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What are the Rarest WWII USMC Patches


BOB K. RKSS
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Rick,

In your post about the Franklin you say no pilots were lost. I'm not sure about that. Lt. Linder has a photo + caption indicating 10 didn't come back from the tour. You might want to check the Muster Roll of VMF-214 for March '45. And here's a close up of Lt. Linder's patch.

Cheers!
Adam

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Adam,

 

These are wonderful images. How fortunate you were able to get them. I based my statement about no pilot casualties from the Franklin disaster from a source citing Bruce Gamble's The Black Sheep: The Definitive Account of VMF-214 in World War II. I don't have Gamble's book and could not check the citation, but agree it's worth exploring further. Thanks again for sharing.

 

Best Regards,

 

Rick

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VMF-311

 

Supplementing posts 209 and 210 from 2010, it seems there were four patches issued during WWII.

 

Below are three patches from my collection followed by a fourth, another version of the fully embroidered patch, shown in Millstein, p 69.

 

Type-1 Millstein's First issue; silkscreened on leather

 

Type-2 Theater-made; embroidered on wool

 

Type-3 Millstein's Second issue; theater-made fully embroidered. I have scanned Milstein's image and shown it under the other three. The stitched lettering, a raised roaped embroidery, is similar to Type-2.

 

Type-4 Fully embroidered. The issue more common to collectors, if one can say that about a rare patch, but not the one pictured in Millstein.

 

 

The three shown in this first image: Type 1, below which is Type 2 (left) and Type 4 (right).

 

VMF-311-1000.jpg

 

 

Below, for comparison, Type-3, shown in Millstein, p 69. It looks to be theater made.

VMF-311Millsteinp69-400.jpg

 

 

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Here is an image of an item not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. VMF-311 logo painted on a mason board.

 

Cheers,

 

Rick

 

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Not sure on rarity but, Disney decal on leather for VMSB-144.

 

Your Type-2 is a beauty, and not a common patch. Here's Type-1:

 

VMTB-144-600.jpg

 

VMTB-144b-600.jpg

 

 

Millstein: The word "Hensagliska" is a Sioux Indian word which when literally translated means "little warrior-brave warrior". In 1943 a patch (Type-1) was manufactured in Sydney, Australia during an R&R and issued to flight personnel only. The entire squadron was reunited and returned to the United States in January 1944 for re-organization and retraining. It was during this period in 1944 that the original design was modified and manufactured as an insignia which was issued (Type-2) to all personnel.

 

In the modified design, the background was changed to light blue, the numeral "144" was deleted for security reasons as was the "daisy-cutter" fuse.

 

 

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VMTB-134, decal on leather. This is from the memorabilia of Maj. Bill Patterson (1920-2012), one of the original 10 "Rockettes". The cockpit photo is on the USS Gilbert Islands while assigned to VMTB-143, 1945.

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VMTB-134, decal on leather. This is from the memorabilia of Maj. Bill Patterson (1920-2012), one of the original 10 "Rockettes". The cockpit photo is on the USS Gilbert Islands while assigned to VMTB-143, 1945.

 

Wow, thanks for sharing, Adam. A beautiful VMTB-134, truly a rare patch! On the cockpit photo, it almost looks like he pasted a 143 patch to the fuselage. Rick

 

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Here it is being worn by my Grandfather (far left in the service cap) and some others at an R&R outing sometime in late 44 - early 45.

 

Not sure on rarity but, Disney decal on leather for VMSB-144.

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ocsfollowme

Pre dates WW2, but a 1930s 6" Aircraft One (much harder to find than the 4" variation) chenille

 

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The 4" patch is on post #85 in this thread.

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  • 1 year later...

Hello JP.. wasn't sure how to reach out to you as I'm new to the forum; I am the cousin of Maj Robert "Cowboy" Stout and am in the midst of producing a documentary about him and the 114. I was wondering if we could chat re/the patch and logo and anything else you may know about the 114? - thanks in advance DStout

 

VMF 144 DEATH DEALERS Patch 2nd Design: Recently sold on Ebay. Designed by CO Capt. Robert Stout in 1943, the 1st design was an embroidered Australian made patch issued to Flight personnel only. The 2nd design was silk screened on canvas material and issued to all, purportedly when they ceased combat operations and returned to the states.

World War II
Marine Fighter Squadron 114 was activated on July 11, 1943 at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. They remained on the West Coast of the United States until August 1943 when they transferred to Marine Corps Air Station Ewa, Hawaii. In Hawaii, they continued their training until moving to Midway Island on December 18, 1943. They returned to Ewa in February 1944 and in March they moved first to Espiritu Santo and the Green Island. While there, they flew strike missions against Japanese garrisons that had been bypassed in the Bismarck Islands.

The first major combat that VMF-114 took part in was the Battle of Peleliu. The squadron arrived on Peleliu on September 17, 1944 and provided most of the close air support (CAS) for Marine Corps forces during the course of the battle. They also provided the preparatory bombing and CAS for the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines when they assaulted Ngesebus during the battle. The terrain on the island, earlier judged unsuitable for anything but the costliest and most difficult advances, was made passable with the aid of preparatory fire-scouring by napalm bombs from 114. MajGen William H. Rupertus, the Commanding General of the 1st Marine Division on Peleliu would say following the battle that the air support provided during the campaign was, "executed in a manner leaving little to be desired. Following the battle, they remained based on the island again assuming the role of attacking bypassed Japanese garrisons in the vicinity of the western Caroline Islands. The squadron remained in the area until they ceased combat operations on June 1, 1945.

attachicon.gifvmf114_2...____Copy.jpg

 

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Hello JP.. wasn't sure how to reach out to you as I'm new to the forum; I am the cousin of Maj Robert "Cowboy" Stout and am in the midst of producing a documentary about him and the 114. I was wondering if we could chat re/the patch and logo and anything else you may know about the 114? - thanks in advance DStout

 

 

 

I posted more about VMF-114, here.

 

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  • 4 weeks later...
ocsfollowme

These were sold on the USMF on 5/22/18 for these prices. All Australian made.

 

Raider Battalion $600

Artillery $400

Defense $400

 

 

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  • 5 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I finally acquired a legitimate Australian made WWII USMC Tank Destroyer Battalions shoulder sleeve insignia.

 

It has a few glue spots, most likely from being glued into a scrapbook, but it displays nicely with the others.

 

The best part, other that actually finding one, is that this one is attributed on the back:

 

P.FC. Robert L. Hurt U.S.M.C.

Battery C

2nd Antitank Bn.

 

-To-

 

Leta Rosenbaum

San ??????????pl

 

I believe tha PFC Robert L. Hurt later served with the assault teams of Co. B, 1st Battalion, 28th Marines at Iwo Jima.

 

More research to follow, but any assistance would be much appreciated.

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  • 1 year later...
On 1/26/2011 at 11:13 AM, teufelhunde.ret said:

USMC WW2 VMD 354 Jacket Patch. Sold on ebay (rareparchman) 1.26.2011 for $686.

 

VMD-354 was commissioned on 1 July, 1943 at MCAS Cherry Point and began training with a PBY4-1/B-24D multi-engine aircraft, the same type being flown in combat missions by VMD-154 in the South Pacific. In February, 1944 the squadron received its first F6F-3P Hellcats but continued to train in both types. In March, 1944 their squadron CO, Lt. Col E.E. Pollock, and his crew were all killed in crash of a PBY4-1. By September the decision had been made to go with the faster and better equipped F6F-3P only, and the PBYs were transferred to the Navy. Shortly after-wards a second squadron, VMD-954, was stood up with a nucleolus of officers and enlisted from 354 and 154 who had returned to CONUS. Both squadrons were moved up to an outlying field at Greenville in November, 1944.

 

On 12 April, the same day President Roosevelt died, the squadron departed Greenville by train to MCAS Miramar on the West Coast awaiting shipping to the Pacific. Capt. Louis Conti, later Major General, and current MCARA member was the newly assigned operations officer. The squadron departed to Guam via ships and the advanced party arrived on 4 May, 1945.

 

From May until 6 August when the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, VMD-354 provided photo dets to various islands in the Northern Pacific including Ulithi, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and Pelieu. In the last months before the wars end the squadron’s F6F’s with extended range tanks were tasked to photograph the potential landing areas in the Japanese home islands in preparation for the planned invasion.

 

The squadron was relieved by VMD-954 which had transitioned to the new F7F-3P Tiger Cats but too late for WW II. VMD-354 returned to CONUS in November and essentially became a paper squadron back on the East Coast until 6 December, 1946 when it was renamed VMP-354. (VMP-354 was decommissioned in 1949).

 

 

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Jeff Millstein attibutes this design to Disney Studios. Is this a correct? 

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  • 2 years later...
rathbonemuseum.com
On 8/6/2009 at 4:18 PM, jpstout said:

Aircraft 1 Patch: For me, the Holy Grail in the Marine Aviation area because of great leaders that emerged. jpstout

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A discussion on this patch for this 1933 USMC "Aicraft One" air unit patch is here:

 

 

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  • 1 year later...
mortaydc60

Would like to add these to the list of rarest Marine patches. The vast majority of the previous patches have been large squadron jacket size patches. As for the shoulder size patches one of the rarest for me would be the Aussie made anti-tank, and others of that style such as raider, etc being pretty rare. I would add the Samoan patches as the equal to the anti-tank which most would consider the rarest of the Aussie made type. However the rarest of all in my opinion are the China 4th Marine regt patches of which there are two variations,one winter the other summer.  You almost never see these available and are not that well known to most collectors. Just my opinion and would like to here others ideas as to other possible additions.

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Great looking China Marine patches Mort. Have never seen those before during the 25 years I have been collecting. Rare indeed. Thanks for posting.

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