Not necessarily.  In My opinion that’s more dealer lore than reality. There does seem to be a collation for the longer touchback pen on some of the wings that were made post World War II (such as Gemsco) but as a rule, that can be applied to all wings, I don’tbelieve that’s accurate.   And functionally speaking is really no line drawn in the sand between 1945 and 1946 that we can say “on this specific date, they made a choice, and changed up how they made the insignia “   Also, when the war ended up to, and after the Korean War, there are lots, World War II vintage insignia still floating around.    

How would you insert mittens into gloves?

It appears to be the type worn while underway, not a veteran thing, though of course veterans can wear them if they wish.

Hello   Very good collection 

The BO DRIVE marked knob I have is painted metal, same as the pull light switch knob

Has a re-enactor / put-together vibe to me.  I never say never, but we only got issued one canteen as part of our TA-50 - I’m not even sure where I’d have secured a second.  In three years of (combat unit) AD, I never saw two canteens carried.  In addition to living on FTXs, this includes 45 days of desert training in the Mojave, and (“tell him what else he’s won, Johnny!”) an extended all-expenses paid trip to a steamy jungle spot.   The true giveaway for me is that the sizing straps aren’t rolled / taped.  If you’d have showed up to formation in my unit with those ATFU “rappellers” those two canteens wouldn’t have saved you.     “Top” would have made sure of it…

33rd Brigade Combat Team FWS-SSI   Illinois Army National Guard soldiers with 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment and Task Force Bayonet, currently deployed throughout the Horn of Africa, received a combat patch during a battlefield circulation, June 20th – Sept. 11th, 2020.  Patching is a custom reserved for those serving in a combat zone and Soldiers from the eight elements that comprise the task force were awarded their patches over the span of three weeks. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Sirrina Martinez)

Hi Ken, yes I see it now, easy if you know what to look for indeed 🤭 I have no idea if my unmarked BODL is from WW2, the hole for the wire is quite a bit bigger but it is rough so it could have been enlarged by someone. I put a rubber grommet there. Unfortunately, it lacks the glass and until now I never realized it actually should have a lens... at least this explains why the cover was loose in the ring, something I fixed by making an extra gasket from a piece of inner tube.         The difference seems to be it has a hole on both sides of the arch, about halfway up indeed... Interesting as it seems that these brackets were specially ordered for this kit, rather than just taking a standard bracket 'off the shelf'.         Hi Johan, I know there are almost no tooth washers on a Type I Suppression as the critical grounding spots were tinned, but since there is no tinning for the retro-fit kit the grounding must have been a bit iffy without tooth washers.    Another question, is the knob of the switch plastic or metal? It's a bit hard to see on the photo.    

And perhaps a photo of the back of the patch too?  Thanks again!

Wonderful patch!  Can you give us the size of the patch?  Thanks for posting it.