I will introduce original examples of the Tanker Overalls worn by tank crewmen and maintenance personnel of the Imperial Japanese Army.
Original Tanker Overalls occasionally appear on places such as Yahoo! Auctions, but they are not items that come onto the market very frequently. This time, I happened to have the opportunity to acquire several examples in relatively good condition, so I would like to introduce a few of them.
For a comparison between an original item and the HIKISHOP reproduction, please refer to the article here.
The images below all show original Tanker Overalls. Even among original examples, you can see slight variations in color depending on the individual piece. All of these were manufactured after 1943, and they use wooden buttons.
Shōwa 18 (1943) issue, Hiroshima Army Clothing Depot, Large Size
This piece was acquired at an estate auction for a certain collector. Judging from its condition, it appears to be new old stock that was never used. The details of the Tanker Overalls are discussed in another article, but the treatment of the waist ties is particularly interesting, as it may preserve the original state from the time of manufacture.
Since Tanker Overalls were garments worn during maintenance work on tanks and other vehicles, examples that were actually used are likely to show heavy oil staining and wear. For that reason, many of the surviving pieces today are unused deadstock, and most seem to date from 1943 or later. If an example from an earlier period were to appear, it would likely be considered considerably more valuable.
Shōwa 19 (1944) issue, Army Clothing Depot, Medium Size
This piece was also acquired at the same estate auction for the collector. Opportunities like this are about the only time it is possible to obtain multiple examples of the same equipment at once. Incidentally, the several Sun Hats I introduced previously were also obtained from this same auction.
On this example, the treatment of the waist ties differs from the one shown earlier. I hope it may also serve as a useful reference for those storing reproduction Tanker Overalls. Only this example has a fabric color with a slightly stronger bluish tone.
Shōwa 19 (1944) issue, Army Clothing Depot, Large Size
This is the Tanker Overalls introduced in the comparison article with the HIKISHOP reproduction. Although there are a few small tears in several places, there are no noticeable stains, and judging from the overall condition, it may be an unused item.
The formal Japanese name for Tanker Overalls is 第二種作業衣袴. In English it is conveniently translated as tanker overalls, but a more literal translation would be “Type 2 Work Uniform”. As the designation “Type 2” suggests, there was naturally also a “Type 1 Work Uniform”.
In fact, I also own a complete set of the Type 1 Work Uniform (jacket and trousers), and I hope to introduce it as well at some point in the future.
