WW I Shoulder & Helmet Insignia of the 35th Division, AEF

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 100: Three close ups of the above and two other 139^th MG Battalion painted helmets.

 

All photos courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

[world war I nerd]

Red Outer-Circle

35^th Division, 60^th Field Artillery Brigade

 

The insignia worn by the organizations within the 60^th FA Brigade were all characterized by a red outer-ring. Those units were the:

• 60^th FA Brigade HQ
• 128^th FA Regiment
• 129^th FA Regiment
• 130^th FA Regiment
• 110^th Trench Mortar Battery

Photo No. 101: This official Signal Corps portrait of Colonel G.A. Taylor, the commanding officer of the 128^th FA Regiment shows the commander wearing a shoulder patch, similar to the hand embroidered example in the inset, which is comprised of one blue quadrant and three red quadrants within a red outer-ring. The blue quadrant on this particular SSI has been made using either an extremely dark blue or black mercerized cotton embroidery thread.

 

Background photo courtesy of the National World War I Museum

Inset courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 102: The color of all four quadrants and the outer-ring on the 60^th FA Brigade HQ insignia were all to be red. The shoulder patches shown below, clockwise from upper left, were fabricated using the window pane applique, chain stitch, machine embroidered, and two hand embroidered methods of manufacture.

 

Upper left, upper right & bottom center photos courtesy of Griffin Militaria.com

Bottom left & right hand photos courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 103: One blue and three red quadrants within a red outer-circle were the prescribed colors for the 128^th FA Regiment. One hand embroidered (upper left), two applique (upper right & bottom center) and two window pane applique (lower Left & right) shoulder patches are displayed in this montage.

 

Upper left, lower left & lower center photos courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

Upper right photo courtesy of the WW I Collector collection

Lower right hand photo courtesy of the Trenchraider1918 collection

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 104: The red and blue insignia of the 128^th FA Regiment has been painted on the side of a steel helmet whose rim was punched in triplicate with small holes that were intended to accommodate the never used Wilmer Eye Shield.

 

Photo courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 105: More stenciled steel helmets bearing the 128^th FA Regiment insignia in which the odd colored quadrant has been painted using blue, dark blue and black paint.

 

Upper left, upper center, upper right, lower left & lower center photos courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

Lower right hand photo courtesy of the Missouri Over There collection

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 106: Full view of the 128^th FA Regiment painted helmet whose black colored quadrant appeared in the lower right hand corner of the above photo.

 

Photo courtesy of the Missouri Over There collection

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 107: The insignia of the 129^th FA Regiment was composed of one yellow and three red quadrants within a red outer-circle. The five examples depicted in this collection are, clockwise from upper left, are: applique, machine embroidered, chain stitched, window pane applique, and, hand embroidered.

 

Top left, top right & bottom center photos courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

Lower left & lower right hand photo courtesy of Griffin Militaria.com

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 108: A stenciled steel helmet whose sides have been painted with the insignia of the 129^th FA Regiment.

 

Photo courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 109: The 130^th FA Regiment’s shoulder insignia was comprised of one white and three red quadrants within a red outer-circle. The construction method used to construct this selection of SSI from that regiment, clockwise from upper left, are: chain stitched, hand embroidered, another chain stitched, applique, circle and cross applique, and applique.

 

Top center photo courtesy of Griffin Militaria.com

Top center, top right, lower left & lower right photos courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 110: The red and white emblem of the 130^th FA Regiment has been painted onto the sides of this steel helmet.

 

Photo courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 111: The three close up views of red-ringed, 60^th Artillery Brigade painted helmets represent, from left to right, an unknown organization whose quadrants are composed of two red and two black (or blue) alternating quadrants – the 129^th and 130^th FA Regiments respectively.

 

Left hand photo courtesy of the Missouri Over There collection

Center & right hand photos courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 112: Overall view of the steel helmet bearing the unidentified alternating red and black quadrants that presumably hailed from the 60^th Artillery Brigade.

 

Photo courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 113: The last of the officially recognized 60^th Artillery Brigade shoulder patches is that of the 110^th Trench Mortar Battery. This insignia is composed of one green and three red quadrants within a red outer-ring. All three examples have been machine embroidered. They also appear to have been manufactured by the same firm, or at least by the same machine embroidery equipment using the same raw materials.

 

All photos courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

[world war I nerd]

Unauthorized &Unidentified 35^th Division Color Combinations

While gathering the photographs used to illustrate this post, a number of 35^th Division shoulder and helmet insignia whose outer-ring and quadrant color combinations are, as yet, unidentified were found. In addition to the handful of color anomalies already mentioned in photo numbers, 65, 83 & 87, a further eighteen 35^th Division insignia are waiting for a positive identification. Of those insignia:

• Five designs were sewn onto Doughboy service coats. All are presumed to be authentic.
• Six designs were on untrimmed or unused shoulder patches. Some of which may have been manufactured long after the Great War ended.
• Six others were discovered while examining a poor quality photograph of patches sewn onto a WW I era “patch blanket” comprised entirely of 35^th Division insignia. Although I have no reason to doubt the authenticity of the patch blanket, I have not been able to discover the origin of the blanket. Nor have I been able to verify the approximate date on which it was made. All, but one of the unidentified designs found on that blanket is represented in this post by either a graphic or an actual shoulder patch.
• And one design was painted onto the sides of a steel helmet, which is also presumed to be authentic.

At the time of posting it is not known if these unknown designs were officially authorized at some point by the AEF or 35^th Division HQ – or if they were unofficially conceived by Doughboys belonging to a smaller organization within the 35^th Division that did not qualify for an insignia of its own – or if they were fantasy pieces created by post war insignia vendors in an effort to boost flagging sales – or if they are simply fakes created with the sole purpose of enhancing the seller’s pocketbook.

 

If any viewer of this post can shed any light whatsoever, on the origin of the unidentified SSI, or have a theory in respect to what unit it may represent, please post the evidence you have or explain your deductions.

 

Unknown 35^th Division Insignia: Auxiliary Units

In order to ensure that each AEF Infantry Division operated efficiently while at the front, a number of auxiliary, support units were assigned to each division on a permanent or semi-permanent basis. Often these supplementary organizations unofficially, semi-officially or officially wore the insignia of the parent division with whom it operated.

 

The following list is composed of the known non-divisional, auxiliary units that were commonly posted to AEF Infantry divisions that operated in France during the Great War. As already stated, many AEF divisions allowed the personnel of some or all of the non-divisional auxiliary units that served closely with their division to wear their division, regiment or brigade shoulder patch.

• Clothing unit (Quartermaster Corps)
• Clothing & bath unit (Quartermaster Corps)
• Mobile laundry company (Quartermaster Corps)
• Railhead detachments (Quartermaster Corps)
• Postal service unit (Quartermaster Corps)
• Sales Commissary Detachment (Quartermaster Corps)
• Salvage Units (Quartermaster Corps)
• Mobile Ordnance Repair Shop (Ordnance Department)
• Sanitary Squad (Medical Department (?)
• Mobile surgical units (Medical Department)
• Mobile Veterinary Unit (Medical Department)
• Motor Supply Company (Motor Transport Corps)
• Motor Service Parks (Motor Transport Corps)

At the time of posting the following auxiliary units from the above list are known to have been attached to the 35^th Division at the time of the St. Mihiel offensive and possibly beyond. It is not known if the below organizations were authorized to wear the shoulder insignia of the 35^th Infantry Division.

However, if they did officially or unofficially adopt the Santa Fe Cross emblem as their SSI, it’s possible that they may have devised an entirely new color combination for the insignia’s quadrants and or incorporated a new outer-ring color:

• 110^th Mobile Ordnance Repair Shop
• 110^th Motor Supply Company
• 112^th Mobile Veterinary Unit
• Sanitary Squad No. 19
• Sales Commissary Detachment No. 9
• Salvage Unit No. 304 and 305

There is no evidence to suggest that any or all of the above organizations adopted the 35^th Division’s Santa Fe Cross insignia and then devised a quadrant color scheme that was unique to that unit … but it certainly is possible. Therefore, it is important to keep an open mind until definitive proof either verifies that fact or proves it to be false.

 

35th Division: Unidentified Blue Outer-Ring

35^th Division insignia with a blue outer-ring were typically associated with Division HQ. Therefore, it is presumed that all of the following unidentified blue-ringed shoulder patches were, in one way or another affiliated to a smaller organizations or even a sub-unit within a smaller organization that operated under the command umbrella of the Division HQ and its affiliated units.

 

Photo No. 114: All three of these unused SSI are composed of two blue and two yellow, alternating quadrants within a blue outer-ring. Of the three patches, only the Liberty Loan style on the far left is known for a fact to have been manufactured during the WW I era.

 

Center & right hand photos courtesy of Griffin Militaria.com.

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 115: Three different Division HQ insignia whose inner disc is made up of various configurations of blue and red quadrants. The left hand and center examples are both unused SSI, and the design on the right, represented by a graphic, was copied from a patch that was sewn onto the aforementioned patch blanket.

 

Left hand & center photos courtesy of Griffin Militaria.com

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 116: Two more blue-ringed mystery insignia, each bearing two blue & two yellow quadrants within a blue outer-ring. The left hand SSI is was never used, and its neighbor to the right was sewn onto the sleeve of a service coat whose collar discs were not visible.

 

Left hand photo courtesy of Griffin Militaria.com

Right hand photo courtesy of the WWII Jake collection

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 117: These two identical insignia (left & right), each have one blue and three red quadrants within a blue outer-ring. One SSI was sewn onto a service coat bearing a Medical Department collar disc and the other onto an overcoat belonging to the same soldier. The center image is a darkened copy of the left hand photo, which when darkened showed that the outer-ring and single quadrant were both blue. Based on the presence of the medical collar disc, this insignia may signify a medical section or represent a sanitary squad attached to Division HQ.

 

All photos courtesy of advance Guard Militaria.com

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 118: This untrimmed and unused SSI is composed up of one blue and three orange quadrants within a blue outer-ring. Orange was one half of the orange and white branch of service colors of the Signal Corps. This may suggest that this insignia may have been used by the wireless, telephone, telegraph or pigeon sections that operated with 35^th Division HQ.

 

Photo courtesy of Griffin Militaria.com

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 119: This unidentified and rather unusual, three piece, applique design was stitched onto a woolen service coat bearing an infantry collar disc. It is thought that the outer ring is blue and that red was the intended background color. Its cross however, has been cut from olive drab woolen cloth.

 

Photo courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 120: Overall view of the service coat and shoulder patch whose outer ring could be either blue or red. There is no evidence to suggest that this insignia represents a MG Company or Battalion. The combined colors of red and blue were however, the prescribed branch of service colors for all infantry machine gun organizations.

 

Photos courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

[world war I nerd]

35th Division: Unidentified Black Outer-Ring

All of the organizations that made up the 70^th Infantry Brigade wore an insignia that was surrounded by a black outer-ring.

 

Photo No. 121: Due to the presence of a black outer-ring encircling the one yellow and three blue quadrants, this insignia is presumed to represent a unit within that brigade. Anecdotal information suggests that one yellow quadrant and three blue quadrants were correct for a Regiment’s HQ Company. Thus far, I have not been able to verify this assertion or to prove it false.

 

Photo courtesy of the Chap15 collection

[world war I nerd]

35th Division: Unidentified Purple Outer-Ring

In the original March 1918 division memo that announced the insignia colors of the 35^th Division, there was no mention of a purple outer-ring or of purple quadrants. Therefore it is assumed that insignia bearing those colors are either unofficial or were adopted long after the initial memo had been issued. Because of the purple color’s association with the Motor Transport Corps, it is my theory that these insignia represent the 110^th Motor Supply Company or possibly of a Motor Service Park assigned to the 35^th Division.

 

Photo No. 122: Both of the insignia bearing four purple quadrants within a gold bullion outer-ring were found on officer’s service coats bearing Motor Transport Corps collar insignia. The center shoulder patch with one red and three purple quadrants within a purple outer ring was never used and is in unissued condition.

 

Left & right hand photos courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

Center photo courtesy of Griffin Militaria.com

[world war I nerd]

Photo No. 123: Here one of the above gold bullion ringed Santa Fe Cross emblems bearing four purple quadrants is shown as it was sewn onto an officer’s service coat bearing Motor Transport Corps collar insignia.

 

Photos courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

[world war I nerd]

In addition to the above mentioned non-division auxiliary support units, each Artillery and Infantry Regiment had a HQ detachment divided into a staff section, intelligence section, orderly section and band section (315 officers & EM). Also, the following organizations were attached to each Infantry Regiment’s HQ:

• Quartermaster Corps Detachment
• Supply Company (164 officers & EM)
• MG Company (172 officers & EM)
• Medical Detachment (48 officers & EM)
• Sanitary Squad
• Signals Platoon
• Sappers and Bombers Platoon
• Pioneer Platoon
• One Pound Gun Platoon.

In the case of the 35^th Division, it’s entirely possible that some or all of the additional units assigned to the various regimental HQ adopted variations of the division’s Santa Fe logo with quadrants that were composed of color combinations that were never mentioned in the 35^th Division’s March, 1918 color key. Further research must be done in order to ferret out any information of this type.

 

35^th Division: Unidentified Buff Outer-Ring

A photograph of a patch blanket comprised solely of WW I era 35^th Division insignia appeared in an article written by Scott Porter, titled “Distinctive SSI of the 35^th Division in WW I”. That article was published in the July-September, 2009 edition of the Trading Post. After identifying the twenty-four known variations on the blanket that were originally described in the March 1918 memo, eleven shoulder patches remained unidentified. Four featured blue outer-rings and five were encompassed by what looked like a buff colored outer-ring. The four unrecognized blue-ringed insignia are shown in photo number 114 and 115 of this post. The five buff ringed SSI are shown in photo number 125 of this post. Sadly, no information regarding the origin of the patch blanket or a description of its contents was provided in the otherwise, very informative article.

 

Photo No. 124: In this image of the patch blanket, titles were added to the known 35^th Division insignia. The unidentified blue-ringed SSI are surrounded by a blue circle and those bearing buff (or possibly faded yellow) outer-rings are encircled in red. Also of note is that the shoulder patch on the blanket identified as that of the 317^th Bakery Company, featured a buff-colored outer ring, not blue, which was the color called for in the March 1918 division memo.

 

Photo courtesy of the Trading Post magazine