Army Airforce Patches

[fudge_brownie]

I am confused on when and what patches were used. First question is the Army Air Corp patch, this is the one without any numeric designation, when was it used and on what?

Second, did airman move between air corp units and thereby have to change patches?

Third. did the airman have to have enough skills to sew their own or was there a cottage industry on base to do such sewing and I would assume other repairs. Think of it, there could have been a boatload of patches. stripes. ribbons etc. that needed sewing.

Finally, I see Ports of Embarkation patches, certainly not something for airmen only, but who would wear such a patch? Would some change to such a patch as they were being mustered out or is it more likely someone who worked in one of the ports processing people in and out?

 

[anon`]

I am confused on when and what patches were used. First question is the Army Air Corp patch, this is the one without any numeric designation, when was it used and on what?

To the best of my knowledge, there were sixteen Air Forces in operation during WWII, each with its own patch, plus Command. Of these seventeen total patches, five (Command, 2nd, 4th, 6th and 14th) lacked Roman numerals. Of these, the 2nd and 4th have as a part of their design elements that make their number more-or-less apparent. The remainder all sport Roman numerals. An airman would've worn the correct patch for his assignment, just like any other member of the Army.

Second, did airman move between air corp units and thereby have to change patches?

If reassigned from one AF to another, yes, he'd have to change patches. I presume that the USAAF allowed "battle patches" in the same way that the regular Army did, but I've never bothered to confirm this.

Third. did the airman have to have enough skills to sew their own or was there a cottage industry on base to do such sewing and I would assume other repairs. Think of it, there could have been a boatload of patches. stripes. ribbons etc. that needed sewing.

He probably knew how to sew them on himself. I think that was covered in basic.

Finally, I see Ports of Embarkation patches, certainly not something for airmen only, but who would wear such a patch? Would some change to such a patch as they were being mustered out or is it more likely someone who worked in one of the ports processing people in and out?

Not so sure about this one, but I think these would've been worn by (soldiers? sailors?) assigned to the POE in question, not troops passing through. That would be the logical conclusion, at least.

 

[Widebrim]

Second, did airman move between air corp units and thereby have to change patches?

Most Airmen would have sewed on their own patches, but there were those, of course, who had tailors/relatives/etc. do the job for them.

 

[fudge_brownie]

The first patch I was questioning is in the below link. It is called Army Air Force Insignia in the book Silver Wings, Pinks and Greens.

Was this a shoulder patch? And when was it used versus a patch from say the Fourth Air Force?

Are you serious in saying that there was sewing instruction in basic training?

 

[Phantomfixer]

sewing patches

In todays AF the parachute shop will sew on stripes/patches etc. Cost is up to the rigger but usually a beverage of choice. I can only imagine that yesterdays AF did the same. My grandfather was in the 36th Infantry Division and was transfered to the AAF after the war for discharge. He wore the T patch on the right shoulder and the AAF command patch on the left. He got a ride in a P-38 too lucky dog.

 

[anon`]

The first patch I was questioning is in the below link. It is called Army Air Force Insignia in the book Silver Wings, Pinks and Greens.

Was this a shoulder patch? And when was it used versus a patch from say the Fourth Air Force?

That is a shoulder patch, which I believe is the "Command" patch. I do use that word with some reservation, as the USAAF actually had six organizations known as "commands" (Air Service, Air Transport, Material, Proving Ground, Training and Troop Carrier Commands), and I don't actually know how they were distinguished between one another. But I presume that a member of any of those would have worn this patch.

Are you serious in saying that there was sewing instruction in basic training?

Just a guess. I know that my grandfather installed both his 65th Infantry combat patch and the the Third Army "divisional" patch that replaced the former in October of 1945 himself. Sewing is a very useful field skill in any event, and I suspect that it would've been covered in at least a rudimentary form at some point during training.

 

[anon`]

Just did a little more digging, annnnnd...

The patch above is the "generic" sleeve insignia of the Army Air Force, and was the sister patch of the the Army Ground and Service Forces, both of which also had one:

(Ground Forces)

(Service Forces)

These were the three basic combat components of the Army. So my previous use of the term "command" was incorrect.

Also, was able to determine that the POE patch was in fact worn by permanent personnel assigned to US Ports of Embarkation only.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

That is a shoulder patch, which I believe is the "Command" patch. I do use that word with some reservation, as the USAAF actually had six organizations known as "commands" (Air Service, Air Transport, Material, Proving Ground, Training and Troop Carrier Commands), and I don't actually know how they were distinguished between one another. But I presume that a member of any of those would have worn this patch.

The command patch was often used as the generic Army Air Force patch. I've seen pics of Eighth Air Force airmen wearing it instead of the distinctive "Mighty Eighth" patch. My guess is that it was worn in lieu of the numbered Air Force patches for security reasons. A rare AAF patch is the prewar command patch that has a stylized three-blade propeller in ultramarine on an orange circle.

Edit:

Just did a little more digging, annnnnd...

The patch above is the "generic" sleeve insignia of the Army Air Force, and was the sister patch of the the Army Ground and Service Forces, both of which also had one:

Looks like you beat me to it

 

[anon`]

The command patch was often used as the generic Army Air Force patch. I've seen pics of Eighth Air Force airmen wearing it instead of the distinctive "Mighty Eighth" patch. My guess is that it was worn in lieu of the numbered Air Force patches for security reasons. A rare AAF patch is the prewar command patch that has a stylized three-blade propeller in ultramarine on an orange circle.

Could very well be! I actually called my usage of the term into question because the Army had a bunch of other units they called "commands" that had their own patches, and the three non-com components from my last post had numerous subordinate commands. Then of course, there were the combat commands (SHAEF, ETOUSA, etc).

Too bloody confusing!

But your point is still well-taken

 

[RLM]

The so called "command" patch or "headquarters" patch, as I've also heard it called, was supposed to be used by those that were not in a specific numbered air force, like general staff in Washington, I suppose, but I too have seen pics of it being used in place of the numbered AF patch by members of 8th, 9thAF, etc. I've even seen it used in conjunction with a numbered patch, for example, 8thAF patch on left sleeve and HQ patch on the right sleeve.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

There's also numerous pictures of glider pilots in Normandy, Holland and other places wearing the headquarters patch which tends to support my belief that they were worn for security reasons -- In the ETO most glider pilots were part of the Ninth Air Force's Troop Carrier Command. They were attached to the troop carrier squadrons where they had a secondary role as extra C-47 co-pilots. There were no "glider squadrons" per se.

For those not familiar with the numbered Air Forces here's the break down:

First, Second, Third, and Fourth Air Forces -- Continental US (largely training commands)

Fifth, Seventh, and Thirteenth Air Forces -- Southwest Pacific Area

Sixth Air Force -- Panama Canal Zone

Eighth and Ninth Air Forces -- European Theatre of Operations

Tenth and Fourteenth Air Forces -- China-Burma-India

Eleventh Air Force -- Alaska

Twelfth and Fifteenth Air Forces -- Mediterranean Theatre of Operations

Twentieth Air Force -- Pacific (B-29 operations)

 

[anon`]

It's worth noting as well that the AAF was a whole lot less structured than Army ground units were, with individuals and squadrons being moved around between Air Forces as needed, on an ad hoc basis. So if glider pilots were a part of the Troop Carrier Command, then I think the T/O would've actually had them assigned to AAF Headquarters (good term!), from which they could be attached to whatever Air Force (or Army/ID, for that matter) most in need of them.

I'm not sure that I believe in the idea of secrecy all that much. After all, I can't think of an instance of an Army division doing this, and (especially for specialist divisions, like airborne) positive identification by the enemy could be just as hazardous to secrecy. But that's just my take.

As for patches worn on the right shoulder, that's a special case. Uniform regulations in WWII called for a solider (or airman) to wear his "divisional" patch on his left sleeve. This patch would actually be for the operating entity that he was an organic part of (I think that's the correct term), and wasn't always a Division: one also saw Corps, Armies, Commands and even the odd Battalion. As the war wound down in 1945 and soldiers began comign home en masse under the points system, they were split up and re-organised into new units whose members had similar point counts. This way, entire units could be sent back to the States, while those that remained behind would remain at full strength until they, too, went home.
This upset a lot of soldiers, who were being removed from the division (or whatever) and men that they had trained and fought with, and put into new units with men they had never known. In order to help maintain morale, soldiers were allowed to wear a "combat patch" on their right shoulder, a sort of show of solidarity with their former compatriots. They could wear any patch that they had previously been authorized to wear, but most opted for the unit that they were with in comabt, for obvious reasons. This is why some uniforms have patches on both arms and some only on the left.

 

[MPicciotto]

Both pictures of him in India with a modified British jacket AND his tunic with the ruptured duck from my Grandfather have the AAF "Headquarters" patch on the left and the CBI patch on the right. Oh and since he was Signal Corps assigned to the AAF his collar brass is Signal Corps.

Matt

 

[Widebrim]

In order to help maintain morale, soldiers were allowed to wear a "combat patch" on their right shoulder, a sort of show of solidarity with their former compatriots. They could wear any patch that they had previously been authorized to wear, but most opted for the unit that they were with in comabt, for obvious reasons. This is why some uniforms have patches on both arms and some only on the left.

And, of course, that is the way the Army does it today.