Original Imperial Japanese Float Plane Tail Skin “52” Captured at Sasebo Airfield in Nagasaki Prefecture in October 1945

Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is a tremendous artifact, a large section of Japanese airplane fabric taken from a Japanese floatplane, likely a Mitsubishi F1M or Aichi E13A. The fabric has a large stenciled 52, certainly part of the plane’s designation. There is an inscription on the reverse reading SASEBO AIRFIELD / OCTOBER 1945. Sasebo Airfield was a large Japanese military airfield. During 1945, it was targeted by U.S. aircraft in four coordinated missions on July 28th, July 7th, July 31st, and August 10th, 1945. After the end of the war, the U.S. occupied the airfield, during which this piece of skin was captured by an American soldier.

The fabric measures ROUGHLY 28 x 29”, but it is very uneven, and it’s curling heavily at one end, a testament to its originality. This is very worthy of being framed!

A fantastic capture piece, ready to frame and display!