48 star shoulder flag - when and where?

[Martin MB in UK]

When and where was this flag stiched onto the right shoulder of M43 jackets. Market garden it was a plastic type thing. Was it only on the M41 and M42 jackets.

[Sheltie]

Martin,

Market-Garden only involved US Airborne troops. They mostly wore the armband type of flag brassard and it was worn on the right sleeve of their M43 jacket. Some armbands were cut and stitched to the jacket.

Earlier operations, such as Torch in N. Africa, involved standard infantry wearing the armband brassards on their M-41 jackets.

The 82nd Abn wore mainly the gauze type of flag during the Sicily and Normandy operations. The flags did not start showing up in the 101st until Market-Garden.


Greg

[Bill Eldred]

It is commonly called the invasion Flag and started to be appied to the right sleeve around D-Day. Al thought some of the Pathfinders Scouts from the 509th PIB had them on before then.

[AZ Jeff]

The 17th A/B used the large, bordered flag sleeve patch extensively during the Rhine drop ("Operation Varsity") in March of '45. They were also issued the M4 Carbine Bayonet prior to that jump -- one of the rarer items to see in an ETO pic. That would logically imply that maybe they had bayonet lugs on their carbines, however photographs don't bear that out. But that's another story...

I have a grouping from an officer in the 466th PFA, 17th A/B that includes his armband-type flag neatly painted around in O.D.!!! That is what he wore during the Varsity jump and it certainly doesn't fit the "standard"!

Jeff Q.
AZ

[lindyp38]

carbines with lug nuts....

wow....id love to see a pic of that......ww2 vintage that is......

maybe i shoulda left mine on......

[Jammie A. Romee]

I have seen some photographs in the 45th ID museum here in OKC that show 179th Regiment troops during "OPERATION HUSKY" wearing the American flag (gauze type ?) on their arms.