Armored Patches Worn On Chest

[patches]

A fatigue shirt of the 44th Tank Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division circa 1955-57, an unusual place for the triangle to be sewn right!

 

(Shirt was once up on Etsy a ways back and was sold)

 

[usaaf93]

Hello

 

Just to sum up this nice thread. The only armored division with the breast patch during ww2 is the 2nd armored ? The other units started to do the same after ww2 ?

[patches]

Hello

 

Just to sum up this nice thread. The only armored division with the breast patch during ww2 is the 2nd armored ? The other units started to do the same after ww2 ?

No you'll see some others in WWII, like the 1st Armd Div etc.

[468abnarm]

A fatigue shirt of the 44th Tank Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division circa 1955-57, an unusual place for the triangle to be sewn right!

 

(Shirt was once up on Etsy a ways back and was sold)

 

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I'm a little confused on this jacket. Was the subdued BOS strips in place at the time of the 44ths assignment to the 82nd Abn Div?

[patches]

 

I'm a little confused on this jacket. Was the subdued BOS strips in place at the time of the 44ths assignment to the 82nd Abn Div?

BOS Strips? Do you mean Stripes? In any event, everything right as rain for the period, White NAME tape, Gold on Black U.S. ARMY tape, which has been faded or deteriorated away, (happens sometime with the Rayon Woven type), a full color Jump wing, looks to be White on Khaki twill, Specialist 3rd Class ranks (The rank title before 1958), and full color 44th Tk Bn and 82nd patches.

[468abnarm]

BOS Strips? Do you mean Stripes? In any event, everything right as rain for the period, White NAME tape, Gold on Black U.S. ARMY tape, which has been faded or deteriorated away, (happens sometime with the Rayon Woven type), a full color Jump wing, looks to be White on Khaki twill, Specialist 3rd Class ranks (The rank title before 1958), and full color 44th Tk Bn and 82nd patches.

I didn't mean BOS, I meant U.S. Army tape. I could not tell on my screen if it was faded or subdued. But you cleared that question up for me. Thanks

[patches]

I didn't mean BOS, I meant U.S. Army tape. I could not tell on my screen if it was faded or subdued. But you cleared that question up for me. Thanks

Ah I see, Strip My mistake, yeah for some reason on occasion these rayon ones deteriorate or something, not really fade, but deteriorate, really don't know what causes that, maybe a reaction to detergent when machine washed many times???

[patches]

No Triangles worn on the chest as these crewman interestingly enough are wearing Khakis, but maybe when in fatiques they would

 

The unit is the 1st Battle Group 1st Infantry, United States Military Academy 1960-61, great photo showing the unusual application of the Armor Insignia rather than the Infantry, like this it gives the impression of this tank being of a squadron of the 1st Cavalry right!

 

Now for the tank and the sub unit bumper number ARM-11, though I can't find definitive info, my WAG is that because of this unit, the 1st Battle Group 1st Infantry, was a special unit, may have had a Armor Company assigned to it during the PENTOMIC era. I say this because according to the 1960 FM7-19 of 1960 states a two light tank section in it's Recon elemt in the HQ company, these being in those days the old M41 Walker Bulldogs, but we're seeing that these tanks are the M48 Patton.

 

[seanmc1114]

Members of the 723rd Tank Battalion of the 71st Infantry Division in 1955

[patches]

You the Man Sean, yet again, a first. Indeed, fotos of the 1950s 71st Div are as scarce as hen's teeth. I seen only one, a long shot one, you know taken from some distance, it was in an Army Information Digest from the late 50s I have, so it's a old photo really from a few years earlier, haven't looked at it in a few years, so the best I can recall was here a group of GIs in fatiques and IKE's standing around inside a mobile library, in Alaska I gathered, one of their number is where the 71st Div patch.

[Salvage Sailor]

The tankers are participating in Operation Moosehorn in Alaska (there are some newsreels of them on Youtube).

 

Not an armored triangle on the chest but.....

 

71st 'Static' Division, 53rd IR uniform with the red Alaska tab from an article I wrote for the Oct 2010 Asmic Trading Post

[seanmc1114]

You the Man Sean, yet again, a first. Indeed, fotos of the 1950s 71st Div are as scarce as hen's teeth. I seen only one, a long shot one, you know taken from some distance, it was in an Army Information Digest from the late 50s I have, so it's a old photo really from a few years earlier, haven't looked at it in a few years, so the best I can recall was here a group of GIs in fatiques and IKE's standing around inside a mobile library, in Alaska I gathered, one of their number is where the 71st Div patch.

The tankers are participating in Operation Moosehorn in Alaska (there are some newsreels of them on Youtube).

 

Not an armored triangle on the chest but.....

 

71st 'Static' Division, 53rd IR uniform with the red Alaska tab from an article I wrote for the Oct 2010 Asmic Trading Post

Actually the pictures are screenshots of members of the 723rd during the atomic testing that took place in the Nevada desert in January 1955. Here is the video. The images appears at roughly the 22:00 mark.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CthmRe-IU_Y

[Linedoggie]

Does anyone know the history and authority for the wear of the armored triangle SSI for divisions and battalions above the left breast pocket of utility uniforms? I have seen pictures of Gen. Patton with I believe a 2nd Armored Div. patch on the breast of his tanker jacket and I have seen OG-107 uniforms as late as the 70's with the triangle patches over the U.S. Army strip above the left pocket. I have even seen such shirts with Combat Infantry Badge patches below the U.S. Army strip. On the other hand, I don't believe I have ever seen a BDU with this patch arrangement. I have just never read anywhere exactly why this was done and whether it was officially authorized or just tolerated.

In 2nd Armored Division we wore on ALL OG and BDU uniforms the Hell on Wheels patch over the US Army tape 1981-1984. Only on field jackets was it worn on the left sleeve.

 

I was told at the time it was due to Gen Pattons wear of it while division commander and "Special Act of Congress" allowed it(No idea if true)

[VolunteerArmoury]

In 2nd Armored Division we wore on ALL OG and BDU uniforms the Hell on Wheels patch over the US Army tape 1981-1984. Only on field jackets was it worn on the left sleeve.

 

I was told at the time it was due to Gen Pattons wear of it while division commander and "Special Act of Congress" allowed it(No idea if true)

It was worn till the Armor Division cased so it was definitely worn on BDUs. I've known a couple former 2nd AD guys who would when buying replacement BDUs even after the division was gone take a dorrito patch & sew it on, iron the hell of it or have it startched, then remove the patch to have a ghosting like effect of the patch on their uniform. I was TDY at Hood on the last day BDUs were authorized & on that last day a fellow NCO there wore his BDUs that he had done that to. The neat thing to me was they were Proper BDUs (caught a glimpse of the tag when we removed out blouses).

[seanmc1114]

Officer of a tank battalion assigned to the National Guard's 26th Infantry Division in the 50s. It has a number on the triangle but I can't make it out and I can't find what battalion was assigned to the 26th.

[patches]

Officer of a tank battalion assigned to the National Guard's 26th Infantry Division in the 50s. It has a number on the triangle but I can't make it out and I can't find what battalion was assigned to the 26th.

That would be the 126th Tank Battalion Sean. but he could of been in one of the 26th Div's infantry Regimental Tank Companies as well, in that case the number, (if there's one there, it might be folds and shadowing making it look like there's a number there) might be the regimental number then.

[patches]

In 2nd Armored Division we wore on ALL OG and BDU uniforms the Hell on Wheels patch over the US Army tape 1981-1984. Only on field jackets was it worn on the left sleeve.

 

I was told at the time it was due to Gen Pattons wear of it while division commander and "Special Act of Congress" allowed it(No idea if true)

Why was that, the wearing of the patch on the shoulder on the the field jackets? That was something I discovered when I was on occasion in 2nd Armd Div Country when I was at Hood 80-81, thought it peculiar.

 

Also of note is they weren't worn on the chest either on the OG Wool shirts, as this Oct 1966 foto shows.

 

[seanmc1114]

MG Edwin H. Burba, commanding general of the 2nd Armored Division during Operation Big Lift - 1963

[seanmc1114]

NCO of the 66th Armored Regiment wearing DUI on his locally applied eppaulletes and cap

[KurtA]

Why was that, the wearing of the patch on the shoulder on the the field jackets? That was something I discovered when I was on occasion in 2nd Armd Div Country when I was at Hood 80-81, thought it peculiar.

 

Also of note is they weren't worn on the chest either on the OG Wool shirts, as this Oct 1966 foto shows.

 

 

 

I believe it was simply because most soldiers would wear the same field jacket for many years (i.e., spanning more than one tour) and they thought ghosting of removed patches might affect the appearance of the field jacket in the new unit. Probably just applied to field jackets because they were more expensive than fatigues (i.e., if you needed to replace a fatigue shirt that didn't look good due to ghosting, it wasn't that that expensive). Was probably more of a problem back when fatigues were heavily starched (70's and prior)

Just a theory....

[patches]

 

I believe it was simply because most soldiers would wear the same field jacket for many years (i.e., spanning more than one tour) and they thought ghosting of removed patches might affect the appearance of the field jacket in the new unit. Probably just applied to field jackets because they were more expensive than fatigues (i.e., if you needed to replace a fatigue shirt that didn't look good due to ghosting, it wasn't that that expensive). Was probably more of a problem back when fatigues were heavily starched (70's and prior)

Just a theory....

Thanks Kurt. I don't know, too me it's odd. I'll go through this topic to see if any photos have been posted of other Armored Divisions (not Tank/Armor and Armored Cav battalions/squadrons, we know they did) had there patch on the front of the field jackets.

[patches]

Aeh didn't get hits on the other Armd Div fild jackets, but did see this from post # 50, fatique shirts and field jackets worn at the same time by the 2nd Armd Div, showing the ways the patch was worn within the 2nd Armd Div.

 

[patches]

it's interesting to wonder if the 2nd Armd Div was still active today, would they still of worn the patch on the front of the ACUs of the the various types seen of recent years! and how would it of been attached, a Velcro square on the front above the U.S. Army tape? a specially trimmed piece of Velcro to the dimensions of the triangle?

[MECHINF-A15]

I have really enjoyed this thread and I salute all that have contributed. Here is my little contribution. Background, in the late 1990s I was able to purchase a part of the estate for one PFC Louis N. Schneider who served as an "official" photographer with the 7th Armored Division in the ETO. This consisted of well over 100 plus photos he took and his patches along with 7th AD newspapers and clippings. I plan on posting these on the grouping section of this site as I would like share these with our community of collectors and historians. But for now I have two shots of Mr. Schneider wearing the 7th AD patch on the front of his coveralls that I will show here.

[MECHINF-A15]

A close-up and clearer shot of the patch.