Chinese Militaria

  Probably one of the most well known medal of the Republic of China is the Order of the Cloud and Banner ( 雲麾勳章) . There are several English names as over time the Chinese translation has evolved. Some of these include the literal translation, Yun Hui, and Order of the Resplendent Banner. It came in nine classes, which would be awarded based on the rank of the awardee. It was awarded for actions that contributed to the national defense. Many Americans in the Chinese theater of war during WWII were awarded this medal. Most of the awards were given out post war around 1946 from the research I have conducted based on surviving medal documents. After 1949, these were also awarded to Americans who also helped to contribute to the national defense of Taiwan. The original full set from WWII and a few years after, came with a certificate with envelope, outside box cover, medal box, a ribbon bar, and the medal itself. There would also be a translated document that would be included. The outer

Here are a pair of collar and shoulder insignias for a Lieutenant General made by the National Decoration Company (NDC). NDC's name in Chinese is 中美公司 or literal translation is China-US Company. Most people know it as this, however, according to the card, its full name is 中美軍用摽幟公司. This insignia was first used around 1946 and is still used today. This particular set was used during the Chinese Civil War period of 1946 to 1949. Post WWII insignias were redesigned to match the new uniforms. Many officers continued to use the older collar tabs, but many eventually switched to the new insignias.  I recreated the paper card holder from an original that a fellow collector helped me to find. I tried to match the fonts and spacing as close as possible. Although I didn't have the size of the paper card holder, I estimated it from an existing set with original insignias and card holder. The plum flowers were only used by general officers and were worn on the collar. The two stars represe

  Here is a 1945 dated or 三十四年 for 34th year of the ROC. The words are hard to read, even the date for the first number is unreadable. A fellow collector friend told me he thinks it could be 1935 or 24th year of the ROC.  I think it is most likely 1945 because the hat badge is a cloth type that was pictured with troops wearing the same type hat badge. The pictured hat did not have the ear flap, but just a chin strap instead. Also, it was most likely brought back by a US vet serving in the area.  The width of the cloth hat badge is 32mm.

Many of the warlord era medals were suspended and new medals were created after the Northern Expedition to reunite China under a single government. Although, still weakened by uneasy alliances, the new Chinese government ushered in the modern Republic of China.  New medals were created. Some of these included Orders of the Blue Sky and White Sun, Precious Tripod, and Cloud and Banner. The last two were awarded in nine classes. Other medals were created over time.  Not many medals were awarded, except to higher ranked officers. When the United States sent troops to assist China against the Japanese, many medals were given in appreciation to the defense of China. Some of these were given to highlight the heroics or military advising to the Chinese military.   Many of the national awards are still awarded today. Medals brought back by American servicemen from WWII

Chinese air force officers wore these daggers with their everyday uniforms. These daggers were used from around the 1930s up to the end of WWII. The handle wrapping came in different colors, such as green, pink, yellow, and white (pictured). The eyes of the bird were mostly made of glass and some were of cut rubies.  Recently, there are fakes being sold on online auctions. These are being sold directly from China. One of the biggest sign it is fake is the polished steel scabbard. The originals are nickel plated.

One of the most familiar hats worn during WWII and with an European influence, is the Chinese army ski cap. I have seen it often mistakenly been called the "M43" of the German WWII ski cap produced in 1943 (I am not familiar with German WWII uniforms). The shape resembles more of the Finnish version; circular in shape vs. oval and doesn't have a peak on the front end. There were many types that were made. Most times based what is available locally. There were different cloth types and colors used. Some had one button. There were a few that tried to save cloth by having a fake ear/neck flap instead. Normal hats would unfold and cover the neck area. For some caps, the buttons were sewed on permanently and can not be unbuttoned.  Many were brought back by American vets from the China Burma India theater.  They were slowly phased out by replacing them with peaked/visor caps after WWII, but they continued to be used until the very early 1950s on Taiwan. Hats of the Taiwan peri

There are a vast amount of warlord era medals that were created and awarded around 1912 to 1928. The Republic of China that was created after the fall of the Qing Dynasty was very weak. Warlords of the era has become more powerful than the Republic itself. The Republic has many national awards issues. Some of these included the Order of the Striped Tiger, Order of the Golden Grain, and many others. Local warlords and provinces also created their own special awards. Some of these warlords even placed pictures of themselves on to the medals. Many of these medals has its reasoning to why it was awarded lost to history. Even though surviving the tumultuous 20th century China, some medals has even lost its name. The enameling work on these medals are intricate and shows the craftsmanship that was put into making each medal. Most of these medals were made out of copper or silver. A vast majority had the five striped flag national flag as the ribbon itself.  

The Chinese Air Force or Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF - 中華民國空軍) of WWII was very limited in planes and pilots right before the Second Sino-Japanese War. Many Chinese-American pilots in the US left to China to help early on with the war effort. In the early 1940s, around 100 American pilots volunteered to go to China to help fight the Japanese before the US officially entered WWII. These pilots were known as the American Volunteer Group or commonly as the Flying Tigers. Hundreds of Chinese pilots were trained in the United States to help fight the Japanese. After the war, the ROCAF grew to a well trained force with assistance from the US Air Force through out the 1950s and 70s. ROCAF pilots few U2 spyplanes to help monitor Communist Chinese activity for the United States. One of the first "kills" of a modern air to air missile technology, the AIM-9 Sidewinder, was used by an F-86 of the ROCAF. Today, a few ROCAF pilots continued to be trained in the US at the same base a

Lt. Colonel - Military Police branch Chinese army collar rank tabs tend to be one of the easier (although still tough) to find Chinese WWII items. Most times it is usually found in singles rather than pairs. Pairs would tend to demand a higher premium because it completes the set for that particular rank.  Within the rank itself, a color background would be assigned to certain branches. The most common branch is infantry, which is red. Others would include pink for military police, blue for artillery, black for transport, white for engineering, grey for communications, dark green for medical, light green for veterinarian, purple for quartermaster, yellow for cavalry, dark yellow for surveying, and orange for army band. Jcwater Collection Ranks are divided into enlisted, non-commissioned officers (NCO), company officers, field officers, and general officers. Each group is further divided into each individual rank. The more the triangles the higher the rank in the group. Officer groups a