‘I Now Outrank Officers’ – Calendar Illustration for January 1946
I Now Outrank Officers!
In March 1942 the Imperial Japanese Army ordered that all POW officer shoulder badges were to be removed and instead to place one star on left breast pocket indicating officer status.
However, this officer has been given the wrong Japanese rank to wear, that of a Private Second Class Soldier, the lowest rank in the IJA.
This makes sense of the Lance Corporal laughing at the ‘Officer’ as this rank is below that of Lance Corporal. In fact there were 3 ranks of Privates in the IJA – Superior Private – Specialist (3 stars); Private First Class (2 stars); Private Second Class (1 star) – you couldn’t get any lower rank that this!! Then there was Lance Corporal; Corporal; Sergeant.
Both Officers are not impressed & perhaps appalled.