It’s trying to look Japanese-made (fully embroidered with portions of the reverse being khaki twill).  But check out that distorted V.    Japanese patches are always perfect in design. I wouldn’t buy it.    

Hi, everyone :))   I have stumbled upon this patch, but wanted to know all of your opinions before buying it... Do you think, that it is real?   Kind regards, Jules

A lot has changed since the last time I posted on the forum over two years ago, I have shifted my collection to focus 100% on signage used within the military and home front, usually during the Second World War. Some of you may know me around on Facebook as "The Sign Guy," it has been my mission for the last seven years to get signage and photographs of signage. In my collection right now there are nearly 5,000 photographs of various types of signage, I have roughly 100 35mm Kodachrome slides (taken in the home front and overseas,) and 15 signs made of various materials.   I want to begin this thread by showcasing a photograph taken on Sterling and Main in East Orange, New Jersey on September 18th, 1943 at 9:40am by an unidentified lady in the Women’s Army Corps. I own all of her photographs and she documented signage across East Orange, New Jersey and New York City during the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th war loans. She wrote down the street names, the time of day, type of camera she used, and other information on the reverse of each photograph.   The sign reads, "Oh boy! shore leave.. and DRAKE'S CAKES BUY WAR BONDS HELP HARVEST WAR CROPS JOIN THE U.S. CROP CORPS"   The U.S. Crop Corps, established by the Department of Agriculture and active from 1943 to 1947, was a federally organized volunteer labor program created to address the acute shortage of farm workers during the Second World War. As millions of men left agricultural work for military service, the Corps mobilized civilians to sustain the nation’s food supply. Its ranks included the Women’s Land Army, which brought women into vital agricultural roles, and the Victory Farm Volunteers, composed largely of teenage workers. Together, these groups played an essential role in planting, cultivating, and harvesting both food and industrial crops critical to the war effort. At the same time, American food manufacturers adapted to the constraints of rationing and limited supplies. Drake’s Cakes, for example, introduced a specialized perforated pan liner to maintain consistent quality while ensuring brand identification when packaging materials were scarce. Recipes were adjusted to reflect wartime shortages, notably eliminating ingredients such as eggs and milk, yet production continued to meet civilian demand. In the postwar period, the company was acquired by McKee Foods and remains associated with products such as Devil Dogs, Funny Bones, Coffee Cakes, Ring Dings, and Yodels, illustrating a continuity from wartime innovation to enduring presence in the American food industry.   I hope to see some awesome home front signage!    Isaiah - The Sign Guy

Thank you so much for your extensive answer! :D You definitely are gifted in making patches! I appreciate your tips and will try to implement them in my next project. Up until now, I never really paid attention to how many strands and how thick a needle to use, so that definitely helped!

No offense but I think you have that backwards.

You guys ever heard of the 1902 nickel plated scabbard being a replacement scabbard for these swords? I do see some for sale with these scabbards.

Welcome to the forum

Hi-   Question pertaining to the USGI Nickeled Brass Oilers commonly used with the M-1917, M-1903 and M1 Rifle's.  I recently picked up one of these in the shorter 4.25" length and was wondering if these were made prior to, same time or later than the more common full-length 6" type.   

No. If you previously had the C-E Maintenance badge, you ended up wearing the Air Force Maintenance badge. It's the same badge aircraft mechanics wear.

That’s very interesting.  I was just reading about the XXII corps patch used for the II Field Force.   I’m leaning towards the US Army Vietnam patch as the precursor to the I Field Force.      Thank you!