US Service Personnel on Japanese Airfield Shoulder Patch is What Unit?

[Jeffrey Ethell Collection]

Would like to know what unit the shoulder patch worn by these personnel belongs to? Then I can ID the location of these Japanese aircraft.

Judging by uniform would have tob Marine or USAF.

Thanks.

 

[fubar57]

This looks close.... Americal Division - Wikipedia

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Americal: Guadalcanal, Bouganville, Cebu Islands in the Philippines.

 

[Jeffrey Ethell Collection]

Thanks. That's the patch I'm after shows the Southern Cross. During the Occupation the 132nd, 164th and 182nd Regiments of the 23rd Americal Infantry Division of the US Army were in several areas of Honshu Island, Japan from Sept - Oct 1945. The 164th Regiment was based in the Yokohama area.

Thanks again for saving me having to flick through thousands of patches. I'll report back on the airfield they were at when I find it.

 

[Frog]

Would like to know what unit the shoulder patch worn by these personnel belongs to? Then I can ID the location of these Japanese aircraft.

Judging by uniform would have tob Marine or USAF.

Thanks.

View attachment 846710

View attachment 846711

Americal Division. The patch worn on the right shoulder indicates he is a veteran of this unit. It should be interesting to see his active unit patch on his left shoulder.

 

[Jeffrey Ethell Collection]

Americal Division. The patch worn on the right shoulder indicates he is a veteran of this unit. It should be interesting to see his active unit patch on his left shoulder.

Sorry, but the photos are all taken from the left side facing the aircraft so we only see the Americal patch on the guy's right shoulder. If the unit was the 164th Infantry regiment what would the left shoulder patch look like?

 

[Frog]

Sorry, but the photos are all taken from the left side facing the aircraft so we only see the Americal patch on the guy's right shoulder. If the unit was the 164th Infantry regiment what would the left shoulder patch look like?

The 164th Infantry was one of the three infantry regiments of the Americal (23rd) Infantry Division.
My hypothesis is this GI was a former member of the Americal Division who did not have enough service points to join the division when it left Japan and was deactivated at Fort Lewis on 21 November 1945. So he remained in Japan, assigned to another oufit until he raised enough points to be demobilized. He then had to wear his new assignment unit patch on the left shoulder, and the Americal patch on the right shoulder was a distinction as a veteran.

 

[Jeffrey Ethell Collection]

Frog said:

The 164th Infantry was one of the three infantry regiments of the Americal (23rd) Infantry Division.
My hypothesis is this GI was a former member of the Americal Division who did not have enough service points to join the division when it left Japan and was deactivated at Fort Lewis on 21 November 1945. So he remained in Japan, assigned to another oufit until he raised enough points to be demobilized. He then had to wear his new assignment unit patch on the left shoulder, and the Americal patch on the right shoulder was a distinction as a veteran.

I think you are right because I have obtained info from a researcher based in Japan that the location is an airfield at Utsunomiya about 80 miles (129 km) north of Tokyo. It was the Army 158th Infantry Regiment RCT 'Bushmasters' that was based at Utsunomiya for Occupation duties. The 158th regiment patch is below:

It is more likely that, as you say, these servicemen from the Americal 164th Infantry regiment were attached to the 158th. Although, they may have been invited by buddies in the 158th to see the Japanese surrender aircraft at Utsunomiya.

Ki-54 Hickory Utsunomiya 1945

Ki-21 Sally Utsunomiya 1945

Ki-21 Sally Utsunomiya 1945

Ki-54 Hickory Utsunomiya 1945

Ki-36 Ida Utsunomiya 1945

Ki-84 Frank Utsunomiya 1945

Ki-84 Frank Utsunomiya 1945

The unit marking on the tails of the surrender aircraft is the Utsunomiya Kyodo Hikoshidan - Utsunomiya Instructor Air Division, one of the Army Flying Schools.

Nearby this airfield was the Utsunomiya Nakajima aircraft plant where Ki-84 Frank fighters were produced. Due to the threat of bombing by B-29s in 1945 the entire factory was moved to the Otani underground factory not far from Utsunomiya. Utsunomiya was bombed a number of times very late war starting on July 12, 1945 but the underground factory survived. The photo below was taken after the surrender at the Utsunomiya Army Air Arsenal where the newly built Ki-84s were prepared for distribution to the airfields of various Ki-84 units.

Between February and August 1945 the airfield was attacked a number of times by carrier based fighters. On July 28 1945 the airfield was strafed by P-51 fighter bombers.

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