Page 286 - Demo

LOT 414
Impressive Large U.S. Army Air Force
Embroidered Unit Patch for the 12th Combat
Camera Detachment - A component of the 12th
Air Force active in Europe, the 12th Combat Camera
Unit Detachment was one of several units of Army
Air Force men responsible for documenting the war
in both still photography and motion pictures, both
on the ground and in the air with units in action.
Among the alumni of the unit was film director and
4-time Academy Award winner Lieutenant Colonel
William Wyler, whose wartime work included the
documentary “The Memphis Belle: A Story of a
Flying Fortress”. The patch is 7 inches in diameter,
sized for wear on the breast of a leather flight
jacket, sky blue background with gold bullion trim
and “COMBAT CAMERA” text below a Walt Disney
Studios designed unit emblem, a small gremlin garbed in purple and yellow, nose to the camera as it falls through the sky. These unit patches were typically custom made in small quantities, with an attached note indicating this one as hand-made by an unnamed Italian artisan (both the Germans and Allies are known to have taken advantage of Italian handcrafts to enhance their uniforms, as the course of the war permitted), and often got lost in the shuffle as men moved between units. Also included is a small excerpt from an article about Walt Disney and their history with the gremlin character, which includes an image of a very similar logo attributed to the 12th Combat Camera Unit.
CONDITION: Very good. Some mild wear is visible on the edges and backing, with some dark spots on the bullion.
The gremlin design has excellent detail and vivid color.
Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection.
Estimate: 2,000 - 3,000
LOT 415
Grouping of Artifacts from the U.S. 513th Parachute
Infantry Regiment - Constituted in December of 1942,
the 513th PIR arrived in Europe post D-Day, and would see
action in the Ardennes Forest and drop across the Rhine
as part of Operation Varsity; men from the 513th would
earn posthumous Medals of Honor in both actions. Two
artifacts in the group, a vintage unit history pamphlet and
a 4 1/4 inch diameter embroidered shoulder patch, feature
the unit insignia, a black cat dubbed “Little Joi” descending
under black silk with bayonet already fixed (and on the
patch already red with blood; presumably a Fokker pilot
wandered a little too close during the drop). Also included
is a set of brass paratrooper wings with a single star, a yellow-on-black “AIRBORNE” shoulder rocker, oval patch (white border, plain black interior), white-on-blue parachute infantry cap patch, “eagle claw” airborne patch, and a card made out to a PFC John Delgado (confirmed by available records as on the roster of the 513th) authorizing a set of decorations including the Parachutist Badge, Combat Infantryman and Expert Infantryman Badges,
and 3 Bronze Service Stars.
CONDITION: Good or better overall. The history pamphlet shows some stains, tears and detached pages.
Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection.
284 Estimate: 1,500 - 2,250