return
and live a normal life provided he did not resettle in
his native district.
In regard to "saving face," another prisoner stated
that the correct procedure for the commander of a
badly defeated regiment would be to return to the district
where his unit was formed and commit suicide
According to one prisoner's story, Japanese enlisted
men are forbidden to make allotments from their pay
for dependents. In explaining this statement, the
prisoner said the army felt that the enlisted men
needed all of their pay to buy necessities.
Japanese soldiers may keep diaries in Japan and in
other areas not close to the theater of operations, according
to another prisoner. On his departure from
Rabaul, the prisoner said his commanding officer read
an order forbidding diaries to be taken to New Guinea
or to be written there. The order did not apply to officers, he
said, and noncoms in some instances could obtain
permission to keep diaries.
b. Regarding Equipment
(1) Collapsible Boats.--One prisoner described a
collapsible boat made of wood and reinforced with
rubber. The boat, according to the prisoner, was constructed
in four independent and water-tight sections, which
hook together. The hooked joints were reinforced
with rubber. The maximum capacity for the boat is 10 men.
Another prisoner described a collapsible rubber boat, which
was inflated by a foot pump. The floor of the
boat was made of folding wooden slats, which were
fitted into a side frame to provide rigidity. The overall
length of the boat was about 8 feet and the width
about 6 feet. The inside measurements were
about 5 feet by 3 feet. The boat, which weighed
approximately 100 pounds, accommodated two or three men. The
occupants propelled it by paddling with their hands.
(2) For Infantry Squad.--A prisoner said each infantry
squad, of 12 men, carried the following: 4 shovels,
1 axe, 1 hammer, 1 large tree saw, 3 picks,
1 hatchet, 1 pair of wire cutters, and nails and staples.
He said the squad did not carry barbed wire.
(3) Footwear.--Before leaving Japan, each soldier
is issued hobnailed shoes and rubber-soled canvas shoes,
according to a prisoner. The latter are worn, he said,
when leaving a ship because ordinary shoes are too slippery.
(4) Camouflage.--A prisoner stated that in addition
to a camouflage headnet, each Japanese soldier in jungle
areas is issued a pair of greenish cotton gloves.
(5) Identification Badges.--A prisoner explained
that infantry troops are identified by a circular khaki
cloth badge, 1 1/4 inches in diameter, which is worn
above the left breast pocket. The prisoner said that
the Japanese character denoting infantry was marked on the badge.