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WW2, Battalion level unit crest ID help

3K views 21 replies 11 participants last post by  Jim W 
#1 ·
I'm trying to see if I can figure out what the cap badge on my Father-in-laws cap is, as I would like to find one for a shadow box we have with his photo/decorations.

Sadly, he's not here to ask, and I don't know where a good source for looking this type of thing up is.

Any help greatly appreciated.

My FIL


The Cap Badge:


The unit info from his dd214:
 
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#4 ·
Now that you know the parent unit, you will just have to google every possible lead until you can find pictures of the Battalion Crests, even if it is on someone else's photo. They are often worn on epaulets as well.

Sometimes they are Regimental crests, if there is Regiment involved in the chain of command. it gets complicated.
 
#8 ·
The badge on his jacket is a Combat Infantry Badge. To earn that, your FIL would have personally fought as an infantryman (or Ranger unit) during the war. The reference to an armored unit on his DD214 could be a misnomer, or as mentioned the unit was consolidated. More research is required. Great picture though...good luck.
 
#11 · (Edited)
If you need assistance replacing his campaign ribbons and medals I posted a "How to" shortly after my Mom and I went through the process of obtaining new ribbons and medals for my Dad.

This is the link to the post in this forum.

http://m14forum.com/veterans-affairs/190337-replacing-lost-medals.html?highlight=medals

Your FIL is a man to be honored.

Jim W, I just went back through my old post and saw the shadow box you have of your FIL, and see you already have gathered his ribbons.

Nicely done.

May I suggest attaching something to the back of the display to help future relatives identify his ribbons and insignia.
 
#12 · (Edited)
I did get replacements for the medals and they are part of the shadow box display.



I was kinda guessing when I made the display, as there was a bunch of stuff in a box that my Mother in law had. The problem was that there was stuff from my FIL's 2 brothers mixed in, and she didn't know where the dd214 was (she found it later).

I went online, and we filled out a form, and waited. In the meantime, I put together the display, with some errors. Eventually the Govt. replied, and I know which ribbons I included by mistake. I've pulled out the "good conduct, American theater and occupation" ribbons. I was a bit tickled to include the Bronze Star ribbon per the paperwork they sent. I realize it was awarded later, but still correct.

I really liked my FIL, he was a good guy. Rarely talked about his service; part of the reason it's so hard now to figure it out.

I wonder if getting wounded and was a cause for reassignment? Maybe that's why the dd214 and pin don't match?
 
#14 ·
I did get replacements for the medals and they are part of the shadow box display.

I really liked my FIL, he was a good guy. Rarely talked about his service; part of the reason it's so hard now to figure it out.

I wonder if getting wounded and was a cause for reassignment? Maybe that's why the dd214 and pin don't match?
My Mom is an avid ancestry researcher and has done things for others using the info from the WD AGO 53-55 (DD214) and has found discrepancies in the info on the forms.

She found one reason for the errors was there were thousands of servicemen getting out at the same time and in their haste the clerks often mis-typed things.

No one really cared back then, they were going home!

And Yes, after being wounded he may not have returned to the outfit he started with, and often one outfit may have merged with another due to lack of manpower.

Not to rag on you, but these are things WE need to ask of our living servicemen before they are gone.

To those of you that are still with us, please provide someone in your family with the information they will need once you are no longer with them.
 
#13 ·
The 6th Armored Infantry seems to have bounced around as either a Battalion or Regiment. They served in North Africa and Italy, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States) which is correctly indicated on the DD214.

While the photo shows him wearing late war European Theater clothing, it could have been taken anytime, including post war. The Distinctive Unit Insignia on his hat could have been from the hospital unit after he was wounded or even the separation unit. Since he is not wearing a dress uniform (with all insignia) anything is possible. He is only wearing his CIB, which might indicate that he has just been awarded it.
 
#16 ·
The cap badge is odd since the 345th Inf was part of the 87th Inf Div and they only served in North/Central Europe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/87th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)

The campaigns annotated on his -214 sync perfectly with service in D Co, 6th Armored Inf Bn, 1st Armored Div. Per KurtC's wiki link, the 6th Inf Regt was, on 20 Jul 44 reorganized such that the 1st Bn became the 6th Armored Inf Bn. 2nd and 3rd Bns became the 11th and 14th Armored Inf Bns respectively.

As others have said, the pic could've been taken later, even spur of the moment when the opportunity presented; maybe he borrowed the cover for his 'hero shot?' Based on when he entered the theater, he should've been near the 'head of the line' in 1945 as soldiers were processed for return to CONUS.

Glad you received his Bronze Star. Don't believe it is widely known that awarding of the CIB was considered sufficient for the award of the BSM. General Marshall advocated for this somewhat early on and it was eventually approved for the last couple years of WW II. Not well known by the mainstream but even by 1944, the U.S.A. face a manpower crisis which manifest itself on the battlefield as a real shortage of riflemen. As a result the ASTP program was truncated, draft age raised, etc. General Marshall had somewhat foreseen this and wanted to recognize the sacrifice and importance of the basic Mark 1 Mod 0 rifleman. I did not know about the CIB / BSM connection myself until researching why my grandfather also received a BSM (posthumously) when my grandmother was getting replacement ribbons for him and I did some digging.

Your FIL is a hero. Thank you for honoring his memory and sharing with us.

s/f
XMF
 
#17 ·
My father-in-law was a scout in the 88th Infantry Division "Blue Devils". He fought in Italy from March 5, 1944 to May 1945. His first action was at Anzio when his battalion was sent to help mop up after the Anzio battle. The 88th was the first all draftee division in Europe. They fought their way up the boot of Italy and finished the war at the Brenner Pass. He too was awarded the Bronze Star for actions as a scout, when he received his CIB. In August '45 they shipped out of Naples for the states. A day after passing Gibraltar, they were told that they would be granted 30 days leave then were to report to Ft. Ord to train for the invasion of Japan. Japan surrendered the day before they arrived in New York. He was discharged from Ft. Ord at the end of Sept.'45. -Lloyd BEERCHUG1
 
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#19 ·
My old man, an immigrant from Austro-Hungary, went to war with the 77th Infantry in the Pacific. He fought on Guam, the Philippines and eventually was wounded on Ie Shima (Okinawa).

When I was a little kid he gave me his decorations to play with. I remember that he thought his CIB was for being a "sharpshooter" with his favorite rifle, the 1903 Springfield. Talk about the greatest generation. He thought the war was just something "that needed to be done."
 
#20 ·
A bit of "Thread Resurrection" to be sure; but after a lengthy delay, I finished the shadow box project, and wanted to thank the folks that replied before. We decided not to search out the Battalion Crest badge, as it never really seemed to fit in with the records we had.

Part of the delay was adding the other boxes, which led to searches elsewhere for information. The Flag was flown over the USS Arizona, and gent in the upper left box is my Great Uncle, KIA in Gallipoli whom my dad was named after. The gent in the upper right box is my dad; and bottom center is my FIL.

Apologies for the large photo size.

Thanks again!

 
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