Comes with hand-signed C.O.A.

This incredible and near mint condition WWII ‘RESTRICTED’ Division of Naval Intelligence poster is dated July 1943 and was used by Air Force and Navy crew in the identification and recognition of Japanese destroyers in the Pacific Theater. The Japanese destroyers referenced in this recognition chart are some of the most famous Japanese ships that participated in some of the most infamous battles in the Pacific.

Recognition poster such as this were printed and used in all theaters of war during World War II including the Pacific, European, and Mediterranean theater. Pilots and sailors would use these recognition posters to study and identify their enemies aircraft and vessels. Memorizing the silhouette and identifying the ship not only provided more accurate combat reports but ultimately could be the deciding factor in a life or death encounter. By being able to immediately identify the enemies ship, pilots were able to report the exact ship back on their radio and engage immediately.

Combatants in war have consistently bombed and shot at their own ships and those of their allies, as a result of this friendly fire intelligence resources such as these posters were created to differ friend from foe. While the objective of all personnel should be to recognize important ships or ship types at a glance, familiarity with the details of naval design illustrated in this poster may prove of value to the student of ship identification. Determination of a ship's type must constitute a primary step in identification in combat areas. Since accurate estimation of a ship's size is extremely difficult at sea, an observer may have occasion to resort to certain rules of thumb to differentiate various types of fighting ships.

This would make an incredible addition to any World War II or Pacific Theater collection. Smaller identification posters like this are easy to frame and look even more amazing when hung on a wall behind glass.