CHAPTER 12 - GEOGRAPHIC AND MILITARY SIGNS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER XII - CONVENTIONAL SIGNS AND ABBREVIATIONS
SEC I - 1. INTRODUCTION.
SEC I - 2. GENERAL PRINCIPLES.
SEC II - GEOGRAPHIC SIGNS.
SEC III - MILITARY SIGNS.

CHAPTER XII - CONVENTIONAL MAP SIGNS AND ABBREVIATIONS

Section I. INTRODUCTION

1. SOURCES.

a. The geographis sigrns included under paragraph 1 of the next section are selected from those appearing on maps of the Japanese Empire prepared by the Imperial Land Survey Department. Variant or supplmnentary signs used by the Japanese Hydrographic Office are listed in paragraph 2.

b. The military signs and abbreviations included under sections III and IV have been selected from Supplement No. l of Japanese Field Service Regulations (Military signs), August l940 (Sakusen Yomurei Furoku Sono Ichi, Guntai fugo), and are supplemented by information from other sources. The grouping of the Army signs follows that adopted by the Japanese; the Navy and Special naval Landing Force signs are arranged arbitrarily. The abbreviations are arranged alphabetically.

2. GENERAL PRINCIPLES.

a. Military signs.

(1) General.
A study of Lhe list o{ Japanese military signs will reveal certain basic signs and principles, a knowledge oi which will aid in the interpretation of the signs. It is emphasized, however, that the Japanese do not exhibit a great degree of consistency in the fomation of their signs. Furthermore certain signs considered obsolete may recur, and individual initiative in the drawing of extemporary signs, with explanatory notes if considered necessary, is condoned by the Japanese.

(2) Basic sign.
Examples of basic signs follow:

, field artillery;

, cavalry;

, engineers;

, air (army);

, air (navy);

, tank;

, shipping;

, signal;

, radio;

(3) Headquarters.
Headquarters, down to the battalion level inclusive, usually are distinguished by flags and/or circles. Brigade or group heaquarters, however, are indicated by six-pointed stars

. The appropriate basic sign may be added to indicate the arm. For example:

area army headquarters;

, division headquaters;

, cavalry brigade headquarters

, infantry battalion headquarters;

, field artillery regimental headquarters.

(4) Units.
The normal method of designating units is by adding a rectangle below the sign (in full or abbreviated) of the particular arm or weapon.

For example;

, medium mortar,

, medium mortar unit;

, engineer (basic sign),

, engineer unit (an exception to this principle should be noted:

, field artillery,

, field artillery ammunition train).

(5) Motorization.
In order to show that a unit is motorized, two rings (representing wheels) are added either below or at the side of the particular sign. For example:

, field artillery ammunition train,

, field artillery ammunitino train, motorized.

(6) Compound signs.
Basic signs such as those described above may be combined into compound signs. For example

antiaircraft artillery regimental headquarters.

(7) Classification.
An appropriate symbol, number, or abbreviation (either English letters, "Kana", or characters) may be added to a sign when it is necessary further to classify the unit or equipment indicated by the sign. For example:

, mobile ground radio station,

, No 3 type mobile ground radio station;

, ship (general).

water supply ship (the character included means "water"),

, armed ship;

motor truck,

, repair truck,

, truck loaded with machine guns;

, tank

light tank. The most common of such examples are noted on the list of signs.

(8) Boundaries, directions.
Boundaries of districts or limits of fortified areas are shown by lines; directions of shooting, points of attack, and changes of direction of troops are shown by arrows.

b. Military abbreviations.

(1) English letters, both capital and small, normally used in military abbreviations.

(2) The basic army abbreviations appear in most cases to be derived from German words and, in the case of most recent additions, romanized forms of Japanese words. For example:

BA (Bergartillerie), mountain artillery;
ScE (Sempaku eiseitai hombu), shipping medical unit headquarters.

(3) Naval abbreviations are derived largely from English words and less frequently from romanized forms of Japanese words. For example:

BC, battle cruiser;
edg, comnined destroyer group;
AtB (Attached "butai"), attached force.

c. Numbers.
The numbers of units and weapons are shown by placing the appropriate figure, either Arabic or Japanese, with necessary additions, in parentheses after the particular sign or abbreviation. For example:

(2), two airplanes; A

three battalions of field artillery (two characters in parentheses are, respectively, "three" and the first character of the Japanese word for "Battalion").

d. Identification

(1) When it is necessary to distinguish between enemy and friendly forces, the Japanese show signs for the former in red, for the latter in blue.

(2) In indicating the organizational numbers of units, Arabic numerals usually are used for all units except battalions, for which Roman numerals are used. The number of the lower unit precedes that of the higher organizations of which it is a part, the two being separated by a slanting line. For example:

18 P, the 18th Engineers;
III/2i, 3d Battalion of the 2d Infantry Regiment.
II St/1A,
2d Battalion Ammunition Train of the 1st Field Artillery Regiment.

(3) Platoons and sections usually are shown as fractions of a company. For example:

1/4 2/1P. 1 platoon of th e2d Company of the 1st Engineer Regiment;
1/16 2/5i, 1 section of the 2d Company of the 5th Infantry Regiment.

(4) Missing units of an organization are indicated by numerals preceded by a minus sign, in parentheses. Units attached to an organization are shown similarly with a plus instead of a minus sign. For example:

2i (-7.8), 2d Infantry Regiment less the 7th and 8th Companies;
1 (+iP)/2i, 1st Company, plus a labor unit of the 2d Infantry Regiment.

SECTION II. WWII JAPANESE GEOGRAPHIC MAP SIGNS

1. IMPERIAL LAND SURVEY DEPARTMENT SIGNS.

Num	Symbol	Description	Num	Symbol	Description
1		Navy lookout tower	51		Battalion headquarters and garrison
2		Factory	52		Regimental headquarters
3		Bank	53		Naval station
4		Powder magazine	54		Secondary naval station
5		Water wheel or mill	55		Naval camp
6		Generating plant	56		Army camp
7		Masonry wall	57		Shipyard
8		Fences	58		Prefectural seat
9		bamboo fences	59		Sub-prefectural island office or gun seat
10		Stone wall	60		City office
11		Stumps	61		Town, village or ward office
12		Isolated trees	62		School
13		Chimney	63		Hospital
14		Triangulation point - above wsea level	64		Isolation hospital
15		Secondary control point - Above sea level	65		Gendarmeria post
16		Bench mark - Above sea level	66		Police station
17		Spot elevation - Above sea level	67		Court of appeals
18		Old battlefield	68		Prison
19		Spring	69		Customs house
20		Tomb	70		Tax office
21		Castle site	71		Forestry office
22		Volcano	72		Mining office
23		Earthen wall	73		Government monopoly bureau office or factory
24		Hedge	74		Office of maritime affairs
25		Cemetery	75		Meteorological station
26		Ditches	76		Post office (with telegraph and telephone service)
27		Ditches	77		Post office
28		Shrine gate	78		Telegraph office
29		Stone lantern	79		Telephone office
30		Monument	80		Province (obsolete)
31		Statue	81		Gun, shi or sub-prefectural
32		Signpost	82		Ward, Machi or Mura (A)Fixed (B)Approximate
33		Stone steps	83		Government lands
34		Crane	84		Property lines (A)Fixed (B)Approximate
35		Oil well	85		(A) Iron bridge (B) Wooden bridge (C) Foot bridge (D) Foot ford (E) Vehicular ford (F) Passenger ferry (single boat) (G) Passenger and horse ferry (two boats) (H) Steam ferry
36		Mineral spring	86		Height of bank
37		Material dump	87		Depth of water
38		Mine	88		Lighthouse
39		Boundary marker	89		Radio mast
40		Shrine	90		Warning signal
41		Temple	91		(A) Flower garden (B) Grove (C) Truck garden
42		Grave	92		(A) Orchard (B) Tea (C) Mulberry (D) Cultivated marsh (E) Irrigated rice field (F) Dry rice field
43		Pagoda	93		(A) Wild land (B) Palm (C) Bamboo (D) Conifers (E) Broad leaf trees (F) Grass land (G) Jungle
44		Church	94		Boat anchorage
45		Japanese government building	95		Ship anchorage
46		Foreign government building	96		Anchorage
47		Military reservation	97		Commercial port
48		Division headquarters	98		Fixed beacon
49		Brigade headquarters	99		Fixed beacon (lightless)
50		Fortress and defense headquarters	100		Buoy (lightless)

Table 2 - continued

Num	Symbol	Description	Num	Symbol	Description
101		National highway	108		Three uned roads: (A)Narrow (B)Wide
102		Main prefectural roads	109		Power lines along road: (A)Ordinary (B)High tension
103		More than 3 meters wide	110		Government railway: (A)Two tracks (B)Single track (C)Station
104		More than 2 meters wide	111		Feeder railways: (D)Double (E)Single
105		More than 1 meter wide	112		Boundaries: International
106		Less than 1 meter wide	113		Prefectural (A)Fixed (B)Approximate
107		Impassable for carts	114		(A) Cart (B) Rock outcropping (C) Scattered rock (D) Talus slope (E) Depression (F) Ravine, gully (G) Crumbling bank

2. JAPANESE HYDROGRAPHIC OFFICE SIGNS

Signs listed are variant or supplementary to those in Paragraph 1 of this section; Japanese army shipping signs are listed in Paragraph 1, Section III of this chapter. Navy conventional signs in paragraph 2 of the same section.

Num	Symbol	Description	Num	Symbol	Description
1		Large harbor or anchorage	31		Drying coast line
2		Small harbor or anchorage	32		Sand beach
3		Anchorage for junks	33		Steep coast line
4		Ship entrance	34		Reef
5		Ship anchorage with facilities	35		10 fathom line (1 dot)
6		Ship anchorage	36		20 fathom line (2 dots)
7		Possible anchorage	37		50 fathom line (5 dots)
8		Emergency anchorage	38		Government landing field
9		Possible emergency anchorage	39		Commercial lanidng field
10		Lighthouse	40		Emergency landing field
11		Lightship	41		Seaplane anchorage with facilities
12		Lightbuoy	42		Seaplane anchorage
13		Mooring buoy	43		Possible seaplane anchorage
14		Buoys (in general drawn to represent the actual shape of the buoy)	44		Emergency seaplane anchorage
15		Light beacon, fixed.	45		Marine bureau
16		Flashing beacon: White	46		Coast guard station
17		Flashing beacon: Red	47		Lifeboat station
18		Flashing beacon: Green	48		Observation point
19		Flashing beacon: Amber	49		100 fathom line (10 dots)
20		Lighting facilities	50		Flood tide
21		Submarine cable	51		Ebb tie
22		Radio station	52		Ocean current (directional and speed)
23		Radio broadcasting station	53		River and stream Bridge Ferry
24		Obstruction	54		Waterfall
25		Tank (oil, gas or water)	55		Lake
26		Race track	56		Swamp and marsh
27		Golf links	57		Fortified and aviation prohibited zone
28		Temple, shrine	58		Civil air line
29		Imperial palace, garden, shrine, or mausoleum	59		High voltage transmission line
30		Coast line

SECTION III. MILITARY SIGNS

NOTE: The arrangement of the army signs follows that adopted by the Japanese, and is outlined below. The arrangement of the Navy and Special Naval Landing Force signs is arbitrary.

Army Signs		Paragraph I
	Common to all arms:
	Infantry,
	Cavalry,
	Artillery,
	Engineers,
	Air, Antiaircraft, and metereological,
	Armored forces,
	Field works,
	Railway,
	Shipping,
	Signal,
	Transport, supply, and medical services,
	Line of communications,
	Siege and fortress defense,
Navy Signs		Paragraph 2

Special Naval Landing Force Signs		Paragraph 3