Question about NLF unit designators

[Paul G]

Hello everyone,
I have some questions about NLF unit designators. I know units were named after animals, ect. For example:Tiger, Dragon, Lion, ect. How common were these names? Could there / Would there, be 2 different units with the same designator? Or, If I were to find something marked Dragon 123, and something else marked Dragon 456, could I assume they are from the same unit,(Dragon)? Would the number indicate the soldiers number in that unit, or the unit itself? For example Dragon 123 would be a completely different unit from Dragon 456. I hope I didn't make this too confusing. Thanks everyone,

PG-

[Jareth]

I believe the units were also named after officer of unit. The numbers over numbers fractions are what I'd like to definitively decipher. The lower number being the unit number?

[Ryukyutunnelrat]

I am by no means an expert when it comes to Navy/NLF unit designators but just from what I have been able to gather, Navy Land Base Forces/NLF units took on the name of their Officers in their units (seen from IJN/NLF uniform name tags and from an Interregation Report from a Navy Officer from Adm Ota's Navy Land Base Force, Okinawa who named majority of the Navy units by Officers Names). The number over number fractions I feel are Unit/location numbers for Land Base Forces. I have gathered this from IJN post cards sent to and from units stationed on land around the Pacific using these numbers on their letters. I have not seen them use names like "Dragon 123" as unit designators but then again maybe I just have not seen it. I know that IJN aircraft carriers were named as such. Again this is just what I have been able to gather from my short time collecting Navy items.

"An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less.....anonymous"

David.

[Paul G]

The reason I asked, is that a couple of weeks ago I bought an IJN canteen marked 954 Lion. I just found another marked 363 Lion, different collector, different part of the country. I am curious if they could be from the same unit? The interesting thing about them is they are both the same exact style, gold colored cap, same construction, same or similar age to it.

PG-

[GeorgeP]

I have gathered this from IJN post cards sent to and from units stationed on land around the Pacific using these numbers on their letters.

David.

David, are you referring to the postal codes found on IJN postcards: Se 54, I 102, U 27, numbers of that nature, or are they arranged in a different way from what you have seen?


Tom

[Jareth]

Paul I think they stand a great chance of being from same unit. Perhaps animals that are land based are indead just that , where aviation units used names of animals that fly?

[Paul G]

Thanks everyone for the comments. Its an interesting subject, with what looks like very little information on it as of yet.

PG-