Japanese Jika-Tabi Shoes
Japanese Jika-Tabi shoes.
Jika-tabi shoes were standard kit for Japanese soldiers serving in the Pacific during the Second World War. Rubber soles made them durable, while a split separated the big toe to help with traction. The shoes were closed at the side by three metal tongues that hooked into string loops, which were sewn in two different positions to ensure a perfect fit.
Allied soldiers first encountered jika-tabi shoes when Japanese forces landed at Milne Bay, on the south-eastern tip of Papua in August 1942. Fought between 25 August and 7 September 1942, the battle of Milne Bay was a major turning point in the Pacific war. The battle raged through incessant rain, ankle-deep mud, thick jungle, malaria-ridden swamps, and pitch-black nights.
The Japanese marines landed at Milne Bay with two tanks on 25 August with the aim of capturing the Allied airstrips protecting the seaward passages to the east. However, by the 30 August the Australians had regained the initiative, forcing the Japanese back along the coast. Owing to the distinctive footprints of the jika-tabi boots, the Japanese who fled into the hills were easily tracked by the Australians.
1. What were the advantages and disadvantages of the jika-tabi design?
2. The photograph below shows the two type-95 Ha-gō light tanks used by the Japanese in the landing at Milne Bay. Both tanks became bogged and had to be abandoned. What does the photograph suggest about the conditions experienced during the battle?
