Collecting Pearl Harbor
Edward Hallett looks at collectibles with a link to the Japanese attack
The attack on Pearl Harbour would go down in history as a ‘Day of Infamy’ and is one of those pivotal events in time that marked a sudden change in the course of history, effectively bringing America into the war and leading directly to the fall of the Axis powers three and a half years later.
With this key position in history, it is unsurprising that it is of enduring interest to historians and collectors and building a collection around that pivotal day is one that will appeal to many. Items directly relating to the event are scarce and highly sought after, however items representative of the two sides are more accessible and there are a number of commemorative and souvenir items available that will also appeal.
US forces
The bridge crews and lookouts on the battleships of Pearl Harbor would have been equipped with binoculars to allow them to scan the skies for enemy aircraft, unfortunately in the safety of harbour these duties were not needed and there was little warning of the attacking aircraft. The binoculars issued to the US Navy were made by Bausche and Loame with 7x50 lenses. An original 1941 pair, in their leather carrying case, are being sold by Regimentals Militaria for £125.
When the battleships of the US Fleet were hit by torpedoes, many quickly lost internal power as switchboards were destroyed and electricity generators were out out of action. Whilst this hampered damage control teams and prevented many of the ships from being saved, more immediately it meant that for sailors below deck
the lights went out and they were plunged into darkness. The US Navy had anticipated this situation and so battery powered lamps were available at points across the ships to provide some illumination to help the sailors find their way out of the shattered ships. The US Navy used the J-I-S Battle Lantern, This was a heavy duty, battery powered torch with a large bulb and reflector to produce as much light as possible, all housed in a grey-painted steel housing that helped protect it from battle damage. These lamps can be adapted to modern batteries if you wish and Montgomery Militaria has an example for sale at £48.
With the heavy loss of life and large numbers of casualties that resulted from the attack, the medical facilities in Hawaii were essential in saving the lives of many in the first few chaotic hours following the attack. US Naval doctors had specialist equipment to treat different medical problems, carefully packed into specialist leather cases that protected their instrumentation and ensured that they were ready to treat a patient with all they needed at hand. One of these US Navy medical cases is offered for sale by World War Wonders marked for use on eye and ear patients. The black leather case is sadly devoid of instruments, but it would be a fun challenge to try to refill it with the correct items. Certainly there would have been many patients requiring treatment to their eyes or for hearing loss following the attack, and this piece is priced at £55.
As Pearl Harbor was in the tropics, US Naval personnel there wore the white uniform designed for wear in hot climes. For officers this consisted of a single-breasted tunic that fastened to the neck with gold buttons, worn with matching shoes, trousers and white topped cap. Enlisted men wore traditional naval uniform, but in white with a ‘dixie cup’ hat and black ribbons, known as undress uniform. This was worn alongside a denim working uniform that was better suited to dirty jobs aboard ship. Original examples are not that common in the UK and are usually in very small sizes. If you want a set of uniform in modern sizings, you are best looking at a replica example and wwiimpressions.com has a full range of enlisted white undress uniform for sale. Trousers and jumper are $96 each, caps are $22.50 and the correct pattern of belt $20.
Japanese forces
The Japanese aircraft that attacked Pearl Harbor took off from Imperial Japanese Naval aircraft carriers in the Pacific Ocean. Before taking off the aircrews would have enjoyed a last meal aboard before their date with destiny. Like many military units, the Imperial Japanese Navy had items of tableware marked with their insignia and Regimentals is offering dinner forks with the Navy's anchor and chrysanthemum badge engraved into them for the very affordable price of £20 a fork.
For something a little more iconic, how about a pilot’s leather skull cap? WD Militaria has a brown leather Japanese flying helmet, complete with its distinctive stitched leather star above the forehead. It has cups to allow headphones to be worn with it and loops for the cables to be tidied down the pilot's back. Rare and iconic, this flying helmet is priced at £385. To maintain secrecy, the attacking Japanese aircraft and naval ships relied on visual signalling devices. Although of very short range, they were impossible to detect once out of the line of sight. One of the visual signalling devices used by the Japanese Navy to communicate was the flare pistol which launched a coloured flare into the sky which corresponded to pre-set meanings. A Japanese Naval flare pistol is offered by JC Militaria at £795. This rare model has two barrels allowing two flares to be loaded at once and is marked with the IJN's anchor mark.
MEDALS
In 1990 the US Congress agreed to award a special medal to those who fought at Pearl Harbor. This was a bronze medal, officially called The Pearl Harbor Survivor's Medal, and was awarded to anyone who had taken part in combat operations on Hawaii on 7 December 1941. This was 1.5in in diameter and featured the burning battleships on one side with the words 'Remember Pearl Harbor', an eagle holding a laurel branch on the other, and the quote from Roosevelt, 'A Date Which Will Live in Infamy'. The medal
was not designed to be worn, but was presented in a green case, with the US seal of an eagle holding lightning bolts in silver on the lid. This is a rare medal to find, even in the USA. Expect to pay £100 for an example.
SOUVENIRS
The attacks on Pearl Harbor were, of course, international news and the newspapers of the day covered the story with full banner headlines. Although these newspapers have been extensively reproduced over the last 80 years (reproduction newspapers always chose the most dramatic issues to reissue of course), original newspapers from that day do come up for sale regularly. People at the time were aware that they were living through a world-changing event and so were more likely to save copies of the papers reporting it than they would normally do. RareNewspapers.com offers a wide selection of, mostly, American newspapers including examples covering the attacks on Pearl Harbor.
A copy of the Honolulu Advertiser, published in Hawaii on 8 December 1941 with the headlines 'Saboteurs land here!' and 'Raiders return in dawn attack' is offered for $644.
Another interesting area of collecting to investigate is signed photographs from the day itself. A number of survivors of Pearl Harbour have signed large prints over the years and this is a direct tangible link to those who were there on the day. Hollywoodmemorabilia.com has a pair of 8x10in photographs signed by sailors who were there. A photograph of a burning USS Arizona is signed by Donald Stratton who was one of the lucky members of the ship's crew to escape with severe burns where so many of his ship mates did not.
The second photograph is signed by another of the Arizona's crew, Lauren F Bruner. These photographs are priced at $86 and $94 respectively.
The events of the 7 December 1941 have been immortalised in celluloid several times, some such as the 1970 film Tora, Tora, Tora were well received by critics, others such as the 2001 film Pearl Harbor received a more lukewarm response. If you enjoy films as much as you do militaria, collecting props and souvenirs from these productions can make an interesting focus to a collection and items turn up sporadically for sale. A prop uniform for a US Navy medic from the 2001 production of Pearl Harbor, complete with staining and blood splatters sold for $160 in May of this year. The recent film Midway also included substantial recreations of the attack on Pearl Harbor and, as it was only produced in 2019, props are still widely available. Soldier of Fortune has a replica early war USN parachute harness from the film for sale at £500 and a used USN Chambray working shirt for £65 amongst other items. Film props are not for everyone, but they are usually accurate replicas of the real items and if they have been screen used they become highly collectable with interest from both militaria collectors and film buffs alike. ■