Unique Japanese soldier's uniform archive highlighted by a helmet recovered from Mount Suribachi, site of the iconic Iwo Jima flag raising in 1945. The lot features a grenade-punctured Japanese soldier's helmet, accompanied by the fatal fragment that did the deed. The archive includes a photocopied letter of provenance from an American WWII veteran who returned to Iwo Jima in 1995, discussing the items: "I retraced some of my exploits, especially on Suribachi…I came across a concrete blockhouse…and found half a dozen skeletons still where they fell. I took this helmet off one because of the 'decor' on the front of it. The square hunk of grenade was still inside his skull. I also took that." Additional uniform items, unrelated to the helmet, include a pair of brown leather Japanese combat boots; a Japanese officer's visor hat; a Japanese Army cloth cap; a Japanese officer's dark green jacket; and a World War II-era flag of Japan. In overall very good to fine condition.
