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Star and Indian Head Insignia of the 2nd Infantry Division, AEF


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Badges of Honor

A History & Catalog of the

Star & Indianhead Insignia

as used by the

2nd Infantry Division, AEF

Photo No. 01: Almost 100 years after its inception, the 2nd Division’s distinctive star and Indian head insignia is perhaps the most sought after of all of the shoulder patches used by the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF). There are a number of reasons for this … One being the 2nd Division’s unmatched fighting record during the Great War. Another is that it was the only AEF division to be composed of Army, Navy and Marine Corps personnel. Still another is because the shoulder sleeve insignia (SSI) was authorized to be made from six different colors of cloth that were cut into fourteen different shapes, geometric and otherwise. Another reason could be the innumerable variations of the design found within the framework of regulation shapes and colors. The diversity of which can be seen in this montage of WW I era 2nd Division insignia.

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The history of what is arguably the most coveted shoulder flash of the entire AEF mirrors that of the division which created it. Orders generated by the War Department brought elements of the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps together on 26 October 1917 at Bourmont France. That order was responsible for creating the 2nd Infantry Division, one of the few active U.S. Army units to be organized on foreign soil. At the time of its inception, the 2nd Division had no distinguishing insignia that it could call its own … but then again, neither did any other organization within the AEF.

 

By the time the Armistice ending the First World War was signed on 11 November 1918, a new form of military heraldry had been adopted by the AEF. This new insignia worn on the upper left sleeve of the Army’s olive drab service coat and the Marine Corps (USMC) forest green service blouse were at various times referred to as ‘battle blazes’, ‘shoulder flashes’, ‘battle insignia’, ‘distinguishing marks’, ‘formation badges’, ‘division insignia’, and ‘shoulder patches’. The plain geometric shapes that were initially copied from the British, whose original purpose was purely practical, eventually gave birth to, and evolved into the meaningful symbols that represented practically every individual U.S. Army organization that served overseas with the AEF, and to many other U.S. Army formations that only saw home service during the World War.

 

To the combat veterans of the 2nd Infantry Division who had survived the slaughter of Belleau Wood, Soissons, St Mihiel, Blanc Mont, and the Meuse-Argonne, the status of the humble battle blaze had been elevated from that of just a tactical identification mark to one of a badge of honor. Just as the 2nd Division veterans knew that the colorful scraps of cloth that adorned their uniforms were second to none in terms of achievement, sacrifice and history; so too, did collectors of AEF militaria. Today collectors of Great War memorabilia also consider the 2nd Division SSI to be second to none in terms of desirability, rarity, and value. Because of the star and Indian head’s popularity within the collecting community, reproductions were made for decades following the end of WW I. As the availability of original 2nd Division insignia decreased, and the value of authentic star and Indian heads increased, the number of fakes, passed off as originals to unsuspecting collectors proliferated. Despite so much interest in the 2nd Division’s insignia, very little has been done to chronicle its history and catalog its innumerable designs.

 

Because I do not consider myself qualified to explain the difference between a fake and an original, doing so is not the purpose of this post. That being said, I do have an opinion on what is “good” and what is not. In that regard, of the 200 plus insignia used to illustrate this post, I’m reasonably certain that the majority of them are authentic. Of the insignia, two of them were created in Photoshop and labeled as such, as I had neither an authentic nor a reproduction to show. Because I am not an expert, I’ve intentionally not opined on the authenticity of the handful of insignia that I just can’t make up my mind on. Viewers will have to decide whether they like them or whether they don’t.

 

How the 2nd Division’s insignia came to be, as well as a comprehensive look at the numerous types, styles and forms in which that division’s insignia was fabricated is the subject of this very, very long post. If nothing else, I hope this post serves as a starting point on which better and more complete information on the subject of the 2nd Division’s star and Indian head will emerge.

 

As always, all forum members are encouraged to comment, criticize, contest, question, add new information, and more importantly, add more photographs of WW I era 2nd Division insignia and of the men who wore them.

 

World War I Nerd ….

 

Miles and Miles of Traffic

Photo No. 02: It may be hard to believe, but heavy road traffic was likely the primary reason for the advent of the 2nd Division’s insignia. By 1917 heavily congested roads had become a fact of life for any army moving up to the line on the Western Front. It wasn’t until the winter of 1917 and the spring of 1918 that AEF organizations were exposed to the chaos, confusion, and disorder caused by multiple divisions all vying for the limited amount of road space that led to the front lines.

 

The teeming roads were responsible for lengthy delays. These unforeseen holdups prevented foot troops, mounted men, and vehicles of all descriptions from reaching their destination. They were also to blame for critically needed supplies going astray, or worse, not showing up at all. In November of 1918, when the Meuse Argonne offensive was in full swing, the foot and vehicular traffic on one narrow two lane road was described thusly:

The roads were congested with miles and miles of traffic – troops – ambulances – trucks – wagons – tanks and later tractors, guns and caissons stretched in endless lines, sometimes motionless for hours as some block was cleared away. Prisoners, some taken by our own regiment, filtered through in bodies of twenty to two hundred, occasionally carrying wounded Americans. Haughty Prussian officers with gold monocles, hard sulky-looking soldiers, frightened Slavs with rosaries prominently displayed as if to appeal to the feelings of their captors and many boys certainly under sixteen years of age who in happier times would have been romping to school but now clumping along with hanging heads in their green uniforms, round hats and leather boots.

 

Major Chester W. Davis, 1st Pioneer Infantry Regiment, AEF

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Photo No. 03: While navigating the roads choked with vehicles, men and animals, early arrivals to the AEF couldn’t help noticing unit specific emblems that were employed by the French and British Armies to identify their vehicles from those of other units with whom they shared the road. It was distinguishing marks, much like the white star within a red circle displayed on the tailgate of this French camion that spawned the notion of marking AEF vehicles in a similar fashion.

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Those Damned Yankees
 

Photo No. 04: If the appalling traffic was the father of the 2nd Division’s unique insignia, then it might be safe to say that the ‘Yankee Division’, as the 26th Infantry Division was called, was its mother. Research indicates that the 26th Division was the first AEF organization to adopt the French and British habit of marking its vehicles for the purpose of rapid identification. As the second AEF division to arrive overseas, and the first to arrive in its entirety, it’s quite possible that the fiercely proud New Englanders did indeed paint their vehicles with a monogram comprised of the initials ‘Y’ and ‘D’ in the summer or fall of 1917. This mobile delousing and disinfecting plant clearly displays the ‘YD’ monogram on its engine cowling.

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Photo No. 05: It was also claimed that the each unit within the 26th Division painted a sub-unit emblem alongside that of the ‘YD’ to further identify the vehicles belonging to each regiment, battalion, or train. In this enlarged view of the mobile delousing truck, the shape of a Greek cross, the insignia of the 101st Sanitary Train, is plainly visible just behind the cab. The insets show the Yankee Division’s monogram as it appeared in a 1919 newspaper spread, and the 101st Sanitary Train’s insignia as painted on a steel helmet.

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Photo No. 06: These trucks identified as belonging to the 26th Division’s, 101st Ammunition Train, all appear to be marked on the tailgate with the 101st Ammunition Train’s logo comprised of a woman riding a large artillery shell. The inset shows the logo painted onto the front of a steel helmet. The fact that all of the men are wearing overseas caps indicates that this photo was taken after February 1918, which according to a 26th Division history, was the date when that style of headgear was issued to the entire division.

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A Design is Desired

The actual birth of the star and Indian head insignia can be placed to March 1918, when the Second Division first entered the line in the Verdun sector. The earliest mention of this fact appeared in a letter written by Captain Daniel J. Canty of the Motor Transport Corps (MTC) that was published in the July 1919 edition of The Indian magazine:

 

About the 25th of March, 1918, when the division was occupying the trenches in the Toulon-Troyon sectors, Lieut. Samuel T. Swift, Second Supply Train, was ordered by the then motor transport officer, Second Division, and commanding officer of the Second Supply Train (Lieutenant Colonel William F. Herringshaw) to proceed to the sector then occupied by the Twenty-sixth Division, for the purpose of bringing back to the division a large convoy of Ford light delivery trucks. In reporting his observations of what he had seen in other motor organizations during his trip, he suggested that the Second Supply Train had not an official design, such as all of the similar organizations of allied armies had …

 

Letter from Captain Daniel J. Canty, MTC, to The Indian, July 1, 1919, page 2

Apparently, Lieutenant Swift of the 2nd Supply Train noticed a curious monogram stenciled onto the vehicles he observed during his foray through the Yankee Division sector. Curious, Swift likely made inquiries as to the significance of those markings. Upon his return, he promptly reported both the markings and their purpose to his boss, Lieutenant Colonel Herringshaw.

Herringshaw, a pragmatic, long serving professional soldier realized the practical necessity of being able to identify his supply train’s transportation at a glance. Not wanting to be outdone by the citizen soldiers of a mere National Guard outfit, he likely determined then and there that he would follow in their footsteps. He too would paint an insignia onto all of the 2nd Supply Train’s vehicles. Unfortunately, other than AEF regulations, the only thing preventing him from doing so was the fact that the 2nd Supply Train had no insignia to adorn its vehicles.

 

As soon as the 2nd Supply Train was situated in its new location, Herringshaw hit upon the idea of holding a competition amongst the enlisted men of the 2nd Supply Train and Motor Shop Truck Unit No. 303 which was on loan to his command, to design a suitable insignia for the vehicles of the supply train. Almost immediately he ordered each of the train’s officers to “donate” five francs to establish a purse which was to be given to whoever submitted the winning design. On 28 March 1918, the following memo was circulated amongst the men of the aforementioned units:

 

HEADQUARTERS SECOND SUPPLY TRAIN FRANCE, MARCH 28, 1918. MEMORANDUM:

 

A design is desired for use on our trucks similar to those used on the truck trains of other armies. Designs should be simple, easily distinguishable, and should not be liable of confusion with other markings, and should have some special significance. Only one design will be used but there will be three prizes awarded, as follows:

 

1st Prize-40 Francs; 2nd Prize-25 Francs; 3rd Prize-10 Francs

 

Designs will be passed on by a board appointed later. Suggestions, with a rough sketch, should be submitted to Headquarters by noon, March 31.

By order of Lieut. Col. Herringshaw.

 

2nd Lieutenant. A. C.

 

George F. A. Mulcahy, Adjutant.

Memo 2nd Division Supply Train, March 28, 1918

Although there was no official record of how many entries were submitted, it was said that the men responded with enthusiasm.

The committee of officers appointed to judge the entries however, were unable to agree on which design should be awarded first prize. Captain Canty explained how Colonel Herringshaw broke the deadlock:

 

Designs were submitted from the companies as stated in the order, and also from M. S. T. U. No. 303, with the result that the judges chose an Indian head for their first prize, and a five-pointed white star for the second prize. Colonel Herringshaw laid the star and Indian head upon separate parts of his desk, and after a few minutes hesitation, he placed the separate Indian head over the star, and announced that the star and Indian head combined, as he had placed them, would hereafter be the official design of the Second Supply Train.

 

Letter from Captain Daniel J. Canty, MTC, to The Indian, July 1, 1919, page 2

Photo No. 07: The Indian chief design, submitted by Sergeant Louis B. Lundy from Company A, was selected because it was considered to be a symbol of the original American. The five pointed star, submitted by Sergeant John Kenny of Company B was also chosen because of the 2nd Supply Train’s association with Texas, during the border trouble in 1916. When paired together, the first and second place designs became the unofficial insignia of the 2nd Supply Train, and later that of the entire 2nd Division. As soon as paint could be procured, the star and Indian head appeared on the supply train’s transportation. The insignia was such a hit that Major General Bundy, the commanding officer (CO) of the 2nd Division’s insisted that his personal staff car have the distinguishing mark emblazoned on it at the earliest opportunity.post-5143-0-67986400-1415469333.jpg

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Photo No. 08: Incidentally, the Indian head was said to have been inspired by the Indian depicted on the U.S. $5.00 gold piece (left). This coin was designed by the American sculptor Bela Lyon Pratt. This design is often mistakenly attributed to Augustus Saint-Gaudens who was responsible for creating the Indian on the U.S. $10.00 gold piece (right). Based on the wide variety of Indian heads and feathered war bonnets encountered on 2nd Division insignia, it’s likely that both likenesses were used with varying degrees of success.

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Photo No. 09: Apparently, the 7 February 1919 edition of the Stars and Stripes newspaper got it wrong when it told a different version of the story on how the 2nd Division’s insignia came to be. 1st Lieutenant Gordon Steele of the QTMC elaborated on this fact, as well as the actual genesis of the 2nd Division’s star and Indian head in an article that appeared in the 18 March 1921 edition of that division’s post war newspaper called The Trail. In it, Steele stipulated that that his was “the correct story”. He further claimed the tale of a truck driver practicing his artistic skills on the side of a 2nd Supply Train vehicle, and the other stories, “were all false.” The AEF newspaper article is shown next to a 1st Battalion, 15th Field Artillery star and Indian head insignia.

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Photo No. 11: The insignia of the 2nd Supply Train is prominently displayed on the front cowling of this pair of motorcycle sidecars.

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Photo No. 12: The 2nd Supply Train’s new insignia is visible on the side panel of this truck. According to regulations, the star was to be painted white, the Indian’s face red, and the war bonnet blue. Regulations further stipulated that the star on heavy trucks was to be 10 ½ inches in diameter and on “both sides, centered on the front panel forefront; in rear, centered on the right half of tail gate or on the right half of bumper.”

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Photo No. 13: Close up of the truck’s star and Indian head. The inset shows a post war SSI on the green shield shaped background cloth which represented the 2nd Supply Train. Note that the truck’s driver also wears a shield shaped insignia.

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Photo No. 15: As the war progressed the 2nd Supply Train’s symbol was commandeered by other division organizations. By the time hostilities ceased, the Indian head logo was synonymous with every unit within the division. These officer’s of the 2nd Division’s G-4 or supply section pose for a photograph outside a makeshift office whose sign bears the star and Indian head motif.

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Photo No. 16: On the right Major General John Archer Lejeune, the CO of the 2nd Division when the Armistice was signed stands beside two signboards heralding the fact that the reader had arrived at the 2nd Division HQ in Germany. A HQ SSI can be made out on Lejeune’s left shoulder. At left is a closer view of the signboards, and an appliqué style Division HQ insignia.

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Photo No. 17: The 2nd Division’s insignia was initially devised to identify the vehicles of the 2nd Supply Train. The emblem however, was eventually appropriated and used to represent the entire division. As such, it appeared with regularity on many of the Division’s signboards. The star and Indian head was also used on banners that identified the location of various units. By the end of hostilities, the insignia became a common sight on gasmask satchels, helmets, uniforms, field gear, band instruments, and even athletic apparel.

 

Photo of drum courtesy of Portraits of War.com

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Photo No. 21: This guidon was carried by the 3rd Battalion of the 17th Field Artillery Regiment while it carried out its occupation duties in Germany.

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Patches of Colored Cloth

With the 2nd Supply Train’s logo now painted onto its vehicles, it would be some time before the star and Indian head spread to the service coat. Prior to the use of the star and Indian head as a SSI, elements of the AEF and members of the 2nd Division utilized a different form of battlefield insignia that the British called a ‘battle blaze’. During the desperate battles of 1914 and 1915, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) realized that every single soldier dressed in a drab uniform looked alike on the Western Front. News of the confusion and conditions of the modern battlefields filtered back to Britain’s ‘New Army’ that was still in training across the English Channel. By mid 1915, British reinforcements, in the shape of ‘Kitchner’s Army’ brought with them a new method in which to identify each unit amidst the chaos and uncertainty of combat. Their simple but practical solution was to stitch colored pieces of cloth onto the backs and sleeves of each individual soldier’s khaki drab service jacket. By doing so, an informed observer could instantly tell what formation, sometimes down to company level, that the wearer belonged to. One mud encrusted ‘Tommy’ witnessed the battle blaze for the first time when replacement troops from ‘Kitchner’s mob’ turned up in a ruined village south of Ypres in June of 1915:

 

Went into Dickebusche today – whilst there saw some strange troops in nleather equipment; they wore patches of coloured cloth on the backs of their tunics … we learned that they were the first arrivals of Kitchner’s Army and belonged to the 8th KRR and the 8th RB.*

 

Unknown British Tommy, BEF

*The 8th Kings Royal Rifle Corps and the 8th Rifle Brigade

 

Photo No. 22: British and Commonwealth battle blazes were comprised of a complex system of shapes, colors and symbols. The purpose of which was to identify armies, corps, divisions, regiments, battalions, and sometimes companies. At left and upper right is the shoulder flash of the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles, 3rd Division. The Canadian soldier in the period photo has donned a service jacked bearing the all green insignia of the 44th Battalion, 4th Division.

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Photo No. 23: Three more examples of British battle blazes. Clockwise from top left, steel helmet painted with the 13th London Regiment’s insignia, the shoulder flash of the 30th Division, which was comprised of the city crest of Darby, and a late war variation of the 25th Division’s red, horseshoe shaped insignia. Often, colored bars on the sleeves were utilized to further identify what brigade or company the wearer belonged to.

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Battle Blazes in the AEF

Photo No. 24: A few clues exist suggesting that some AEF divisions, either officially or unofficially experimented with British style formation badges in the spring and summer of 1918. The earliest documented use of unit specific insignia within the AEF was mentioned by Scott Kraska, the proprietor of Bay State Militaria, in his article on the helmet insignia of the 26th Division*. In it he stated:

 

The earliest documented use of these insignias was the red star of the 102nd Machine Gun Battalion. This small and relatively simple insignia is mentioned in the unit history of Company A, as being first applied to helmets in July to August of 1918.

 

Helmet Insignia of the 26th “Yankee” Division, 1917 – 1919, Scott Kraska, page 1

*Link to Mr. Kraska’s article: http://www.baystatemilitaria.com/img%20-%20%20helmet%20insignia%20of%2026th%20div-page%201%20-doc973.jpg

Next to the Yankee Division SSI is a 26th Division helmet bearing the insignia of the 101st Machine Gun Battalion. The green diamond shaped emblem of that organization was likely inspired by similar badges sewn or painted onto British uniforms and helmets. It was probably adopted on or near the same date as that of the 102nd Machine Gun Battalion’s red star.

It also wouldn’t surprise me to learn that the individual markings which adorn the sides of most 80th Division steel helmets were initially worn as a formation badge when that division was under British control in the II Army Corps. According to 80th Division histories, these simple, geometric emblems actually predate those used by the machine gun battalions in the 26th Division as they were declared official on 30 April 1918.

 

This particular 80th Division helmet features a blue and white shield shaped insignia which denoted the 313th Machine Gun Battalion. Next to the helmet is the regulation SSI of the 80th Division bearing a likeness of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

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Battle Blazes in the 2nd Division

Photo No. 25: During the period leading up to the St Mihiel offensive, the 2nd Division and possibly other AEF units experimented with British style ‘Battle Blazes’ as a way to identify Doughboy units amidst the disorder of combat.

 

According to 2nd Division documents, on 4 September 1918, while the division was planning its role in the reduction of the St. Mihiel salient, it was decided that all three battalions of the 9th Infantry Regiment would wear British style battle blazes. The formation badges were to be sewn three inches below the shoulder on both sleeves of the olive drab service coat. The following shapes and colors were identified in a memo generated by 3rd Brigade HQ:

 

Third Battalion (first over): Three inch red square

Second Battalion (second over): Three inch blue square

First Battalion (third over): Three inch white square

Headquarters Company: Red triangle

Regular Headquarters and staff: Three inch red and white square (cut diagonally, lower left to upper right, red over white)

Machine Gun Company: Red Circle

 

Memo from HQ, 3rd Brigade to CO 23rd Infantry Regiment, September 6, 1918

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Photo No. 26: An officer from the regiment was immediately dispatched to Toul to secure cloth. Unfortunately, no blue cloth was available. Therefore, it was decided that the 2nd Battalion would not wear any insignia. As soon as fabric was secured, regimental tailors began stitching the colored bits of fabric onto Doughboy service coats. Here Private Roy L. Thompson the tailor for Company B, 23rd Engineer Regiment mends a Doughboy’s service coat at a camp situated near the port city of St. Nazaire.

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Unsure of the brightly colored swatches of cloth; officers of the 1st Battalion were convinced their white insignia would draw fire. Without permission, they reduced the badge’s size from a three inch square, down to a one inch square. Contrary to orders, they also positioned the shoulder flash onto the back of only the left sleeve. It was also reported that skeptical Doughboy’s from the 1st and 3rd Battalions smeared their red and white distinguishing marks with mud for better concealment or cut the center portion away before ‘going over’. In Lieutenant Steele 1919 newspaper article, he unequivocally claimed that the battle blazes were used during the St. Mihiel and Blanc Mont operations and “perhaps later.”

 

After two days at the front, the Doughboys of the 9th Infantry Regiment found that the colored insignia didn’t draw enemy fire. However, the benefits of the new insignia became immediately apparent. A memo directed to GHQ boasted that battle blazes made it easier:

 

For runners to find their destination; indicated how losses were going; showed officers and men their own lines; made reorganization easier; assisted when battalions leaf-frogged ahead; and helped rations get up to the front faster.

 

Meme from captain Mattfeldt, 9th Infantry Regiment to Major A.M. Jones, General Staff, September 6, 1918

Photo No. 27: On the same day that Captain Mattfeldt informed GHQ of the positive benefits of the so called distinguishing marks, a meeting of field officers from the 23rd Infantry Regiment took place. At the meeting a decision was reached regarding the color and shape their battalions would wear for the looming assault. No report of that meeting has been found. However, an after action letter dated 22 September to the CO of the 3rd Infantry Brigade, extolling the tactical value of that regiment’s battle blazes was located. In the memorandum 1st Lieutenant Oscar Youngsdahl requested that the following scheme be permanently adopted for the 23rd Infantry. The lieutenant also wished:

 

To emphasize the practical value of the green, red, white and blue triangular patches worn by the men and officers of this regiment in the offensive of September12, as distinguishing marks for the respective battalions. These marks were of great service in enabling the men, in spite of the usual battlefield excitement and consequent confusion to recognize at once their own battalions, and adhere to them. Also these marks enabled our officers to identify to a certain extent, their own men and thus facilitated re-grouping and reorganization of the men at various stages of the action.

 

Green triangle: Headquarters and Supply Company and First Battalion

White Triangle: Second Battalion

Blue Triangle: Third Battalion

Letter from First Lieutenant Oskar Y. Youngsdahl, 23rd Infantry, to CO, 23rd Infantry, September 22, 1918.

No approval of the lieutenant’s post-St. Mihiel recommendation is on file. However, based on the fact that the proposed colors for the 9th Infantry Regiment were approved, we can surmise that the color scheme for the 23rd Infantry Regiment was also approved.

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Photo No. 28: At first glance, it looks as if the sleeve of this soldier’s service coat has been repaired. In light of the above information, I believe this Doughboy is wearing a red or blue 3 inch square British style battle blaze that was prescribed for the 1st Battalion of the 9th Infantry Regiment on 6 September 1918.

 

Five years after the fact, a young 2nd Lieutenant, who also served in the 23rd Infantry Regiment, recalled things differently in respect to the shapes and colors of the insignia worn by the men of that regiment during the St. Mihiel battle. He wrote that the 1st Battalion wore a blue square (not a green triangle), the 2nd Battalion wore a blue triangle (not a white triangle) and that the 3rd Battalion wore a blue diamond (not a blue triangle). In a post-war account of his experiences the junior lieutenant left a detailed account of everything he wore and carried during the St. Mihiel drive. Among the items he mentioned:

 

On my left shoulder was sewed the blue diamond shaped piece of cloth that distinguished every member of the 23rd. The men of the 1st Battalion wore blue squares, the men of the second, blue triangles. The men of the other regiments used the same system with cloths of different colors. Division insignia that later became such a colorful part of the uniforms of the A.E.F., had not yet been thought of.

 

2nd Lieutenant Felix F. Ranlett, Company K, 23rd Infantry, 2nd Division, AEF

Despite the discrepancy in colors and shapes worn, experimental battle blazes were in fact worn by the 9th and 23rd Infantry Regiments of the 2nd Division through to at least October 1918, and “perhaps later.” Lieutenant Steele surmised in his newspaper article that the 2nd Division’s different colors and shaped backgrounds:

 

May have been copied from the British who used this method to distinguish their brigades, battalions, etc.

The Trail, March 18, 1921 edition

Doughboy photo courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

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Photo No. 29: Close scrutiny of the image reveals that when the angle of the arm is taken into consideration the insignia is:

  • Carefully centered on the sleeve
  • Clearly square in shape
  • Roughly 3 inches in both height and width

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