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Original CIB Regulations - 1943or 1945


Steve B.
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Does anyone have a copy, or know where I can find a copy, of the original regulations governing award of the CIB.

 

I am looking for the original, WWII version of the regulation which should be dated 1943 or 1944.

 

I can find the modern version and back about ten years or so, but the wartime reg is eluding me.

 

I am involved in a debate (again!) about who is/was eligible for the CIB in WWII, and the actual reg should be able to answer that.  The biggest question is whether the regulation specifies an awardee must have an infantry MOS or just be assigned to an infantry unit.

 

Thanks for any help.

 

Steve

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Prior to these documents, the War Department published “Circulars” pertaining to many things, including the CIB. The book by Tucker cites War Department Circular #269 as stating that the CIB is for “Infantry Personnel”. 
 

I have not been able to find copies of the various circulars issued in 1943 & 44 that pertain to the CIB. 
 

this debate comes up often, but only Infantrymen were eligible to be awarded the CIB. 
 

it is also very possible that early on, some commanders attempted to award CIB to non-infantry personnel under their command. This was especially true in Korea, when there was a big push to award CIBs to forward observers/artillerymen. 

 

 

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I will add that I have this same debate before to no avail; some people just want their veteran friend/relative to have a CIB and nothing changes their mind. We should remember that not being awarded a CIB takes nothing away from an individuals wartime service.
The CIB was created to boost Infantry morale during hard times in the Pacific, North Africa and Italy when US Infantrymen made up only about 14% of all service members overseas but accounted for over 50% of all US casualties. 

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On 8/11/2020 at 10:41 PM, rd12 said:

Here is AR 600-70 from March 1954, this is the earliest AR that I have found a copy of that includes the CIB. 
 

6B330847-F8E0-4C15-8456-477C9D3CFF47.jpeg

 

I think 13.(2) is where the argument that "only Infantry personnel" received CIBs becomes complicated.  This 1954 reg clearly states that officers commanding infantry organizations for 30 days or more were exceptions and therefore eligible for the award.  I think going by the 'spirit' of this regulation might have resulted in non-infantry personnel being awarded CIBs, but realize that the preponderance of such awards was likely a grunt handing an FO, medic, or other soldier living in the foxholes his CIB in recognition of their shared sacrifice. 

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I once owned an M42 jacket named to an airborne medic who had been officially awarded a CIB. He was a medic all the way through the war, and the CIB was entered on his discharge document. Here is another somewhat humorous example that I have in one of my OSS groups. Note the list of OSS recipients includes members of the CAC and FA...and even a Sailor! The OSS also struggled with the correct name of the award...but things were like that in the OSS. 

 

They were definitely awarded to non infantrymen...but not always properly.

IMG_2101.jpg

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Very neat memo.  Shows the early confusion about the badge, including the name! It is interesting that it references circular 322, that is another one I will look for.  This is a recommendation for award, not the actual award. This is to the Regimental Commander who had the approval authority. Very cool, thanks for adding. I have not seen many period documents (memorandums, orders, etc..) referencing the CIB

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  • 8 months later...
seanmc1114

I have seen the various War Department Circulars posted in another topic on this forum before. I think I have them saved somewhere and will try to find them to post here. It is clear as you read how the regulations evolved during World War II that there was a lot of initial confusion over exactly who was and was not eligible and the War Department tried to clarify that thyrough the changes throughout 1943, 1944 and 1945. 

 

Another interest facet of the early regualtions is that they provided that the Combat Infantryman Badge was to be awarded for exemplary conduct in action against the enemy. In addition to being awarded for meeting prescribed standards of training, as it is now, the Expert Infantryman Badge was also initially authorized as kind of a lesser award of the CIB for soldiers who showed satisfactory duty in action against the enemy. Until recently, I had never seen any actual orders distinguishing between the two. However, I have now found the following:

 

First, is a copy of general orders of the 359th Infantry Regiment that attempts to explain the difference bewtween the requirements for the CIB and the EIB when awarded for action in combat. Basically, it attempts to distinguish between those soldiers who simply did their duty under combat situations vs. those who displayed more initiative. Based on the distinctions spelled out here, this helps to explain why the War Department authorized the Bronze Star Medal to all World War II recipients of the CIB in 1947.

 

http://www.90thdivisionassoc.org/afteractionreports/PDF/359thInf/1944/359th GO 44 33.pdf

 

Second, here is a list of general orders of the 155th Infantry Regiment from World War II. A review of the orders shows that both the EIB abd CIB were awarded for action in actual combat and the orders distinguish between those who displayed satisfactory performance of duty in combat vs. those who showed exemplary performance.

 

http://www.indianamilitary.org/31STINFDIV/References/GeneralOrders/155/155.htm

 

 

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seanmc1114

Here is a copy of War Department Circular 186 from 11 May 1944. This is the third version of the CIB award regulation and I think this is the first one to indicate the CIB and EIB were restricted to infatntry personnel assigned to infantry regiments or lower infantry units. I think the earlier two circulars mentioned the awards were for infantry personnel but did not declare that they must be assigned to an infantry unit, which had led to some awards being granted to other type units such as engineers. I will post others as I find them.

WD Circular186.11May1944.01.jpg

WD Circular186.11May1944.02.jpg

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seanmc1114

Here is the text of a 1944 letter from Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall in reply to a letter from Eleanor Roosevwelt. This addresses an issue that ultimately led to the creation of the Combat Medical Badge. Apparently medics attached to infantry units were originally awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge. In addition to the prestige of the badge itself, it had a more immediate effect on the recipient as well. He received an extra $10.00 in pay each month. Adjusted for inflation, that would be roughly $150.00 today, certainly nothing to sneeze at.

 

As best as I can tell, the issue of awarding CIB's to medics wasn't the same as whether they might be awarded to combat engineers, signalmen, artillerymen, etc. who often endured the same miserable front line existence as infantrymen. The specific reason for rescinding the award of the CIB to medics was because of the fear that awarding soldiers who were specifically considered to be non-combatants a combat infantry badge might result in them losing their protected status under the Geneva Convention. World War II cartoonist and veteran of the 45th Infantry Division referred to this controversy in his book "Up Front" and states that it was actually infantrymen who raised so much fuss over the rescission of the CIB's to medics that the War Department eventually created the separate Combat Medical Badge in 1945.

 

That was also the basis of his cartoon someone posted above whre the clerk is telling the medic he doesn't get combat pay because he doesn't fight. Of course the irony demonstrated by the cartoon is that the clerk, having an infantry MOS and being assigned to an infantry company, is wearing the Combat Infantryman Badge on his clean uniform. 

 

 https://www.marshallfoundation.org/library/digital-archive/to-mrs-franklin-d-roosevelt-3/

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