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LOT 3342
Grouping of Airborne Infantry Insignia for a 1st Lieutenant with the 509th Parachute Infantry
Battalion - Established in 1941, the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion would gain the distinction of being
the first American paratrooper unit to perform a live combat jump, dropping into North Africa as part of
the joint U.S./British opening of Operation Torch. The drop was, to be polite, a learning experience; after
a long-haul flight from England to Africa, only about a quarter of the passengers actually jumped, the
remainder dismounting after an improvised landing on a dry lake, though even the 509th still reached
the target by marching the old fashioned way. Later, the 509th would deploy for the invasions of Italy and
Southern France, the former leading to an incident where a 46-man Pathfinder detachment bluffed the
Germans into surrendering an entire island, which would later be documented in John Steinbeck’s article
collection “Once There Was A War”. During these actions the 509th would make air drops and also act as
an amphibious assault and mountain warfare unit. They also saw combat during the Battle of the Bulge
in the vicinity of Sadzot during the initial German counteroffensive, eventually fighting their way forward
to retake St. Vith. While successful, the Bulge was effectively the end of the war for the 509th, having
been left with around 7% of the unit still effective; they would be disbanded in March of 1945, with the
remaining men rolled into the 82nd Airborne Division as replacements. The unit would be reactivated
after World War II, and remains on the Army rolls as the 509th Infantry Regiment to this day. The contents
include a pair of silver finished 1st Lieutenant bars, a “509/crossed rifles” collar insignia, a set of jump
wings with 3 brass stars added, three shoulder patches for the 5th Army (two machine made, one with
bullion wire embroidery), three hand-made “PARACHUTE” tabs, two hand-made “A Co 509” tabs, and a
bullion embroidered “Man in the Door”/”Gingerbread Man” insignia patch, featuring a simplified rendering
of a paratrooper about to jump with “509” above and “Geronimo” below.
CONDITION: Fine overall. the pins show a mixed aged patina, and the patches mild wear and stains concentrated around the edges. The Gingerbread Man shows some wear and a few breaks in the embroidery.
Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection.
Estimate: 9,000 - 14,000
LOT 3343
Grouping of Airborne Infantry Insignia for a Medic with the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion - Established in 1941,
the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion would gain the distinction of being the first American paratrooper unit to perform a live combat jump, dropping into North Africa as part of the joint U.S./British opening of Operation Torch. Though the drop itself was imperfect, the 509th had a noteworthy encounter with their would-be opposite numbers, the Vichy French 3rd Zouaves. The possible actions of the Vichy French forces in North Africa were a major x-factor in the invasion, and initial rules of engagement called for American forces to not fire the first shot in an encounter, in hopes that they would break faith with their occupiers and realign with Free France instead of accepting the new status quo or seeking revenge for Allied actions such as the bombing of the French Fleet in 1940. After a tense standoff, the 3rd’s commander gifted his American counterpart an insignia for his unit
and ordered their guns turned on the Axis forces; in commemoration of the incident, men and officers of the 509th would be authorized to wear the 3rd Zouaves badge with their uniforms. The 509th would see additional action in Italy, Southern France, and the Ardennes Forest, the latter resulting in victory at the cost of the virtual destruction of the unit. An attached note from the consignor indicates that the items in the lot are the former property of a Richard D. Adams of Lincoln, Nebraska, a Sergeant with the 509th; records are limited, but online records confirm Adams as a member of the 509th (but listed as a Private instead of a Sergeant). The grouping includes a set of silver bullion embroidered parachutists badge, “PARACHUTE” tab, and 5th Army patch, a pair of metal pins from the French 3rd Zouaves, and a pair of bullion embroidered “Man in the Door”/”Gingerbread Man” insignia patches, featuring a simplified rendering of a paratrooper about to jump with “509” above and “Geronimo” below.
CONDITION: Fine overall. One of the Gingerbread Men shows some loss of wire in the embroidering, and the remainder of the items show mild wear and stains.
Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection.
Estimate: 8,000 - 10,000
LOT 3344
Scarce Unit Patch for the 307th Airborne Engineer Battalion with Individual Certificate of Participation - The certificate is made out to a William O. Claywell of Company C, noting a service time of February 1943 to June 1945, and listing him has having participated in “a combat parachute jump into Holland” (Operation Market Garden, September 1944), “crossing the Waal, the Rhine and the Elbe Rivers”, and “fighting on Anzio, the Ardennes, the Roer, and at the finish by the Elbe”, with an additional hand-written note from Captain Wesley Harris of Company C, “Good Luck, Bill”. Claywell has not been positively identified, but records do show a 1st Lieutenant by that name as born in 1922 and deceased in Ohio in 1997. The 307th, both with the 82nd and detached to other formations, was heavily engaged in the European Theater, fighting
on Sicily and Italy proper, participating in both the Normandy Landing and Operation Market Garden, fighting at the Battle of the Bulge, before finally acting as part of the occupation force in the American Sector of Berlin. The first of its kind, the 307th served both as an engineering unit and as infantry as situation demanded, and distinguished themselves in both roles. The patch is finely hand embroidered, white and gold thread on a blue background, featuring “307” with the Army Airborne “AA” inside the “0” over a rendering of the traditional Engineer “castle” insignia descending under silk and backed by wings.
CONDITION: Both the certificate and patch are very good overall with minor staining, and the certificate showing minor foxing around the edges.
Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection.
Estimate: 3,000 - 5,000
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