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WWII France War Aid Patch Help


Flyboy_trav
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Does anyone know what the France War Aid patch was issued for? I just obtained a 90th Infantry Division uniform with the France patch on the right sleeve. I can't find any information regarding why they were worn. Any info would help. Thanks

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Does anyone know what the France War Aid patch was issued for? I just obtained a 90th Infantry Division uniform with the France patch on the right sleeve. I can't find any information regarding why they were worn. Any info would help. Thanks

If this the patch you are referring to, Smith & Pelz ID it as Fr Troops Trng In US. They were under command of Fr Air Force. Personnel trained here and were transferred to Fr and US forces. Smith & P:elz make reference to an article in Yank magazine, 18 Aug 1944 "GI Jeans".

 

If this is not the patch, please provide an image.

post-622-0-83390000-1476484031.jpg

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Thanks for the reply. That's the patch I was referring to. I read the article in Yank. It talks about the French forces training in the US but there is no information regarding the patches. I have seen a few photos of US soldiers wearing the patch on the right sleeve. I've also seen documentation referring to approval for wear of the "France War Aid" patch. I'll try to post some photos.

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I have been collecting a long time, and one of the stories, not verified by documentation, is that they were worn by Fr soldiers serving with US forces as interpreters/liaison contacts.

 

I have yet to find any documentation for approval of the patch, but since it is foreign, not something I'm that looking for continuously.

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I have or have had examples of these on the right shoulder on a 1st Division Uniform, a 29th Division Uniform as well as a 90th Division Uniform, all these were June 6th D-Day veterans and wore the arrowhead device on thier ETO ribbon bar,

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  • 7 months later...

Since most of the FRANCE patches are seen on D-Day June 6th units uniforms, could be that these all were sewn on by veterans acknowledging that they participated on the first day of D-Day?

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Since the 90th ID did not land at Normandy until 8 June 44, that kinda messes with your theory. Smith & Pelz tended to do their homework, too, when it came to describing patches pubbed in their books. C post #2.

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..

They both could be Fr soldiers.

 

We supplied the entire Fr Army with US military equipment and uniforms, head to toe.

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Tred,

Not quite debunked. The 90th ID had their 359th Infantry Regiment attached to the 4th ID for D-Day, landing on 6 June. So while the rest of the Div didn't arrive until a few days later, there was one regiment that participated in D-Day.

 

I'm not saying I agree with the D-Day vet theory, but I do believe some vets put this patch on their uniforms because they felt it showed they had fought in France.

 

Since the 90th ID did not land at Normandy until 8 June 44, that kinda messes with your theory.

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vintageproductions

..

 

Isn't the pin on the chest of the uniform related to French Aviation personnel training in the US?

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Posted earlier by member Squad Leader in Patches in Action

Posted 20 July 2014 - 03:13 AM

Trooper of the “5e Regiment de Chasseurs d’Afrique” (1st French armored division) wearing a US made “France” patch. This photography was taken in Southern France in August 1944.

The tank is a M3 Stuart. Since 1943, French army units had been re-equipped with American equipment, and trained in American doctrine.

 

 

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Interestingly enough, the Osprey Men at Arms, The French Army World War II Volume 2, depicts in one of it's color plates a French soldier of 62e RAA (62e Régiment d'Artillerie d'Afrique) of the 5e DB (5e Division Blindée) in Southern France wearing this patch too.

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I believe you are right. Come to think of it I may have been one person who posted it

 

 

 

Isn't the pin on the chest of the uniform related to French Aviation personnel training in the US?

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ocsfollowme

From the photo in post 8 & 14: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Patrick_Henry

 

 

The base served primarily as a troop staging ground during World War II under the control of the Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation.[1][2] The camp was founded in late 1942 and was an approximately 1,700-acre (6.9 km2) complex, built in largely virgin forest.[3] At its peak, Camp Patrick Henry had a capacity of hosting approximately 35,000 individuals at one time.[4] These included American troops of every branch of the military service, troops of other Allied armies, and civilians bound for special missions overseas. Although most of the military personnel processed through the Camp during the war were replacements, many noteworthy units were also staged. Complete units processed in 1943 included the 45th "Thunderbird", the 85th "Custer", and the 88th "Blue Devils" Infantry Divisions. During 1944 the camp handled the 31st "Dixie", the 91st "Powder River" and the 92nd "Buffalo" Infantry Divisions, as well as the 2nd Cavalry Division.

Nearly three quarters of a million men and women passed through the camp during 1943-44, before boarding transport ships at the Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation, most of them bound for deployment in the Western Europe. By January 31, 1946, the total number of personnel to pass through the camp was 1,412,107.[5] In the later stages of the war, the camp served as a demobilization point for many soldiers returning home.

The Camp had its own post office, restaurant, movie theater, as well as rail system which transported soldiers by train downtown to shipside at the Chesapeake Bay.

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I've had this patch for awhile which came in a grouping circa early 1980s from Manions. I was able to examine the grouping at an insignia show before the buyer placed it for sale on Manions. There was this French Troops Training With US Forces patch with the French paratrooper wing in bullion embroidered upon it, a pair of French made I guess you can call them DIs, a common US made sterling USAAC gunners wing and a diary in English. Somehow either the buyer kept the diary or it got lost at Manions but I received the grouping minus the diary. The information concerning this patch fits with what I was told that this insignia was worn by a French soldier or airmen who was training with the USAAC either in theater or in the US.

 

 

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post-1389-0-66993600-1497565673.jpg

post-1389-0-26837500-1497565697.jpg

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ocsfollowme

Looks like his serial number on the helmet chin strap.The last number look more like an I than a 1

 

 

post-122868-0-96133200-1497568789.jpg

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  • 1 year later...
  • 5 months later...

Just came across this thread while doing some searching.

 

I think there is some incorrect info here...

 

There are two patches that fall into the realm of this discussion, the more common full size France patch that's shown in this thread, and the smaller sized 'shield' France patch.

 

The smaller shield size patch was for French forces training in the US. The larger France patch was used for several situations including French forces in theater as well as US troop liaison with French forces... I'm sure there were probably a couple other instances as well.

 

Best

Scott

www.french-insignia.com

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  • 8 months later...

Wow I forgot about this FRANCE patch sighting, posted originally by member Baron3-6

pool.general.jpg

 

Lafayette Pool (right) is greeted at a special ceremony at Ft. Knox, KY, on Sept. 19, 1949 upon his rejoining the 3rd Armored Division and, at the same time, becoming a faculty member of the Army Armor School. Doing the honors is Maj. Gen. Roderick R. Allen, Division Commander during 1948-50. Pool had returned to active duty in July, 1948 with an assignment in South Carolina following his medical discharge in June, 1946 from the war injuries."

 

More on Pool.

 

https://www.flamesofwar.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=749

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  • 1 month later...

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