Specialty WWII Items of Germans and Japanese

January 2, 2013

What do these two country have in common during the World War II? They have WWII specialty items. When you think of Germans, the items that will come to your mind are knives and helmets. And when someone mentions Japanese, the first WWII item that will pop out are swords! Different kind of swords and samurais.

The first helmets issued received only one decal on the left side of the helmet.  In 1943 this factory applied decal was discontinued in order to comply with orders issued by the Supreme Commander of the Wehrmacht.  Helmets of this type are characteristic of having rolled edges and stamped air vents that are embossed directly into the steel shell.  Paint finishes range from medium to very dark blue-gray in overall tone with semi-rough to rough outer texture.  Decals on the M1940 are always the second patternvariety.  The M1940 Luftwaffe helmet is one of the most abundant of all German helmets.

The M1940 has a stamped air hole made to look like a rivet, instead of the actual rivet found on the M1935.  The M1940 was made of an improved steel made from manganese-silicon.  The M1940 also was manufactured through a process of hot stamping the metal.  The M1940 is like the M1935 with regard to the rolled steel edges.

WW2 Japanese Antique Samurai Sword/Shinto/Nihonto/KATANA IN KOSHIRAE 29+1/6"

The nihontō would be carried in a saya (sheath) and tucked into the samurai's belt. Originally, they would carry the sword with the blade turned down. This was a more comfortable way for the armored samurai to carry his very long sword or to draw while mounted.

Nihonto is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. The most commonly known type of Japanese sword is the katana, which, like the similarly formed tachi, is a single-edged and, usually, curved long sword which was traditionally worn by samurai from the 1400s onwards. The tachi became the primary weapon on the battlefield during the Kamakura period, used by cavalry mounted samurai. The sword was mostly considered as a secondary weapon until then, used in the battlefield only after the bow and spear were no longer feasible

See more of the beautiful items by clicking the text links below.