Pay Tribute to the U.S. Military by Collecting World War II Patches
You may want to pay tribute to the 16 million soldiers who served during World War II by collecting patches. These patches can be worn on costumes to give an authentic flair. Find a wide variety of vintage WW2 patches for sale on eBay.
Did overseas theaters have unique patches?Yes, overseas theaters had unique shoulder patches that the government gave to U.S. soldiers who served in the area. Usually, these patches reflected something about the region, like:
- North African theater: Shaped like a minaret, this white patch with red stitching around its edges has a single blue star in the middle.
- Persian Gulf command: This olive green shield-shaped badge has Army green stitching around its edges. It has an angled scimitar on it with a seven-point white star to the scimitar's right.
- London base command: This patch has a khaki back. The front is blue on the left and red on the right, and bright blue stitching surrounds this badge. An image of Big Bend is found in the middle with the letters LBC under it.
- China-Burma-India theater: This shield-shaped patch has red and white stripes on the bottom and a solid blue top containing a white star and a Chinese sun. The patch is outlined in black.
- Caribbean Defense Command: This bright blue patch with blue stitching around its edges contains a white galleon with a red cross on its sails.
Each division of the United States Army had a patch to identify it. Ninety-one divisions saw action during World War II. There was one mountain division, two cavalry divisions, five airborne divisions, 16 armored divisions, and 68 infantry divisions. The vast majority of patches had a slightly curved piece of fabric that went above the patch saying the division with the unit patch underneath it. All United States soldiers were required to wear their division patch as part of their uniform.
Navy Rating World War II patchesEnlisted men in the United States Navy wore badges on their arms to indicate their job duties. Some collectors often look for these rating badges. Almost all of these badges have a perched eagle at their top. Almost all of these World War II patches have a baseball field shape in the middle with a stitched diamond in it. A letter in the diamond on these World War II patches indicates the job the navy personnel was assigned to do. Unusual examples include:
- Chemical Warfareman: This badge has a K in the diamond.
- Teacher: This badge has a T in the diamond.
- Photographer: This badge has a P in the diamond.
- Communication specialist: This badge has a Q in the diamond.
- Welfare: This badge has a W in the diamond.