the Soviet intelligence. More details in my blog: vijsko.blogspot.com/2025/09/to-d... #ORBATBoys

Made another version of TO&E drawing of infantry company of Type “A” infantry regiment of the Imperial Japanese Army (1936), I've posted day ago. This time I've mixed NATO and mine symbols together. Do you like it? More details on my site: rikukaigun.org/IJA/1936_Typ... #ORBATBoys

TO&E drawing of infantry company of IJA Type “A” infantry regiment (1936). More details here: rikukaigun.org/IJA/1936_Typ... I’ve made 2 versions: one based on NATO symbols, another based on symbols of my own design. Which version do you prefer? #ORBATBoys

rikukaigun.org update. Started to build a library of useful historical sources on the Imperial Japanese military. Plan to add more in the future. rikukaigun.org/rikukaigun-g...

rikukaigun.org update. Added drawings on organization of the infantry company of the IJA type "A" infantry regiment for the Mobilization plan for 1937 (1936): rikukaigun.org/IJA/1936_Typ...

Interesting video from around early WWII, showing life on various Japanese warship and submarine (colorized). www.youtube.com/watch?v=D001...

rikukaigun.org update. Added Jeff Donahoo's Imperial Japanese Navy Order of Battle (with data on personnel) - December 1, 1941: rikukaigun.org/JeffD/IJN_OO... Updated data on Kaiten Pilots: rikukaigun.org/JeffD/Kaiten...

Bought and operated by the Imperial Japanese Army, Parseval PL 13 (Parseval-Luftschiff 13, in Japanese 雄飛, Yuhi) was a non-rigid military single-gondola airship made in 1912 by the Luft-Fahrzeug-Gesellschaft in Bitterfeld (Germany), designed by von Parseval.

Another interesting video. This time IJN aircraft attack Allied ships in 1942.

Regarding my previous posts about torpedo cruiser "Ooi". Original video can be seen here (video of G4M training with "Ooi", "Kinu" and "Aoba" is the first part of it): archive.org/details/hidu...

Regarding my previous posts. One Japanese researcher made a thread, where he concluded, that video of G4M training with IJN cruisers, including torpedo cruiser "Ooi", was made on 19 March 1944. See details and sources here: x.com/arsenic_arse...

Yesterday I’ve posted screens showing rarely seen IJN torpedo cruiser. It’s probably Ooi because all smokestacks are of same length (thank you for clarification, commenters!). But screens bring new mystery – MYSTERY OF 10 TORPEDO MOUNTS. Read this threat, to find out what it is>

To add to my previous post - I stand corrected, it's not a pre-war video. G4M carry unit number "32" = 732th Naval Air Group (Kokutai), which existed between 1 October 1943 and 10 July 1944.

To add to my previous post - here is video of IJN G4M bombers making mock attacks on IJN vessels prewar, including rarely seen Kitakami or Ooi in their torpedo cruiser form. www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOpN...

Screenshots taken from a video of IJN G4M bombers making mock attacks on IJN vessels prewar have yielded photos of either Kitakami or Ooi in their torpedo cruiser form. Until now there was only one photo showing Kitakami in this form; it was taken by a high-level bomber and is very blurry.

G4M cockpit photo I've previously posted was from Japanese bombing of Darwin on February 19th 1942. See video below (eating scene around 1:05 in this footage): rumble.com/v6rie07-japa... And overall this is very interesting video with good sound - "The Ride of Valkyries", yes, that's original sound.

To add to my previous post. Interesting page, showing IJN bento boxes and food they've carried: ameblo.jp/52mechanic/e...

Crew of a IJN Mitsubishi G4M bomber eating before a raid on Port Moresby (New Guinea) - April-May 1942.

Really interesting tidbit of IJA bureaucratic foolishness - engineer troops were not allowed to have machine-guns installed in their armored cars. Thank @hush-ndb.bsky.social for sharing it.

rikukaigun.org update. Added IJA Air Force aircraft data 1941-45 (strength, losses, distribution, serviceability) based on the several tables from the 1945 IJA report: rikukaigun.org/IJA/IJA%20ai...

Quite unusual piece of IJA equipment - yes useful to guard all this length of railways in China.

Members of the Imperial Japanese Navy Radio Telegraph Research Committee with one of the first radio telegraph apparatus in Japan (around 1900). 45 years later (in 1944) hand-held radios were already used in combat.

If I would've seen such dress in some anime or manga, I would've thought: "What a ridiculously non-historical dress!" Yet look - this is the original photo.

You can read more details on IJN CV elevator covers in this thread below: bsky.app/profile/euge...

New photo of after elevator cover on IJN CV "Kaga" (see photo on the left).

Proud to share a talk of knowledgeable people. Unfortunately air war in China in 1932-1941 is still in the shadows of the 1941-45 Pacific war.

IJA Infantry battalion MG Company OOB by @shiro_man_jyu01 Note very few soldiers are carrying rifles. There were few pistols, but most soldiers were armed only with bayonet. #OrbatBoys

Japanese soldier with longbow during the Battle of Shanghai in 1937. Bow wasn't for fighting - you can see message tied to the tip of the arrow.

To add to thread by @justinpykehistory.bsky.social about aircraft protection. People, who bemoan the lack of protection on Japanese aircraft, must understand – aircraft aren’t made for protection. Even for ground attack aircraft ability to hit enemy is more important, than defense from enemy fire.

Very good thread on Japanese aircraft protection. Among other things it dispels myth that Japanese generals/admirals couldn't care less about aircraft protection.

The official procedures after Japanese soldier's death in combat during WW2 (Diagrammed from *Village and War* by Toshio Kuroda). Made by @shiro_man_jyu01 on Twitter.

Blog with data of WW2 Japanese aircraft performance: warbirdperformance.livedoor.blog/archives/429...

Photo of rarely seen IJN training with Loading practice machine, used to keep gun loaders' skills at top level. Photo made aboard IJN destroyer "Samidare" in 1930s.

Hirasawa To - chief of the Japanese Internal Police on Saipan after US occupation, and his officers. 27 October 1944. I wonder, what does kanjis on their helmets mean?

Poster, showing modern IJA weapons and equipment in 1926. Note, that foreground showing transport vehicles, not weapons.

Kawasaki Ki-100 one of famous "accidental aircraft", created not because of detailed planning, but as some stop-gap. Factory, that made inline engines for Ki-61 fighters, was destroyed by US bombers. But they've managed to attach radial engine to its fuselage, creating Ki-100.

Ukrainian Infantry Regiment TOE, authorized in December 1918, was basic organization of infantry of Army of Ukrainian People’s Republic in 1918-1919. More details in my blog: vijsko.blogspot.com/2025/06/ukra... #ORBATBoys

On this day in 1944 Battle of Philippine Sea between IJN and USN carrier fleets had begun, which wrecked carrier aviation of IJN. Much is told about qualitative and quantitative superiority of US Navy in this battle. Less is told about tactics of opposing commanders.

rikukaigun.org update - Jeff Donahoo's basic data base on IJN warships 1937-45: rikukaigun.org/JeffD/_warsh... rikukaigun.org/JeffD/_warsh...

Soldiers of the Eighth Route Army (Chinese communists troops) pose with IJA Italian-made Fiat BR.20 bomber in Xinji, Hebei, 1 November 1938. Chinese claim, that special forces commander Wu Zhongqi led a platoon to shoot it down with rifle fire on 9 October 1938 (4 of its crew killed and 1 captured).

Very interesting, if under-researched, topic of Japanese business elites in wartime.

Seaplane tender Tsurugizaki being converted into CV Shoho - May 20, 1941. Note hangar details, rarely shown on photos.

Mashiko advance team: 106-men infiltration unit under Shigeo Mashiko (left on 2nd photo) from IJA 223rd infantry regiment(36th division) was formed in May 1942. They specialized in sneaking into Eighth Route Army bases in Chinese uniforms to kill or capture top commanders.

Oft-forgotten fact - in 1943 IJN twice thought about Fleet Battle with US Navy: during US landings on Attu and Tarawa. Though both attempts were ultimately abandoned. This photo shows preparation for the first attempt.

Updated Jeff Donahoo's data base on IJN officers: rikukaigun.org/JeffD/0-Intr... Graduates of the IJN Naval Academy, alphabetical list with data on careers, Graduates of the IJN Naval Academy, by class, Alphabetical list of graduates of IJN Engineer Academy (with data on careers).

Pacific War comparison map: Japanese islands superimposed on map of New Guinea, New Britain and Solomon Islands. Yes, the area was HUGE. Source: Volume 28 of Senshi Sosho - Japanese official WW2 war history.