1934 Navy Large Maneuvers Participation Commemorative Badges "Anchor" Design/1934年非常時海軍大演習参加記念章

Silvered version.

Reverse

非常時 - Emergency [time of emergency]

海軍 - Navy

大演習 - Large Maneuvers

参加記念章 - Participation Commemorative Badge

Stamped with

那珂 - Naka

Naka was a Sendai-class light cruiser in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), named after the Naka River in the Tochigi and Ibaraki prefectures of eastern Japan. Naka was completed at Mitsubishi Yokohama on 30 November 1925.

On 26 November 1941, Naka became flagship of 4th Destroyer Flotilla under Rear Admiral Shōji Nishimura. At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Naka was engaged in the invasion of the southern Philippines as part of Vice Admiral Ibo Takahashi's Third Fleet escorting transports with components of the IJA 48th Infantry Division. Naka was slightly damaged by strafing by five Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers and Seversky P-35 Guardsman and Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk fighters of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Far East Air Force.

In January 1942, 4th Destroyer Flotilla was assigned to the invasion of the Netherlands East Indies, escorting a convoy carrying the Kure No. 2 Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) and Sakaguchi Brigade to Tarakan and Balikpapan, Borneo. On 24 January 1942 while landing troops at Balikpapan, the Royal Netherlands Navy submarine HNLMS K XVIII, operating on the surface due to poor weather, fired four torpedoes at Naka, but missed. While Admiral Nishimura ordered Naka and her destroyers in an unsuccessful pursuit of the submarine, USN Task Force 5 comprising the destroyers USS Parrott, Pope, John D. Ford and Paul Jones attacked the now unprotected Japanese convoy, sinking several transports.

In late February 1942, 4th Destroyer Flotilla escorted transports with the 48th Infantry Division to Makassar, Celebes and eastern Java. Ahead of the convoy were 2nd Destroyer Flotilla (flagship light cruiser Jintsū) and the cruisers Nachi and Haguro. Naka was thus in a central position for the Battle of the Java Sea on 27 February 1942.

From 17–18 February 1944, Naka assisted light cruiser Agano, which had been torpedoed the day before by the submarine USS Skate. Immediately after Naka departed, Truk was attacked by US Navy Task Force 58 in Operation Hailstone. The Americans sank 31 transports and 10 naval vessels (two cruisers, four destroyers and four auxiliary vessels), destroyed nearly 200 aircraft and damaged severely about 100 more, eliminating Truk as a major base for the IJN. Naka was attacked 35 nautical miles (65 km) west of Truk by three waves of Curtiss SB2C Helldivers and Grumman TBF Avengers from the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill and TBFs of VT-25 of the carrier Cowpens. The first two strikes failed to score a hit, but Naka was hit by a torpedo and a bomb in the third strike and broke in two, sinking at 07°15′N 151°15′E Coordinates: 07°15′N 151°15′E. Some 240 crewmen perished, but patrol boats rescued 210 men including Captain Sutezawa. Naka was removed from the navy list on 31 March 1944.​

Original case.

海軍大演習 - Navy Large Maneuvers

参加記念章 - Participation Commemorative Badge

 

Stamped with

多摩 - Tama

Tama was the second of the five Kuma-class light cruisers in the Imperial Japanese Navy, which played an active role in World War II. Tama was named after the Tama River in Kantō region of Japan. During the Battle of Leyte Gulf (20 October 1944), Tama was assigned to Vice Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa Northern Mobile ("Decoy") Force. During the Battle off Cape Engaño (25 October), Ozawa's force was attacked by Task Force 38, with USS Enterprise, Essex, Intrepid, Franklin, Lexington, Independence, Belleau Wood, Langley, Cabot and San Jacinto. Tama was attacked by TBM Avenger torpedo bombers from VT-21 of Belleau Wood and VT-51 from San Jacinto. A Mark 13 torpedo hit Tama in her No. 2 boiler room. After emergency repairs, Tama retired from the battle, escorted by the cruiser Isuzu, but Isuzu was ordered to protect the damaged aircraft carrier Chiyoda. Tama was then escorted by destroyer Shimotsuki, but later Shimotsuki too was ordered off to assist the damaged carrier Zuihō. Tama proceeded alone at 14 kn (26 km/h; 16 mph) towards Okinawa.
​

Northeast of Luzon, Tama's luck ran out, as the submarine USS Jallao — on her first war patrol — picked up Tama on radar. Her attack of three bow torpedoes from 1,000 yd (910 m) missed, but her second salvo of four stern torpedoes from 800 yd (730 m) was more successful. Three torpedoes hit Tama, breaking the ship in two, and sinking her within minutes, with all hands at 21°23′N 127°19′ECoordinates: 21°23′N 127°19′E. Tama was removed from the navy list on 20 December 1944.

 

Specimen from the collection of Raymond LaBar. Photos courtesy of the owner.

Stamped 鳥海 - Chōkai.

Chōkai (鳥海) was a Takao-class heavy cruiser, armed with ten 20 cm (8 in) guns, four 12 cm (5 in) guns, eight tubes for the Type 93 torpedo, and assorted anti-aircraft guns. Named for Mount Chōkai, Chōkai was designed with the Imperial Japanese Navy strategy of the great "Decisive Battle" in mind, and built in 1932 by Mitsubishi's shipyard in Nagasaki. Chōkai participated in numerous actions during the Pacific War including the Battle of Savo Island off Guadalcanal, in which she along with other Japanese cruisers, sunk the heavy cruisers USS Astoria, USS Vincennes and USS Quincy. She was sunk in the Battle off Samar in October 1944.
​

 

Blackened version.

See also https://asiamedals.info/threads/193...ive-badges-mum-design-1934.24884/#post-352945

Unlike previous version this one lacks

非常時 - Emergency [time of emergency]

line.

Also instead of

海軍大演習 - Navy Large Maneuvers

this one has

海軍特別大演習 - Navy Special Large Maneuvers


Stamped with

五十鈴 - Isuzu

Isuzu was the second of six vessels in the Nagara class of light cruisers, and like other vessels of her class, she was intended for use as the flagship of a destroyer flotilla. She was named after the Isuzu River, near Ise Shrine in the Chūbu region of Japan. She saw action during World War II in the Battle of Hong Kong and in the Solomon Islands campaign, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf before being sunk by American submarines in the Netherlands East Indies in April 1945.

​