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WW2 50th Signal Battalion DUIs: Theatre Made?


Longbranch
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Hello Everyone,

I recently received a WW2 enlisted army uniform with this pair of DUIs affixed onto the lapels. They look similar to other European manufactured DUIs I've seen from the WW2 era, but I have not been able to find another pair of DUIs exactly like these, and it seems that the official 50th Signal Battalion DUI that is commonly seen looks nothing like these. However, I did find a thread here at USMF showing a plaque from a WW2 50th Signal Battalion vet that had a similar looking DUI painted onto it, but the color scheme and some of the design elements were different.

 

Does anyone else have a set of 50th Signal Battalion DUIs like these?

post-11320-0-04698400-1407691053.jpg

post-11320-0-82798400-1407691076.jpg

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Nice looking set of DI's. The front says theater made, the reverse screw back is a bit different as by end of war you would expect a pin back. Great looking set to unit credited with a Normandy Arrowhead, "Utah Beach".

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Now, why would you suggest that this would have been made in Iceland? Military insignia, especially DIs, is full of symbolism specific to the unit.

 

If this was made in Iceland, how would the battalion know in advance that they would be credited with 5 campaigns (the 5 stars); an arrowhead signifying an amphibious landing, and the wreath for a MUC? This is a classic example of an early post war German made DI. The quality of the die, the eveness of the paint, the type of screw nut, and the screw post on the metal strip, along w/ the symbols honoring the accomplishments of the oldest signal bn in the Army, indicate this is German made.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I've got this crest with the same screw back manufacture. For some reason I always thought it was French. Not sure why, because I just cannot recall the either the conversation or circumstance which led me to believe it was French. Below is my picture. Any ideas other than Theater Made?--Ray

post-115509-0-31745200-1412471278.jpg

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  • 5 years later...

Here is the 50th Signal Battalion DUI my father-in-law had received after the end of the war and it's placement on both shoulders of his uniform. As you can see, it was made by NBI Co. in Japan.IMG_0925.jpeg.a773a71ec69690d05e7e64a31c50abb0.jpegIMG_0920.jpeg.edfb44db7a707133b39fd17e0764f670.jpegIMG_4554.jpeg.2c8a4314f21b9990f3299d6f40fcb6d2.jpeg 

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You may also note he has the campaign ribbons for both the Pacific and European battlefronts. That is because originally he was in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska before joining in the D-Day invasion of Normandy.

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On 6/29/2020 at 2:28 AM, sfearing said:

Here is the 50th Signal Battalion DUI my father-in-law had received after the end of the war and it's placement on both shoulders of his uniform. As you can see, it was made by NBI Co. in Japan.IMG_0925.jpeg.a773a71ec69690d05e7e64a31c50abb0.jpegIMG_0920.jpeg.edfb44db7a707133b39fd17e0764f670.jpegIMG_4554.jpeg.2c8a4314f21b9990f3299d6f40fcb6d2.jpeg 

Very curious, this unit was not in the Pacific War, it was in Iceland then in England, then D-Day, these Japanese made DIs are indicative of Korean War era made even Vietnam Era, not 1945-46 occupation period.

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At first I thought you were referring to the yellow Pacific campaign ribbon on the uniform which my father-in-law qualified for by serving  in a different Army unit in the Aleutians, but I see you’re referring just to the DUI.
The DUI on his uniform dates at least as early as November 1945, the date of a photo we have of him in uniform taken after his return from the European theater.

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12 hours ago, sfearing said:

At first I thought you were referring to the yellow Pacific campaign ribbon on the uniform which my father-in-law qualified for by serving  in a different Army unit in the Aleutians, but I see you’re referring just to the DUI.
The DUI on his uniform dates at least as early as November 1945, the date of a photo we have of him in uniform taken after his return from the European theater.

Not trying to deny what your saying, the question is how he would have these DIs in Europe in the Fall of 1945. One idea is these were replacements he got for his uniform well after the war. I say this because this unit, the 50th Signal Battalion was inactivated after WWII  while still in Germany on occupation duty, in mid December 1945, however its reactivated  in Japan in October 1951, after this date is when we should thing these NBI Co DIs were made, and made only in this style for a couple of years or so, as this type seen in this topic is an unauthorized locally approved one. In May 1954 the 50th Signal Battalion while still in Japan (It does not go over to serve in Korea) gets a duly authorized DI of its own, the one seen on the below.

imes.jpg

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I have photos of him in his uniform which can be positively dated from November 1945 (see below). The little 2 1/2-year-old girl we know was born in 1943.

Perhaps they received their DUIs before they were discharged. He would've been discharged early with the "points" system since he had served in the Aleutian Islands before joining the 50th Signal Battalion.

 

1st_Lt_Sanford_K._Ing_3.jpeg

Sanford, Rebecca, David, 19 Nov 1945.jpeg

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