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Green Combat Leader stripe


GIl Sanow
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  • 3 months later...

July 15, 1945. At an airfield near Brussels, Belgium President Harry S. Truman, en route to the Potsdam Conference in Germany, speaks to a member of the 137th Regiment of the 35th Division. The 35th Division was designated as honor guard because it was the President's outfit in World War I. The soldier speaking to the President is Staff Sergeant Ernie Atkin of Madisonvale, Tennessee.

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July 15, 1945. At an airfield near Brussels, Belgium President Harry S. Truman, en route to the Potsdam Conference in Germany, speaks to a member of the 137th Regiment of the 35th Division. The soldier speaking to the President is Staff Sergeant Ernie Atkin of Madisonvale, Tennessee.

 

Staff Sergeant Atkin is also a Silver Star recipient.

 

Shade Ruff

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  • 3 weeks later...

Instructor from the Seventh Army NCO Academy in 1961. The tabs are definitely not the standard green. Any idea what color they are? White? Infantry blue?

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Instructor from the Seventh Army NCO Academy in 1961. The tabs are definitely not the standard green. Any idea what color they are? White? Infantry blue?

Could be Yellow as well.

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  • 7 months later...

To [General] George Catlett Marshall May 29, 1944

Confidential

Dear General: I have just approved a project for placing on the uniform of commanders of actual combat units, a distinctive marking. In this Theater we have encountered such a variety of staff activities, all of which are manned by commissioned officers, that it becomes exceedingly difficult to give any kind of recognition to the man that definitely leads troops in action. The form of the marking we are adopting is a narrow green band around the shoulder loop of the officer’s uniform, and for the enlisted man a narrow green stripe just below his chevron. We intend this to be worn by every man who commands others in combat echelons, and no one higher than Army Commander will be allowed to wear it.

This matter has been under discussion between [General Omar] Bradley and me, along with a few others, for a long time and we have come to the definite conclusion that it is a very good thing. The second a man ceases to command a combat unit he takes off his marking.

I feel quite sure that the War Departments could have no strong objection to the contemplated action as long as it applied merely as a Theater matter and the distinctive marking is removed before any officer or enlisted man returns home. On the other hand, it occurred to me that you might like to consider the matter as having some desirable application to the whole Army.

The marking itself will be nothing but a small, inexpensive piece of green cloth.

Sincerely,

[signed General Dwight D. Eisenhower]

*General Marshall approved the concept on May 29, 1944.

 

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Correct officers wore them on the shoulder loops and enlised wore them on the sleeves.

 

I recall seeing it mentioned in a Yank magazine as well.

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Correct officers wore them on the shoulder loops and enlised wore them on the sleeves.

 

I recall seeing it mentioned in a Yank magazine as well.

I was searching the net for how these came to be as nothing I could hang my hat on was in this thread and found a post by a guy who wrote a paper on the origins of the combat leadership stripe. https://mwi.usma.edu/201496genesis-of-the-army-green-tab/

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crotalus358

Here's the last example that I have left in my uniform collection; unfortunately, no ID on this one. Despite having some moth nips throughout, there are some interesting details on this one, including the green-backed CIB,with homemade security, the numbered collar brass, ribbons for PTO (including an arrowhead - I'll get to that) and ETO, and felt 7th Infantry Division patch.

 

The 159th Infantry Regiment was rolled into the 106th Infantry Division in April 1945, after they fought on Attu, which I assume the arrowhead on the PTO ribbon signifies. Interesting that this non-com was able to keep his former unit's collar brass and DIs - does anyone know if this was standard practice/authorized? Here's generalized summary from Wikipedia on the 159th:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/159th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)

 

Since there theoretically were nine non-coms within Company M (assuming infantry only) that could have seen combat on Attu, I wonder if it'd be possible to narrow this uniform down and pin an ID to it?

 

Thanks for looking!

 

Steve

 

post-128862-0-38380100-1554308788_thumb.jpg

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crotalus358

Photos of the ribbons and green-backed CIB. This is the only example of a backed-CIB that I've ever come across.

 

Thanks for looking!

 

Steve

post-128862-0-57893700-1554308887.jpg

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Here's the last example that I have left in my uniform collection; unfortunately, no ID on this one. Despite having some moth nips throughout, there are some interesting details on this one, including the green-backed CIB,with homemade security, the numbered collar brass, ribbons for PTO (including an arrowhead - I'll get to that) and ETO, and felt 7th Infantry Division patch.

 

The 159th Infantry Regiment was rolled into the 106th Infantry Division in April 1945, after they fought on Attu, which I assume the arrowhead on the PTO ribbon signifies. Interesting that this non-com was able to keep his former unit's collar brass and DIs - does anyone know if this was standard practice/authorized? Here's generalized summary from Wikipedia on the 159th:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/159th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)

 

Since there theoretically were nine non-coms within Company M (assuming infantry only) that could have seen combat on Attu, I wonder if it'd be possible to narrow this uniform down and pin an ID to it?

 

Thanks for looking!

 

Steve

 

Of course he would still wear the 159th's insignia. The 159th Infantry as well as the 3rd Infantry were attached to the 106th Infantry Division to replace the two regiments of the division lost at the Battle of the Bulge. This soldier would have no reason to switch insignia if he remained assigned to M Company, 159th Infantry.

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crotalus358

Of course he would still wear the 159th's insignia. The 159th Infantry as well as the 3rd Infantry were attached to the 106th Infantry Division to replace the two regiments of the division lost at the Battle of the Bulge. This soldier would have no reason to switch insignia if he remained assigned to M Company, 159th Infantry.

Thanks for the info. I couldn't find clear indication if the 159th was rolled into the 106th's cadre, or if they retained their ID when they were brought in to replace the losses the 106th experienced during the Bulge.

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Government Issue

Any thoughts on where the green felt material was sourced from to make these field made stripes? The earliest ones I've seen depicted in the thread were from combat coats in January 1945. The color of these stripes reminds me of the bottleneck green collars that the Germans preferred on their field tunics. Any chance a lot of these stripes could be the same if not similar material sourced in Germany as Allied Forces occupied the country in 1945?

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  • 2 weeks later...

Enlisted soldier of the Medical Corps with leadership tabs with the DUI of the 759th Military Police Battalion and SSI of the 42nd Military Police Brigade. This soldier served with the 984th MP Company which was assigned to the 759th. Do MP companies have medical units with enlisted leadership slots?

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Enlisted soldier of the Medical Corps with leadership tabs with the DUI of the 759th Military Police Battalion and SSI of the 42nd Military Police Brigade. This soldier served with the 984th MP Company which was assigned to the 759th. Do MP companies have medical units with enlisted leadership slots?

Interesting one. I wouldnd't thought a MP Battalion had a Medical Platoon or Detachment in it, no less in an MP Company.

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  • 1 month later...

Glidersist of the 82nd Airborne Division with a green leadership tab. Note he's a corporal. I'm not sure what unit the oval behind the wings represents, but it looks like he's wearing Coast Artillery branch insignia.

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BILL THE PATCH

Glidersist of the 82nd Airborne Division with a green leadership tab. Note he's a corporal. I'm not sure what unit the oval behind the wings represents, but it looks like he's wearing Coast Artillery branch insignia.

He was probably in a glider artillery unit, and the oval is most likey solid red. I've seen coastal artillery brass on other uniforms. Were there any units in the 82nd converted from coastal art to glider art?. Or he transferred from the coastal art in to the abn and never changed his brass.

 

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

 

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BILL THE PATCH

My guess would be he's a Trooper in the 80th Airborne Anti Aircfrat Artillery Battallion, remembering AAA Officers and Men wore the Coast Artillery Branch Insignia for the most part as AAA was under the CAC in WWII

https://www.ww2-airborne.us/units/80/80.html

 

Posted Image

Bingo Kev, I was trying to remember that

 

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

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