08/11/2026
Joko S brought his Garrett AT Max to South Sulawesi, Indonesia, to continue exploring the site of a former Imperial Japanese Army camp from World War II. This area, once part of the Pacific Front, has become almost forgotten and nearly lost to historical records. For the past four years, he has been researching and observing the landscape to locate these hidden camp sites.
With the support of the Garrett AT Max, he uncovered an incredible and rare relic: a Japanese Army dog tag from World War II!
He writes, “This type of dog tag is very difficult to find, as many were hidden or destroyed near the end of the war to prevent Allied forces from tracking Japanese units. In 1945, the Japanese Army’s 2nd Area Base, under Lieutenant General Fusataro Teshima, was located on South Sulawesi, with its area of responsibility extending as far as New Guinea. After Japan’s surrender in August 1945, several locations within the base area were used as POW camps for Japanese internees before their repatriation to Japan through 1946. Many of these camp locations have since disappeared from memory and records. But with research, persistence, and the Garrett AT Max, buried evidence is helping bring this forgotten history back to light.”
