A nice issued example of a 

World War Two United States Army

30th Infantry  Division

GI's Battle Blouse Shoulder Patch

circa 1943-45.


Originally redesignated in 1917, (having formerly been 9th Division),


 and nicknamed 'Old Hickory' and with recruits drawn from 


North & South Carolina, Tennessee & Virginia,


the 30th Infantry Division entered France in the Great War,


in May 1918 and joined the British Expeditionary Force (BEF).



Seeing extensive combat on The Western Front


including on The Hindenburg Line and along the St Quentin Canal,


sadly, the Division lost 1,237 officers & men in just 3 months.



Re-activated in World War Two, after a further 2 years of training in the US,


the 30th was despatched to Europe


arriving the UK in February 1944 ready for the D-Day Landings.



Entering France via the American 'Omaha' Beach on D-Day+5,


the 30th went straight into action at St Lo as part of the Allied breakout of Normandy.



Tragically a friendly fire incident involving 


USAAF B. 24 Liberators & B.17 Flying Fortress 


carpet-bombing the locale in support, accidentally killed 100 of the 30th's infantrymen.

.


However regrouping as a Division, the 30th advanced eastward through August,


entering Belgium, crossing the Meuse River in September,


and capturing, first Masstricht then Aachen, in October 1944.



After a brief rest period, they were thrown in to 


Battle of the Bulge 


coming face-to-face with the might of the


SS-Leibstandarte 'Adolf Hitler' Division


which they managed to repulse after heavy fighting..



Pausing to rest & refit, the 30th Inf. Div. then launched back into action again in January 1945


and on March 24th crossed the Rhine into Germany, 


taking Braunschweig on April 12th and Magdeburg April 17th 1945,


then liberating the subcamps of Buchenwald concentration camp some day later.



After a short period on Occupation duties, the 30th Division returned


to the US in August 1945 after 11 months in combat

,

having suffered the loss of 3,003 officers killed-in-action.

 


A good-looking piece of insignia from another of  

America's top combat Divisions in WW-II,

the oval shape cotton patch has an embroidered

XXX in blue on a red background.


Measuring some 2.5" from top to bottom and in a superb condition,

it still bears the original identifying

label on the back written by a GI, which is held in place by a 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 a now, often 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 30th Infantry Division patch only! +++



(B/W Photo courtesy of The Tomahawk Films WW-II Archive)


Thanks for looking..!