Hey guys,I was looking at the "British formation Signs"website(very good too.!).It showed that a British uniform usually had a red "flash",with the name of the regt eg."Hampshire",then below that 3red horizontal stripes,showing which Bde the Regt belonged to,and finally the Divisional insignia,all on the right shoulder when facing forward.Did infantry units in the U.S.Army do the same.?I have seen a few photos on the web,and t.v.For eg.the divisional sign for the U.S.1st Inf Div,was simply a red 1,and the divisional sign for the U.S.28th Inf Div,looked like a red bucket(and I think was known as the bloody bucket Division),but did U.S.uniforms have Regtal"flashes"too.? If so which side of the uniform were they worn,?and was this mandatory .? All help would be great.! Cheers,Lee.
U.S. Army uniforms had the unit patch on the left shoulder, like you stated, 1st Infantry etc.. The collar brass showed which branch he was assigned to, for instance, Infantry, Engineering, Armor, etc. The Unit Crest indicated his regiment or battalion. This was worn either on the top shoulder tab or on the lapel (I've seen it both ways).
Bear in mind, Lee that very little in the way of insignia was worn on combat clothing, usually only rank and cloth unit patches. Oftentimes, even that was not worn. Old Hickory told me that they never wore any insignia (rank or unit) after they left England to go to Normandy in June 1944 until after the war. Regimental and similar insignia were worn only by enlisted personnel.
Not all regiments had authorized insignia. My father's unit, the 473rd Infantry, never had an official patch. Most were made in the field, and most soldiers never received them. The unit patch, the shield and bayonet, never made it into official production.
I like all the different uniforms that different countries soldiers wore,the soviet winter uniform for example;a wonderful piece of kit.What are you guys opinions on different uniforms that were worn by all sides,and did they have the same British"flare" for sewing,that seems more apparent on their uniforms.cheers,4th.
