WWII Ranger/FSSF/474th Ike

[Kadet]

I picked up this jacket a few months ago, mainly because it had one of the rare French made 474th patches on it. The other night I was looking at it more closely and discovered that it once had a Ranger scroll and SSG stripes on it. This insignia was removed so long ago that there is no sign of it on the exterior, but the thread remnants are definitely there. It also had a Ruptured Duck at one time, again long gone. No sign at all of overseas stripes, inside or out. The only naming in the jacket are the initials E.F. (at least thats what I think it is). My assumption is that this Ike belonged to a man that was transferred to the FSSF, then to the 474th. Ranger material is not my forte...but the only match I could find on the rosters is attached. Any thoughts from those that collect/specialize in Ranger items?

[Kadet]

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[wooley12]

Interesting Ike. And mysterious. My father was in the 1st Ranger/FSSF/474th. I have a spreadsheet that attempts to list all of the Rangers that were transferred into the FSSF listing which Ranger battalion they came from and which FSSF unit they went into. About 1000 names and none are from the 2nd. Your guy enlisted in Sept. of 44. Maybe your man was a late 2nd Btn replacement and went directly to the 474th? That patch is sewn crudely IMO. The 474th was directed from the top to look sharp when they went to Norway. I'm not a uniform expert. My dad's Ike looks like a tailor did it. And it has another man's name in it but the reason of why makes sense and adds to the story .

[Kadet]

Thanks. The patch is actually beautifully hand sewn in a decorative cross stitch, although some of the threads are broken. Ferguson enlisted 9 January 1942, although I am really not sure about the name. If there were no second battalion men transferred to the FSSF that would rule him out. There are a number of NCOs with those initials in the online roster that could have served as a SSG at some point. He was the only one specifically listed as a SSG. Also possible that the letters are not someone's initials. An interesting jacket none the less...

[wooley12]

Like I said, I'm no expert and only really know that anything is possible and nothing is certain about those days. Dad finished the war as a truck driver with a medical detachment in the 474th and got his Ike from a guy he'd served with in the FSSF and was the quartermaster on the liberty ship that brought them home to NYC. Good to be pals with the QM for sure. I hope you can find out more about your Ike.

[Kadet]

Thanks, the other two data points about Ferguson are that he was medically evacuated to the US from a hospital in the UK in late March 1945 and that he was discharged on 23 October 1945