WWII Unit Insignia Lapel

When did soldiers receive their unit lapel pins? Did they receive them while in service, or is it something they receive upon discharge? Also, what determined the unit lapel you received? I'm assuming you could be moved around during your time of service, especially during war...

 

I think that the OP is asking about DUI's (Distinctive Unit Insignias) Worn on the lapels and later on the epaulets. Not all units had them. An example would be a 3rd Army soldier, Patch on right arm, First Division, patch on left arm as combat patch, 26th Infantry Division (Blue Spader DUI pin) on lapel. Hope this helps.

 

So the uniform does have a Patton's 3rd Army Patch on the left arm. The lapel on the collar and hat are from the Go For Broke lapel. I know he was in the 271st at Camp Shelby,
I also have family letters showing return addresses from the following:
Ft. Meade with the 20th BN 5th replacement.
53rd Replacement
195FA Group
HQ Battery 195th F.A. Group
HQ Battery 15th Artillery
HQ Battery 977th F.A. Battalion
HQ Battery 13th F.A. Brigade
HQ Battery 195th Field Artillery Group (Per Honorable Discharge papers)

This is most of my information, but it still leads me back to my original posted questions.

Thanks

 

Hard to make sense from that? Do you have any dates?

195th FA Group as of 1 June 1944 was assigned to Third Army and attached to XX Corps.
15th Artillery? 15th FA Battalion was assigned to the 2d Infantry Division, First Army. 15th FA Brigade was redesignated as XIII Corps Artillery, which was Ninth Army. Or it could refer to XV Corps Artillery, which was Third Army until August 1944 when assigned to Seventh Army.
977th FA Battalion served in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, before landing in Southern France assigned to Seventh Army and attached to VI Corps.
13th FA Brigade served in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, before landing in Southern France assigned to Seventh Army.

I suspect everything except the 195th FA Group were Stateside assignments and his wartime service with Third Army was with it, but without dates I cannot confirm that.

 

Here are the dates that I have.
Induction May 11, 1943 place of entry Fort Benjamin Harrison, Ind.
Date of entry into active service May 1943
January 1944 I have a letter that he was in Hattiesburg Mississippi

January 8, 1944 – April 15th 1944 HQ Company 271st Reg Inf

May 1, 1944 - Ft. Meade with the 20th BN 5th replacement.
Sept 18, 1944 - 53rd Replacement
July 13, 1945 - 195FA Group
HQ Battery 195th F.A. Group
Aug 29th – Oct 9th 1945 - HQ Battery 13th Field Artillery
Nov 29th – Dec 1945 HQ Battery 977th F.A. Battalion
No Date on Box - HQ Battery 13th F.A. Brigade
HQ Battery 195th Field Artillery Group (Per Honorable Discharge papers)

 

The Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (SSI) is the correct designation for the cloth shoulder unit insignia, which originally date to World War II. Until the end of World War II, they were always worn on the left sleeve and could either be specific to divisions, corps, and armies (with some Branch insignia too such as the Antiaircraft Command "AA"). The regulations for wearing the SSI as a "combat patch", which is correctly the SSI-Former Wartime Service (SSI-FWS), dates to late in World War II when returning high-point casuals would informally wear their wartime SSI to denote their overseas service when they were assigned to another unit. The War Department recognized the practice 7 April 1945. Policy was modified again in 1951 to acknowledge Korean War service, then in 1965 for Vietnam, and the regulations have been modified over the years for later conflicts. The "combat lapel pin", which is correctly the "Combat Service Identification Badge" were enacted even later in 2012, so it would be rare for a World War II veteran to wear it (my Dad had one for the 90th Infantry Division he would occasionally wear as a lapel pin on his civilian jacket).

 

Okay, that makes more sense. He was inducted at Fort Benjamin Harrison, which was actual a Finance Replacement Training Center, then was transferred to Infantry, but then was sent overseas as a replacement. The 53d Replacement Battalion, 17th Replacement Depot, serviced Third Army, so at some time he was assigned to the 195th FA Group. However, he likely did not have enough points to return at the end of the war so stayed with Seventh Army units in the Army of Occupation until he returned to the Z/I for discharge. What is his discharge date?

 

Discharge date was Jan 13, 1946

Sorry, but what does Z/I stand for?

Thanks

 

Okay, yes, his time with the various Seventh Army units was all after VE Day with the Army of Occupation. I think you can assume that his wartime service was entirely with the HQ & HQ Btry, 195th FA Group, which was assigned to the Third Army and usually attached to the XX Corps. AFAICT the Group did not complete a postwar history, but there is a history of the XX Corps Artillery at the FA School Library, Fort Sill, History of the XX Corps Artillery, 21 October 1943 - 9 May 1945. (Miesbach, Bavaria, Buchdruckerei W.F. Mayr, 1945), which you might be able to access via interlibrary loan. There is also the Third Army After Action Report, which is available online as a pdf from various sites that will have some mentions of it, but otherwise you would need to go to the records in RG407 Entry 427 at NARA Archives II at College Park, Maryland for more.

 

Nevermind, turns out the XX Corps Artillery History is available online at XX Corps Go to Documents and scroll down.

 

Thanks to everyone who has posted the information. Its been very helpful and pointed me in a direction where I can continue my search.

 

Thanks again for the information. It looks to me like most of the information is pre May 45.
Previously, I have had a researcher pull morning reports for HQ 195 FA Sept 44- May 45 with no luck. Do you have any recommendations on where I should try to restart my search? Possibly continue post May 1945?
Also, do you have any recommendations regarding researchers that frequent College Park?

Thanks