2 Jackets I found today. 82nd Airborne and Glider, what do you think?

[rrobertscv]

Got into a HUGE collection today. Picked these up and a ton of other stuff. First zippered jacket I have ever owned.

[rrobertscv]

[rrobertscv]

[carbinephalen]

I love those 4th Infantry Regiment DIs/Insignia! I always keep my eyes out for them!

 

[carbinephalen]

I'm sure you know this but the 82nd jacket is postwar based on the lack of arm cuffs. Great snags!!

[Jumpin Jack]

Let's address the service jacket first. Individual is assigned to the Airborne Command upon separation. The DI for this is identical to the SSI, not as shown on the shoulder straps. Overseas bars show one and a half years overseas, yet there is no combat SSI on the right shoulder. He has Infantry brass, yet no CIB. I'll not address the ribbons as these were commonly messed up. Now, for the Ike jacket. This is Korean era. The oval is for the 505, while the DI's are also for the 505th, both of which are correct for the 82nd Airborne. Collar brass Korean era. These zippered jackets are very nice!

 

Conclusion: The Ike jacket is a keeper, but the service jacket has way to many questionable features.

 

Hope this is of some help. Jack

[patches]

I knew I seen the first item before, it was talked about here below,the very same coat.

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/279186-11th-airborne-jacket-and-shirt/

[BEAST]

I like the service coat and the answer to a lot of the questions is addressed in the link that PATCHES provided.

 

The 4th Infantry was assigned to Alaska until January 1944 when it was reassigned to Fort Benning as part of the school command. It remained there until Nov 1945.

[CHASEUSA11B]

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/276288-ww2-four-pocket-coat-with-airborne-command-ssi-and-2nd-marine-division-cuff-patch/

 

 

I have a similar coat

[CHASEUSA11B]

[Allan H.]

Let's address the service jacket first. Individual is assigned to the Airborne Command upon separation. The DI for this is identical to the SSI, not as shown on the shoulder straps. Overseas bars show one and a half years overseas, yet there is no combat SSI on the right shoulder. He has Infantry brass, yet no CIB. I'll not address the ribbons as these were commonly messed up. Now, for the Ike jacket. This is Korean era. The oval is for the 505, while the DI's are also for the 505th, both of which are correct for the 82nd Airborne. Collar brass Korean era. These zippered jackets are very nice!

 

Conclusion: The Ike jacket is a keeper, but the service jacket has way to many questionable features.

 

Hope this is of some help. Jack

 

Let's go back and take a second look at the service coat- Jack mentions the lack of a combat patch on the jacket being a concern. People need to realize that the wear of a patch on the wearer's right shoulder for their "former wartime unit" was not authorized until the end of the war. The lack of a "combat" patch is not the least bit of a concern for me. It is actually very common to find WWII jackets (especially from the PTO) that don't have a combat patch. It is also far more common to see a soldier discharged wearing a 4 pocket blouse coming from the PTO than soldiers from the ETO where the Ike jacket was far more prevalent. Moving on to the lack of a Combat Infantry Badge- Being an infantryman and being in a combat zone was not automatic criteria for award of the C.I.B. This veteran probably never fired a rifle outside of on the rifle range. He probably didn't have the 30 days of combat to earn a CIB. The second option is that a LOT of WWII paratrooper veterans didn't wear the CIB. They let the jump wing be a sign that they had "been there" and "done that." I am 100% certain that this jacket is completely original and in-messed with.

 

Now on to the Ike jacket. I would say that this jacket dates to the post Korean War era. For starters, the wearer is a corporal, yet he doesn't have a single ribbon, which leads me to the conclusion that the soldier did not serve during the Korean War as he would have been eligible for the National Defense Service Ribbon. The placement of the 505th AIR background trimming backs up my conclusion that the owner didn't have ribbons to wear. The DUI of the 505th was approved in August 1952. It would have taken months after the approval for the insignia to have been manufactured and then issued out to the units. Finally, the chevrons are not "atomic army" blue on yellow mini chevrons, which again, points to the Post Korea era. I think this jacket was probably worn in this configuration in the 1955-57 time period.

 

My two cents,

Allan

[Captainofthe7th]

Here is another 4th Infantry Regiment uniform with Airborne Command SSI currently on ebay:

 

 

 

I believe this topic has the most examples (two) of this type so far. Here's another.

 

Rob

[Allan H.]

I like the service coat and the answer to a lot of the questions is addressed in the link that PATCHES provided.

 

The 4th Infantry was assigned to Alaska until January 1944 when it was reassigned to Fort Benning as part of the school command. It remained there until Nov 1945.

 

Beast definitively answered the question about whether a jacket with the 4th Infantry Distinctive shoulder loops should have an Airborne Command SSI on the sleeve. That answer is a resounding YES. The lack of a CIB on the uniforms of 4th Infantry Regiment soldiers is due to the fact that they spent their service time in Alaska and did not see combat, thus the y could not earn a CIB.

 

As for the jacket currently on eBay- I like it, but forum member Paul Adamic misspelled his name on the belt.

 

Allan

[Captainofthe7th]

 

Beast definitively answered the question about whether a jacket with the 4th Infantry Distinctive shoulder loops should have an Airborne Command SSI on the sleeve. That answer is a resounding YES. The lack of a CIB on the uniforms of 4th Infantry Regiment soldiers is due to the fact that they spent their service time in Alaska and did not see combat, thus the y could not earn a CIB.

 

As for the jacket currently on eBay- I like it, but forum member Paul Adamic misspelled his name on the belt.

 

Allan

 

Haha I thought the name was somewhat familiar.

 

I thought this group was interesting to show with the others since it the first of the three we see here with European service prior to assignment to the 4th Infantry. It's also interesting to note that there is no discharge patch.

 

Also the fact that it is named gives us some opportunities to learn more about the regiment/patch combo. A quick search shows Adamcik was from Pennsylvania and was discharged at Ft. McClellan Alabama October 1945. He was overseas from April 7, 1944 to May 13, 1945. So certainly falls within the window Beast points out and I would say dates this uniform to a five month period between May and October 1945.

 

"Paul K. Adamchik" appears as a S/Sgt in the 79th Div history as receiving the Bronze Star.

 

No real ground breaking information, just information.

 

Rob