WW2 Japanese Balloon Squad Badge/ Medal

[dark379]

陸軍 - Military force
氣球 - Balloon or Air Balloon
聯隊 - Squad

[No one]

Dear Gentlemen,

 

気球連隊 - Wikipedia

 

千葉市立郷土博物館：小企画展「陸軍気球連隊と第二格納庫」

 

 

Yours sincerely,

No one

[TracA]

No One,

 

It is a fascinating topic. Thanks for posting the translation and links.

 

Tracy

[Gordon Craig]

No one,

I really interesting badge.  You post some very interesting ones.  Here is an English translation of your Japanese WIKI article.

Regards,

Gordon

 

Balloon Regiment

 

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Balloon Regiment

The Balloon Regiment was a unit of the Imperial Japanese Army .

history

The former Balloon Regiment Hangar No. 2, used as a civilian warehouse (2018). It was demolished in 2020.

The unit was the Army's only balloon unit and did not have a regiment number. It is generally known that the unit flew balloon bombs during the Pacific War .

The first military balloon in Japan was launched on May 23 , 1877 ( Meiji 10). A plan was made to use balloons in a rescue operation for Kumamoto Castle , which was under siege by the Satsuma Army during the Seinan War . Experiments with the first balloon, carried out at the Tsukiji Naval Ministry Training School ( Warship Training Center ), were successful, but practical use was shelved as the battle for Kumamoto Castle had already been decided .

In 1904 (Meiji 37) during the Russo-Japanese War , the "Temporary Balloon Squadron" equipped with balloons manufactured by Shibaura Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (now Toshiba) was deployed to the Siege of Port Arthur and played an active role in reconnaissance of the battle situation . Following the success of the Temporary Balloon Squadron , a balloon squadron was established in the Telegraph Training School in Nakano , Tokyo the following year in 1905 (Meiji 38) . In 1907 (Meiji 40), the balloon squadron was reorganized as the Army Balloon Squadron, and became part of the Traffic Brigade, which combined the Railway Regiment , Telegraph Battalion, and Balloon Squadron. On October 20, 1913 ( Taisho 2), the balloon squadron was transferred to Tokorozawa Airfield in Saitama Prefecture, which was an army air base . In 1927 ( Showa 2) , it was relocated to Sakusabe , Tsuga Village , Chiba Prefecture . At that time, the force consisted of two companies with two balloons and two reserves . In 1936 (Showa 11), it was reorganized as the Army Balloon Regiment, and was transferred from its Aviation Department to Artillery Department. In 1937 (Showa 12), it was mobilized for the Second Sino- Japanese War , and participated in the Battle of Nanking. In 1941 (Showa 16), it was organized into an air defense balloon unit, and in 1942 (Showa 17), it participated in operations in Thailand , French Indochina , and Singapore . However, the balloon unit's missions were gradually lost due to the development of aircraft, and it was subsequently based in the mainland , with no involvement in spectacular operations .

The fate of the balloon squadron changed dramatically in 1944 (Showa 19) towards the end of the war . Plans for balloon bombings to attack the United States were raised, and the Operation Fu balloon unit was organized based on the balloon regiment. The personnel were increased to 3,000, and the balloon unit was organized into three battalions, deployed to three bases : Otsu , Ibaraki Prefecture (1st Battalion), Ichinomiya, Chiba Prefecture ( 2nd Battalion), and Nakoso , Fukushima Prefecture (3rd Battalion), and engaged in balloon bombing operations. Between November of that year and April of 1945 (Showa 20), 9,300 balloon bombs were released. Between 360 and 1,000 of them reached the mainland of the United States . After the operation, the Fu unit was disbanded, and the members returned to their original units, and they remained until the end of the war in August .

Regimental Commanders

Tokunaga Kumao

Balloon Captain

• Nagatoshi Kono, Major of the Engineers : October 9, 1907 -
• Tokunaga Kumao, Major of the Corps of Engineers: March 17, 1908 -
• Lieutenant Colonel Takaichi Arikawa , May 11, 1914 -
• Colonel Yoshihiko Takeuchi ( unknown) – August 8, 1932 
• Lieutenant Colonel Sagara Chiyomatsu: August 8, 1932 – August 1, 1935 
• ^{Lieutenant Colonel Ryuichi Shimada (} born August 1, ^1935 )

Former regimental commanders ( Colonel
unless otherwise noted )

generation	full name	Term of office	remarks
	Tabe Hijiri	1936.6.1 -
		1938.7.15 -
	Katsuyoshi Nagabayashi	1941.3.1 -
	Shigeru Inoue	1943.6.10 -

facility

There were two huge hangars in Sakusabe, Inage Ward, Chiba .

Of these, the former Hangar No. 2 was completed in 1934 (Showa 9) and was a huge building with a three-dimensional "diamond truss" structure and a semi-cylindrical roof . The former Hangar No. 2 was sold to the private sector and used as a warehouse.  However, due to deterioration and damage to the ceiling caused by a typhoon in 2019, it was demolished in 2020. 

At the request of the local neighborhood association, a monument made from the materials was erected in the Cherry Blossom Viewing Square in Chiba Park on April 1, 2022. 

[No one]

Dear Gentlemen,

 

I would like to thank both of you for your kind words.

 

Yours sincerely,

No one