Can Anyone ID This "Jugoslan" Patch...?

[SteyrAUG]

Top right among my grandfathers belongings. Top turret (B-24) 15th AAF. His plane was shot down over Ploesti and he spent months in Romania dodging gestapo and the like. He spoke German and grew up on a farm so found a sympathetic family who let him "work their farm" until he eventually found his way back to Italy where he was stationed.

 

Obviously Yugoslavia is right next door to the west but I have no idea what that patch actually is.

[Allan H.]

Those appear to be an uncut pair of Yugoslavia nationality titles which would have been worn on British uniforms by the army in exile.

 

Allan

[patches]

Is  JUGOSLAN the correct way of spelling this?

 

In any event, while info is not too plentiful, IE photos etc, there was a Yugoslavian Army unit apparently in Italy, the 1st Battalion, Royal Yugoslav Guard it was first in Africa. And we image they were uniformed and "Kitted Out" by the British, and perhaps this title flash was worn by them?

 

From the WIKI on the Royal Yugoslavian Army.

 

Subsequently, a unit titled "1st Battalion, Royal Yugoslav Guards" was formed in Alexandria, Egypt. This unit saw action in North Africa with the 4th Indian Division but was later disbanded in Italy in 1944 as its strength dwindled and the unit was plagued by infighting between royalist and pro-Josip Broz Tito factions.

 

And this more detailed talk on the Axis Forum.

 

https://www.forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=170224

 

One source I have in a book states 900 Yugoslavian Soldiers escaped to the Middle East were incorporated as a Battalion of the King's Own Royal Regiment, that I haven't been able to determine nor confirm as, none of the histories of the battalions of the King's Own Royal Regiment during WWII make mention of a large infusion of Yugoslavian personnel into one of the battalions of the regiment no less an entire battalion forming a battalion of the regiment. This "Battalion" may be the 1st Battalion, Royal Yugoslav Guard and maybe the King's Own Royal Regiment was its sponsor???? There were two battalions of the King's Own Royal Regiment in Egypt at one time or another, 1st Battalion and 2nd Battalions King's Own Royal Regiment .

[Franklin45]

I can't add much to the 'JUGOSLAN' shoulder titles unfortunately.  Perhaps it is simply a contraction to ease manufacture just as the names of British Army regiments on similar shoulder titles were often shortened? i.e. GLOSTER instead of the full GLOUCESTERSHIRE although both types were used.  The spelling of Jugoslavia with a 'J' instead of a 'Y' was common in English during that period.

 

However regarding contact between 15th Air Force B-24 crews and Yugoslavian personnel there are a few options aside from being forced down over Yugoslavia itself.

 

There was a small detachment of aircrew from the Royal Yugoslavian Air Force in exile who flew B-24's as part of the 512th Bomb Squadron, 376th Bomb Group (Heavy) from November 1943 to August 1944.  The 376th BG was part of the 15th AF by that time.  According to the info at the link below the detachment comprised 40 officers and enlisted men who were formed into 4 B-24 crews.  3 of the 4 crews were lost.

 

A write up on the Yugo crews of the 512th BS can be found here: https://www.armyaircorps-376bg.com/yugo_crews.html

 

Outside of the 512th BS 15th Air Force B-24 crews from any Group could also have come into contact with Yugoslavian personnel as a result of making an emergency landing in Yugoslav controlled territory.  The island of Vis off the Dalmatian coast came under Partisan control following the Italian surrender in 1943 and was in use as a forward landing strip for allied aircraft from 1944 until the end of the war.

 

According to this article https://484th.org/Torretta Flyer/TF11/PDF/TF11-27.pdf the airfield at Vis hosted a 10 man group of American maintenance personnel from June 1944 commanded by a USAAF Capt. S.R. Keator.  The USAAF maintenance party repaired aircraft sufficiently for them to make the return flight across the Adriatic to bases in Italy.

 

More info about the airfield at Vis with photos of USAAF B-24s under repair can be found here: https://forgottenairfields.com/airfield-vis-69.html

 

 

[Franklin45]

Here is a short newsreel piece which shows B-24s and B-17s being repaired after landing on Vis.

 

 

[patches]

Perhaps the JUGOSLAN titles are Italian made? And are an ERROR, it suposed to be JUGOSLAV?

[SteyrAUG]

Some great info. Thanks guys. Really appreciate it.

 

Just another question I wish I had been astute enough to ask when my grandfather was still with us.

[manayunkman]

Can you post a better picture of the insignia, front and back?

[patches]

Just seen in my new Osprey Men at Arms on No.10 (Inter-Allied) Commando that the Yugoslavian Troop fought a bit in Italy, so perhaps another source for the tab.