Original Vintage U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General 3-Star Vehicle Rank Identification Plate

An unusual original U.S. military general officer vehicle rank plate, acquired in Japan.

The plate displays three separately applied raised metal stars, denoting the three-star rank of Lieutenant General in the United States Air Force.

The plate itself is made from steel and is magnetic. Each of the three-dimensional stars is individually and permanently attached through the plate, with the original attachment points visible from the reverse.

The dark blue painted finish is consistent with U.S. Air Force general officer identification. Comparable surviving USAF general rank vehicle plate sets are documented with blue backgrounds and separately applied cast metal stars.

Dimensions:

22.7 × 15.2 cm

Approx. 8.94 × 5.98 inches — essentially the traditional 9 × 6 inch U.S. military WW2 era general-officer vehicle plate format.

The dimensions and method of construction closely resemble earlier WWII-period U.S. general officer vehicle rank plates. The independent U.S. Air Force was established in 1947, and this plate may date from the early postwar period; however, the precise date of manufacture has not been established.

This piece was acquired in Japan. According to the previous Japanese owner, it came from a U.S. military base and was an item that ordinarily should not have left the installation. This account is included as provenance supplied by the previous owner but cannot be independently verified.

The Japanese provenance is particularly interesting given the extensive U.S. Air Force presence in Japan during the postwar occupation and Korean War period. Nevertheless, no particular base, officer, vehicle or unit is attributed to the plate.

Condition: Fair vintage condition with genuine age and service/storage wear. There are scratches, paint losses and areas of minor surface corrosion. All three applied stars remain firmly intact. The plate has not been restored.

Please examine all photographs carefully as they form an important part of the description.

A scarce and highly displayable piece of early U.S. Air Force/general officer militaria.