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DescriptionMoving Tanks Across the River: A Rare 149-Photo Record of Japanese Army Engineer TrainingThis is a remarkable original photo album documenting field exercises associated with the former Imperial Japanese Army Engineer School. Containing 149 vintage photographs, it captures tank river-crossing drills, the operation of boats and pontoon bridges, group portraits of soldiers, and other rare scenes from military training in prewar Japan.What Was the Imperial Japanese Army Engineer School?Established in Matsudo, Chiba, in 1919, the school was a specialized military training institution that remained active until Japan’s defeat in 1945.Army engineers were the technical specialists responsible for building bridges, improving roads, and enabling the movement of troops and vehicles. In modern U.S. military terminology, they were comparable to Combat Engineers.The most striking photographs in this album show tanks being loaded onto boats and transported across a river. These images offer an unusually direct look at the equipment, techniques, and coordinated labor required to move heavy armored vehicles across water.The exact date of photography is unknown. However, based on the design of the military vehicles and the overall appearance of the photographs, this album is believed to date from around the 1930s.A slip preserved inside the album bears the name “Kuramoto Toshiyuki, Army Engineer Volunteer” along with the place name Naka Village, Toyota District, Hiroshima Prefecture. This strongly suggests that Kuramoto may have been the original owner of the album.This is not merely a collection of tank or military-technology photographs. The young soldiers themselves—seen working, training, and posing together—are an essential part of its historical value.Item Details149 photographs, as stated by the original seller. Approximate dimensions: 37 × 27 × 6 cm. The cover and interior show age-related wear, discoloration, staining, and other signs of use. Please review the photographs carefully for the full condition.Own a Piece of History.What did Japanese Army engineers study, and what kind of lives did they lead, approximately ninety years ago?Part of the answer remains preserved in this exceptional album.Shipping
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