Looking for some help on World War II patches

[thegrinch073]

I am going over through my grandfather's footlocker this morning and found his service coat. He rarely talked about his experiences so I am trying to figure it out. I knew he was in an airborne divison that was it. From his shoulder patch, I found out he was in the 13th Airborne Divison and a tech sergeant I believe (3 stripes with a T underneath) and also has a signal corp pin on his collar so I am figuring he was in the 513th Signal Corp. What I am trying to figure out is two things. One he has a gold outline around his airborne wings. I did some research but could not find anything about it. Also above his right breast pocket there is a diamond ( <> ) and within it there is a golden eagle outlined by a circle with the right wing going underneath the circle and the left wing over the circle. The eagle's head is looking towards the right. Any help or websites would be greatly appreciated.

 

[03USMC]

I am going over through my grandfather's footlocker this morning and found his service coat. He rarely talked about his experiences so I am trying to figure it out. I knew he was in an airborne divison that was it. From his shoulder patch, I found out he was in the 13th Airborne Divison and a tech sergeant I believe (3 stripes with a T underneath) and also has a signal corp pin on his collar so I am figuring he was in the 513th Signal Corp. What I am trying to figure out is two things. One he has a gold outline around his airborne wings. I did some research but could not find anything about it. Also above his right breast pocket there is a diamond ( <> ) and within it there is a golden eagle outlined by a circle with the right wing going underneath the circle and the left wing over the circle. The eagle's head is looking towards the right. Any help or websites would be greatly appreciated.

The gold outline is probably something like disk used to designate his unit affilation.

The Patch on the right pocket is the Ruptured Duck that would be his Discharge Badge. Every serviceman was awarded the Ruptured Duck when they seperated.

 

[thegrinch073]

Thank you very much.

 

[The Cooler King]

Hello thegrinch073,

If his shoulder patch looked like this then he was in the 13th Airborne:

"At the beginning of 1945 the 13th Airborne Division, embarked for Europe and arrived in February. They billeted in the small towns southeast of Paris. The division's major units when they arrived in France were the 515th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) commanded by Colonel Harvey J Jablonsky; the 88th Glider Infantry Regiment (GIR) commanded by Colonel Samuel Roth and the 326th GIR commanded by Colonel William Poindexter. To strengthen the division for the final push into Germany the 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team commanded by Colonel Rupert Graves was also assigned as a permanent unit.

Operation Varsity was the first airborne invasion over the Rhine into Germany itself. But General Ridgway gave the nod to the 17th Airborne based on their combat experience in the Ardennes. The 13th Airborne would be kept in "strategic reserve".

After the German surrender on May 7, 1945 the 13th and 101st Airborne Divisions were notified of their reassignment to the Pacific. However, the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan in August, 1945 again dashed the 13th Airborne's chance to prove themselves. That same month the 13th Airborne was shipped home and deactivated."

http://www.ww2-airborne.us/18corps/13abn/13_overview.html

Most airborne units had a distinct oval cloth insignia worn under the parachutist or glider badge on the left breast. In 1941 when then Captain William P. Yarborough of the 501st Parachute Battalion returned to Fort Benning with the with the first 350 Parachutist's Badges there was a concern that the badges were small and did not stand out when worn on the uniform. To remedy this Captain Yarborough designed an oval background trimming to be worn under the badge and frame it on the uniform. Does his oval cloth insignia look like this?

If that's the one, then he served in the 515th Parachute Infantry Regiment.

"On January 18, 1945 the 515th PIR received orders to move to Camp Shank in New York. Finally, on January 25th the unit received their overseas orders. On February 8th the men disembarked at Le Harve France and boarded trains for Camp Lucky Strike near Ste Valery en Caux, France. A few days later the 515th former XO, Colonel Harvey J Jablonsky, assumed command of the Jumping Wolves.

Although the unit prepared for combat in Operation Comet the fast moving Allied forces continually counteracted the need for airborne operations as the German defenses crumbled. V-E finally became a reality and the only hope for combat action was in the Pacific. Redeployment began on July 18th, 1945 but by the time the Jumping Wolves reached New York the war in the Pacific was over.
The 515th Parachute Infantry Regiment was deactivated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina on 25 February 1946."

http://www.ww2-airborne.us/units/515/515.html

The golden eagle was the ruptured duck, as 03USMC said. Ruptured duck was a slang term for the Honorable Service Lapel Pin given American military service members who were discharged under honorable conditions during WWII. The pin, which depicted an eagle inside a wreath, served as proof to military police that its wearer was not going absent without leave.


Three stripes with a T underneath denotes a Technician 4th grade which is equivalent to a Sergeant or E-4.

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