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Patches in action: Photos of SSI being worn by the troops.


Teamski
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Here's one I'm not too sure about. This is a picture my father took during his AIT at Fort Polk in 1967. The soldier on the left is wearing a pocket patch that looks like the 163rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. If so, why? At the time, the 163rd was a unit of the Montana National Guard. Could he have been a Guardsman who was already serving with his home unit before reporting for AIT?

 

 

Ft Polk Inf AIT, that fact brings up a fly in the ointment, being that this post's Inf AIT only trained Vietnam bound 11B and Cs, thats what the understanding is at any rate.

 

So, if he was Vietnam bound he could very well of been an 11B NG in the 163rd ACR and voluntered for active duty and Vietnam, common enough, as witnessed by the fair amount of troops from the 69th Inf Bde (sep) Kansas NG that are down on record of volunteering for active duty and Vietnam, but my info on the NG patches still would be correct, several NG units gave there youngters special unit patches to wear before heading off to Basic/AIT.

I can't remember if I ever replied to this post in this topic, but I think I cleared up what the pocket patch in question was. It is referenced in another topic in this forum: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/271081-drill-corporal-course-ft-polk-academy/

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Photo of Patton wearing the Seventh Army patch but probably taken after Sicily in the Fall of 1943. Any idea what the patch is below Seventh Army?

 

 

Looks like a Polish unit.It looks like he's putting a 7th Army patch on one of the Polish soldiers.

 

 

Yep, that is the 2nd Polish Corps. The Polish soldier looks like General Anders, CG.....

 

-Ski

Here's another photo from the same event. It is definitely Polish General Wladyslaw Anders who in this picture can better be seen also wearing the Seventh Army SSI. Also note that it appears General Anders is wearing one of General Patton's U.S. collar insignia and General Patton is wearing a Polish insignia in place of his U.S. insignia.

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There has been some speculation in this topic and others over whether the Seventh Army SSI was worn by Patton or anyone else during the campaign on Sicily from July to August 1943. So far, the evidence seems to point to the answer being negative, with most if not all pictures of Patton wearing the Seventh Army SSI being identified as later in 1943 or even early 1944 before he was transferred to England. MY question is whether Patton ever wore the II Corps SSI during his brief six weeks or so in command of that unit in Tunisia. Most photos from his period in the Mediterranean from November 1942 to Fall 1943 show him wearing the I Armored Corps SSI, both before and after he commanded II Corps, some even appearing to show him wearing I Armored Corps even while commanding II Corps. Any thoughts?

 

Here are a couple of photos of Patton wearing the Seventh Army SSI, probably from his post-Sicily period where he travelled around the Mediterranean theater on inspection tours. What I find interesting is that he is wearing a fourragere in the first.

 

 

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BILL THE PATCH

Philippine Department SSI worn post-WWII by Corporal William Elliott, a Bataan Death March survivor.

Is that an abn oval or cmb hard to tell

 

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

 

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BILL THE PATCH

Is that an abn oval or cmb hard to tell

 

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

Nvmd, I read further down

 

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

 

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26th Infantry Division, probably in World War II but possibly stateside soon after the war where the division was part of the Army National Guard.

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101st Airborne Division military police in World War II. Note the divisional SSI painted in the helmets and the wide variety of uniforms. Were certain elements of the divisional MP company parachute qualified and other glider qualified?

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BILL THE PATCH

Paratrooper in World War II wearing an 82nd Airborne SSI without a tab 

Look at that lovely camo'd M-1,

 

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

 

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post-1761-0-72909000-1570215234.jpg

Sean for some reason I think these guys are reeanctors, note the Blank Adapters, at east two have them, and at least two we see leggings, so at least that won't make it in 1947 or 48, that and the wear of the M10 Packs.

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post-1761-0-72909000-1570215234.jpg

Sean for some reason I think these guys are reeanctors, note the Blank Adapters, at east two have them, and at least two we see leggings, so at least that won't make it in 1947 or 48, that and the wear of the M10 Packs.

attachicon.gifblank adapter.jpg

I considered that these might be reenactors and not a period photo, although it wasn't because of the adapters. I noticed the second soldier from the right has a crease on his uniform sleeve that seems odd for combat troops and also that their uniform look fairly new and well kept. It's getting harder and harder to weed out photos of reenactors from period photos.

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A section shot of COL R.B. Painter from ebay. What combat patch is this? Supposedly dated around 1964

Greenland Base Cmd.

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APC driver? Looks too late for that though.

He's probably assigned to the Battalion HHC, that's where you find a whole array of guys with different Non 11 Series MOS' in a Rifle Battalion, to lesser extent in the HQ Platoons of the Rifle Companies. Like take this guy, of the TC, a Truck Driver I should think, generally speaking, at least in my time Truckers in HQ Platoons were 11B's or C's just assigned to this "Plum" job over in HQ Platoon, no longer working in their MOS as Grunts or Mortarmen , but over in the HHC, TC generally are found.

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APC driver? Looks too late for that though.

 

He's probably assigned to the Battalion HHC, that's where you find a whole array of guys with different Non 11 Series MOS' in a Rifle Battalion, to lesser extent in the HQ Platoons of the Rifle Companies. Like take this guy, of the TC, a Truck Driver I should think, generally speaking, at least in my time Truckers in HQ Platoons were 11B's or C's just assigned to this "Plum" job over in HQ Platoon, no longer working in their MOS as Grunts or Mortarmen , but over in the HHC, TC generally are found.

Yes, I assumed he was assigned to the transportation platoon of the battalion HHC, but note that he does not have a Driver Badge. That doesn't necessarily mean he wasn't a truck driver, but it's interesting.

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Lieutenant General Walter Krueger wearing the Third Army SSI stateside early in World War II before he took command of the Sixth Army in the South Pacific in 1943 and Third Army went to Patton in France in 1944.

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mysteriousoozlefinch

Right. For a brief time, though, in the Pentomic age Armored Personnel Carrier drivers were also TC personnel. Didn't last long though, and was well before this picture.

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mysteriousoozlefinch

Apparently I took too long to edit. Sorry for the double post.

 

Should always cite my references, in case anyone's curious. TOE 55-47D 1/22/59 Transportation Tactical Carrier Company, TOE 55-78D 2/1/60 Armored Carrier Company, Transportation Battalion (Infantry Division). National Guard Bulletin Volume 12, No. 45 (1961) and National Guard Bulletin Volume 12, No. 12 (1961) both mention the different APC driver MOSes for Transportation Corps tactical carrier units/their training vs. those for armored infantry units. Also Combat Leader Identification being authorized for the Transportation Corps unit leaders, though this was close the end of their existence.

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Apparently I took too long to edit. Sorry for the double post.

 

Should always cite my references, in case anyone's curious. TOE 55-47D 1/22/59 Transportation Tactical Carrier Company, TOE 55-78D 2/1/60 Armored Carrier Company, Transportation Battalion (Infantry Division). National Guard Bulletin Volume 12, No. 45 (1961) and National Guard Bulletin Volume 12, No. 12 (1961) both mention the different APC driver MOSes for Transportation Corps tactical carrier units/their training vs. those for armored infantry units. Also Combat Leader Identification being authorized for the Transportation Corps unit leaders, though this was close the end of their existence.

Interesting, seems this unit a Trans Tac Carrier Battalion and the companies therein was a PENTOMIC era thing, a corps level unit. Seems to have an augmentation in the capability of the divisions

 

.https://www.bits.de/NRANEU/others/amd-us-archive/FM55-37%2862%29.pdf

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mysteriousoozlefinch

Interesting, seems this unit a Trans Tac Carrier Battalion and the companies therein was a PENTOMIC era thing, a corps level unit. Seems to have an augmentation in the capability of the divisions

 

.https://www.bits.de/NRANEU/others/amd-us-archive/FM55-37%2862%29.pdf

I've actually written a brief paper that I have somewhere on them. Yes, the separate battalions were corps level units! Even at reduced availability one battalion (as organized the ones in the reserves had four/five companies) could just about equip the infantry battle groups of a leg infantry division.

 

However, those divisions were also to have a tactical carrier company along with the truck companies in the division transportation battalion that could provide apcs for one battle group

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