Japanese Airfields, Equipment & more #36 - revised

IJAAF ground crew uniforms pt.1
This part will not be about "airfields & equipment" but about the uniform of the Japanese Army ground maintenance crews.

The earliest uniforms of Japanese ground crews consisted of their full Type 45 standard foot soldier uniform and only a white shirt.

In the early 30s, the cap shown in the official regulations illustration on the left and in the photo on the right, was introduced.

The ground crews were eventually equipped with white trousers as well, but kept the puttees and only gradually changed their caps.

When more caps became available, the white shirt and trousers, the khaki cap and the puttees became official, as can be seen in the photo on the left and the colorised postcard on the right.

Around that time, a second kind of cap was introduced for the foot soldiers and became available to the crews as well. It started as a side cap in the early '30s but received a brim soon after. It was officially designated as "Type Otsu" in 1934, an experimental in 1936 with two holes on the side (far left) and the standard "simplified" in 1938 with three holes on the side (middle). Their shapes varied greatly and, with wear and tear, the same kind of caps would look completely different. 

This photo clearly illustrates the next stage in the evolution of the ground crew uniform. By the mid-30s, the two-piece white uniform was retained, the new field cap became more common, especially in combat units, and the puttees were discarded.

Note also, the three-pole crane and the "riyaka".

The most common uniform worn by the ground crews during WWII in the Japanese mainland was the "Type 2". It was a one-piece, with a cloth belt and cloth straps on the legs but buttons on the torso and sleeves. Attached are the official drawings (top) and photos of an original uniform I found on the net but unfortunately the link doesn't work anymore.

A replica of the same, standard ground crew uniform worn in IJAAF units based on Japan's mainland. Photos from the net. 

The maintenance crew wore at least two kinds of footwear. Very common were the "jika tabi" with or without split toe (top two photos) but also the classic Army short boots and their variations made from pig, cow, horse or even shark skin. 

Two very clear photos from the Arawasi collection featuring ground crews from the Army Aviation Maintenance School in Tokorozawa, in the early 40s. Note the one-piece uniform, the special cap worn only by ground crews, the absence of puttees, the standard Army boots and how dirty the uniforms have become. 

Again, it should be made clear that this uniform was mostly worn at the airfields in mainland Japan, the Japanese colonies at the time (Korea, Taiwan), in Manchuria and occasionally in China depending on the unit and the location. As you can see in the photos the uniform became easily very dirty. In the attached photos, note the different jika tabi, the Army boots and the different kinds of caps. In the bottom photo, note that the third guy from the right is holding the drop tank attachment of a Nakajima Ki-44 "Shoki". 

More photos of the standard uniform worn by ground crews in Japan. The soldier tied the bottom of his one-piece uniform, stuck them inside his white socks, and then tied the boots with the laces. Puttees were VERY rare for the ground crews except perhaps in the "Koku Shikan Gakko" (Army Officer's Academy) during official inspections.