A superb example of a
World War Two United States Army
8oth Infantry Division
GI's Battle Blouse Shoulder Patch
circa 1943-45.
Originally raised during in 1917 during The Great War,
the 8oth Division was composed of recruits drawn from the states of
Pennsylvania and Virginia,
through which the Blue Ridge Mountains pass.
Reactivated in WW-II, the 80th Infantry landed
in France in August 1944 and entered
The Battle for Normandy in Argentan
and then took part in the
Battle of the Bulge
in the Ardennes in December ‘44 before pushing on into
central Germany from January 1945 onwards.
Arriving in Germany, they provided relief for
the
US 6th Armoured Division at Buchenwald Concentration
Camp
from
April 12, 1945, and thence continued on
into Austria and liberated the prisoners in the
Ebensee slave labour camp,
(a subcamp of Mauthausen concentration camp),
on May 4th & 5th.
With Germany surrendering
on May 7, 1945
to end the Second World
War,
the 80th Infantry
Division became part of the
Army of Occupation in
Austria
until their return to
the US & deactivation in January 1946.
The cotton shield in light tan and pale-blue and
featuring 3 mountains as the central image,
measures some 2" x 1.75" and, in superb condition,
still bears the original identifying
label on the back which is held in place by a slightly rusty pin.
Another fabulous, original piece of war-time
Battle of Normandy-related US Insignia
that, as with a number of our other
US Army & British Airborne-related offerings,
have been in the same West Country house-hold
close by a combined WW-II 1943-45
US & British Army Training base
that was established in the build-up to
D-Day June 6th 1944
and the later famous
Battle of The Bulge
and the
Rhine Crossings.
Traded to the farmer next door in exchange for fresh milk, cheese & eggs etc,
the badges swapped were helpfully labelled by the soldiers at the time,
with small hand-written US notes on the rear ID-ing each patch...
and held in place by an, often, now rusted pin..!
Please note:
The 1944 D-Day era US Navy landing craft crewman's helmet shown in the first image
and the final group shots of traded WW-II US Infantry badges are
for display purposes only
and not for sale in this lot..!
+++ This sale is for the single US 80th Infantry Division patch only! +++
(B/W Photo courtesy of The Tomahawk Films WW-II Archive)
Thanks for looking..!