506th PIR DI's worn by 17th A/B and 507th Vet? Any Ideas?

[grimble-nibitz]

I have been working an estate lately from a family that included a paratrooper in the 507th PIR. I know he was in D Day. Then his unit became part of the 17th for Varsity. In his insignia were a mismatched pair of 506th DI's, one German and one British made. I thought it was a fluke but yesterday when I got the photos I find one of him appearing to wear them with a 17th shoulder patch...what the hell? Any ideas how this could be possible? He is seen standing next to a 101st soldier with a patch, but seems to be wearing a 17th patch. The photo is not clear but there were not other DI's in the lot, and they look like what is on his lapels. Help...any ideas? Sadly he went to on be murdered in the 50's near here in PA. All through Normandy and Varsity with only a wound on June 7 44...and then shot in the head by a woman he pissed off...ugh.

[grimble-nibitz]

John "Sparky" Jarosik, by the way, a boxing champ in the 507th PIR in Northern Ireland and in London at the Rainbow Corner Club. He is on the left. These are definitely the DI's I got, no doubt, when I look at enlarged image. And his jump wing has stars on it, which one can see in another of the photos of him. Mysterious.

[Allan H.]

There were some 101st Airborne Division veterans who were sent to the 17th as advisors/ trainers prior to the Varsity Operation. A number of them jumped into Varsity with the 17th Airborne Division. Lt Lewis Nixon was one of these guys. It is also possible that he was a trooper in the 506th but was a "high points man" and was one of the 101st veterans that was transferred to the 17th to return to the states. I guess the third scenario is that since the 507th didn't have DI's, he just picked up whatever he could get his hands on. Adding DIs to a uniform definitely made it look more striking.

 

Allan

[grimble-nibitz]

Thanks for your opinion...its a strange sight, BUT...the best thing about these estate lots and the photos is that one finds very few men who did it by the book, many collectors these days think things are like they appear in the QM catalogs...or in the uniform regs...but, just when you think you have it figured out...BANG...a photo of someone shows up doing the wrong thing and being proud of it. I like to say that, if THAT came into a show, no one would believe it...

[grimble-nibitz]

He is in the center at the back with helmet on, he carried this in his wallet and I pulled it out yesterday. It has an article about the pathfinders on the back, not sure why he had this taped to the reverse.

[grimble-nibitz]

Nice shot of him with an unusual gun slung over his shoulder. I know nothing about weapons, so I do not know what it is.

[Kadet]

Something I have found researching paratroopers is that you really need to see their service record before making assumptions about unit assignments. They were shuffled around a lot, both in the US before they entered combat, and when they were headed home. Here are two examples, one an artilleryman and the other infantry. Both had service in multiple airborne units. In the first case, he served in units that would be components of the 13th, 82nd and 17th ABN Divisions. In the second case, his regimental assignments were ultimately components of the 101st, 11th and 82nd ABN Divisions!

[Kadet]

2

[grimble-nibitz]

This may be the case, sadly I do not have that material. His 'airborne graduation' photo, the one with the football helmet that we see for early para's, is labeled 507th PIR on back, and he shows up on the Belgian site in this same unit in Varsity. Given what you say, and clearly show, he may have been shuffled around a lot, and some association with the 506th meant enough to have continued using the DI's. I imagine that a combat vet, 2 jumps and ground combat, purple heart recipient could have worn much of what he wanted, as long as he was entitled to it at SOME time...especially in the occupation, which, being that one of the DI's is German, is the case here. That Belgian site lists the airplane # that he was on when jumping for D Day, but I cannot find anything which tells WHO operated that plane or what unit was assigned to it, only that it was transferred to the RAF at some point and scrapped. There were 6 veterans in this family, 2 para's (this man and an 82nd Marketgarden guy), 2 marines, a pacific theater office manager, and an 'assignment unknown' pacific combat soldier. Amazingly they all came home.

[doyler]

Nice shot of him with an unusual gun slung over his shoulder. I know nothing about weapons, so I do not know what it is.

Man on the left carries the M1 Garland.The man on the right has the M1A1 carbine which is a carbine in a folding stock used by paratroopers and glider troops.

 

I agree with Kadet and Allan.Nothing uncommon to see this insignia combination.Some of my most favorite uniforms have got combinations of insignias or odd placement of insignias and its as worn.Doesnt meet the collectors guidelines but it didnt matter to the vet.

[Kadet]

Looking at the pic a bit more closely, it appears that the 17th patch is on his right shoulder, i.e a "combat patch" from a former unit. Tough to tell about the left shoulder. There is something there, but it doesn't quite look like an 82nd or 17th patch. When the war in Europe ended, a lot of guys from the 17th were transferred to the 82nd for occupation duty and vice versa. The 17th was headed back to the US to be dis established, and the higher points 82nd men were administratively assigned to it for the ride home. This may be a very early occupation era photo. He may have been assigned to the 506th for occupation duty, hence the DIs.

[Kadet]

oops, disregard. I had my divisions and regiments confused! Sorry about that...