Insignia of the 752nd Tank Battalion

	Armored Forces Insignia (Plain) 752nd tankers most commonly wore the plain armored forces insignia during the war years. The equilateral triangle is divided into yellow, blue, and red sections to represent the three branches from which the armored forces were formed. The tank tread, gun, and lightning flash symbolize mobility, power, and speed. The patch measures 4 inches across the base and 3½ inches high. Only 8 independent tank battalions were initially authorized to display their unit number on the insignia (70th, 191st, 741st, 742nd, 743rd, 744th, 746th and 751st).
	752nd Insignia (Hand-Written) The men of the remaining independent tank battalions became unhappy that they were not authorized to display their unit number. Though against regulations, the men of the 752nd began to display their battalion numbers on their patches in a variety of ways. The owner of this patch, Sgt. Ray Holt of B Company, expressed his pride in the outfit by writing the numbers "752" in pencil on his dress uniform's standard armored insignia. The writing on this patch is known to pre-date the end of the war.
	752nd Insignia (Hand-Stitched) The 752nd tankers quickly became bolder in displaying their battalion identification. The owner of this patch had very carefully hand-stitched the numbers "752" in black thread. Such infractions by combat vets were seldom enforced in-theater. It is believed that this patch was hand-sewn during the combat period.
	752nd Insignia (Machine-Embroidered) Toward the end of the war, the regulations were finally changed to allow all independent tankers to display their battalion numbers. Soon, a variety of machine-embroidered patches such as the one shown here became available. There is no evidence to date of a machine-embroidered patch being worn in the 752nd prior to the end of the war, but they became very popular shortly after the war ended. The patch shown here is believed to have been produced in 1945.
	752nd Gold Bullion Scroll (Black) After the war ended, a few enterprising manufacturers in Italy began to add items of interest in the insignia they produced. The gold bullion embroidered unit scroll was very popular, but a bit hard to get. Shown here is a bullion scroll worn over an armored forces patch with hand-stitched numbers. More often, it was worn above a patch with machine embroidered numbers. Of all the different countries occupied by U.S. troops, Italy was by far the most prolific manufacturer of scrolls. Collectors beware, there's a lot of fake bullion coming out of India lately, including 752nd scrolls.
	752nd Gold Bullion Scroll (Navy Blue) In addition to the black background shown above, the bullion scrolls were also made in navy blue, as shown on this uniform. Note that this particular bullion scroll was worn above a plain armored patch without battalion numbers, suggesting that it was one of the earlier applications of the scroll. Also note the subtle difference in lettering styles between the two bullion scrolls on this page. Collectors beware, there's a lot of fake bullion coming out of India lately, including 752nd scrolls.
	752nd Blue & White Scroll This somewhat less decorative scroll is the one that was most commonly in use in the postwar period, and is therefore the style of 752nd scroll that is easiest to find today. This scroll had simple white letters and numbers embroidered on a blue background. Blue was now becoming a more symbolic color in the 752nd, likely due to the azure background of the distinctive insignia (DI) that was also coming into vogue (see below). Note the fancy cross-stitching on both the scroll and the armored forces insignia. This stitching was quite popular with 752nd postwar tankers as a way of individualizing their uniforms.
	752nd Blue, Silver, & Gold Bullion Scroll Another version of the blue scroll, featuring what are now tarnished silver letters and a tarnished gold bullion border. Similar to the scroll shown above, the blue background relates to the azure heraldic color of the official 752nd DI. The silver lettering is in keeping with the 752nd's second heraldic color, officially known as argent. Again, note the decorative cross-stitching on the edges of the armored forces insignia. Collectors beware, there's a lot of fake bullion coming out of India lately, including 752nd scrolls.
	752nd Silver Bullion Scroll A very rare theater-made 752nd scroll. The bullion is tarnished silver, sewn onto blue wool with a tan cloth backing. Note the squared edges. Measures 3 3/4" long and 1 3/8" high. Collectors beware, there's a lot of fake bullion coming out of India lately, including 752nd scrolls.
	752nd Yellow & Black Recon Scroll A "crude and unusual" 752nd Tank Battalion scroll in yellow and black. It is believed that this scroll was unique to the 752nd's Recon Platoon, since recon units often adapted the yellow and black colors that were favored by the Cavalry branch of the Army. There is currently some debate as to whether or not yellow and black are in fact the official heraldic colors of the Cavalry.
	752nd Gold Bullion Collector's Patch This exquisite-looking 752nd gold bullion patch with scroll is beautiful to look at, but it could never have been worn by a 752nd tanker. Fancy gold bullion patches such as these were produced well after the war ended, and well after the 752nd had been deactivated. This rubber-backed patch was originally sold as part of a series of similar armored bullion patches which were marketed strictly as commemorative collector items.
	TRUST 15th Tank Company Scroll A very rare scroll from the TRUST (TRieste US Troops) 15th Tank Company, which performed peacekeeping duties on the Italy-Yugoslavia border after the war. The design of the scroll reflects the heritage of the 752nd Tank Battalion, since the TRUST Tank Company was formed from elements of the 752nd in 1947. The 15th Tank Company was redesignated as Tank Company, 351st Infantry Regiment in December 1949, and continued its peacekeepign mission in the Trieste area until 1954. Tank Company/351 was deactivated in the States in 1955.
	Garrison Cap Insignia A studio photo of an unidentified 752nd B Company tanker, showing both the standard armored shoulder patch and a slightly smaller version sewn onto the garrison cap. The insignia in this photo almost certainly pre-dates November 1945, since the photo was sourced from a 752nd combat vet who left Italy in the middle of that month. Only one other photo of a 752nd tanker with a garrison cap insignia has been found to date, and it was sourced from the same vet as the photo shown here. Scroll down further on this page for a description and color photo of the standard armored garrison cap.
	752nd Distinctive Insignia Patch A very different type of insignia was designed for the 752nd late in the postwar period. Patterned after the 752nd Distinctive Insignia (see below), this patch was quite large, measuring 4¾ inches high by 3½ inches wide. This was considered a "pocket patch" or "souvenir patch" and was not worn on the shoulder of the uniform. Instead, it was worn by returning vets on the front pocket of the field jacket, or it was used for decorative purposes (such as photo album covers, medal displays, etc.). The patch was machine embroidered on sky-blue cotton material. It is not known when this patch first appeared, or how widespread its use was.
	752nd Distinctive Insignia (Poellath) The 752nd, like all other units, had its own Distinctive Insignia(also called a DI). This was a colorful pin intended to build esprit de corps. The 752nd DI was authorized in 1942, but did not come into use until shortly after the war ended. The official colors are azure and argent. Three spiked arms and fists symbolizing striking power emerge from a spur gear symbolizing mechanization. The word Fortis is Latin for Powerful. The DI depicted here was produced by the German company Poellath in the late 1940's or early 50's, and measures 1 and 1/8 inches tall.
	752nd Distinctive Insignia (Dondero) Quite a few different variations of the 752nd DI were produced, and sometimes several variations were made by the same manufacturer. This DI was produced by the Dondero company in Washington DC. Note the vastly different shape and size in comparison to the Poellath DI shown above (sizes are in correct proportion). This DI measures 1 inch tall. 752nd DIs have been found with pinback, screwback, and clutchback fasteners.
	752nd Distinctive Insignia Sweetheart Charm A rare 752nd sweetheart bracelet charm, shown in correct proportion to the DI's above. Note the very different interpretation of the insignia, and the fastening hole at the top. This particular sweetheart charm was turned into a pin by gluing a common carpet tack to the back, and attaching a clutchback fastener to the tack. Measures 5/8 inch tall.

	Armored Training School Insignia It is possible that the men who ran the 752nd Armored Training School wore the standard armored forces insignia with the letter "S" in the yellow field. Despite its being authorized in the early war years, no photos have yet been discovered of any members of the ATS at North Africa or Eboli-Campagna wearing this patch. Rather, most of the "school teachers" seem to have continued wearing the plain armored forces insignia, perhaps due to their resentment over being assigned as teachers instead of moving into combat with the rest of the 752.
	Armored Training Center Distinctive Insignia The Distinctive Insignia (DI) of the Armored Force Replacement Training Center is not directly associated with the 752nd Tank Battalion. Measuring 1¼ inches tall, it used the same color scheme as the generic armored forces insignia and featured an armored fist holding three lightning bolts. The words "We Forge The Thunderbolt" represent the training mission. Though this DI was approved 3 December 1942, there is no evidence to date of this DI being worn by the men of the 752nd Training School that operated in Italy, and was probably never worn by 752nd Tankers at any time. Instead, this DI was worn by Stateside training personnel at Ft. Knox long after the initial 752nd cadre had briefly cycled through training there in mid-1941.
	Garrison Cap Piping - Armored The Armored Corps distinguished itself from other branches through the use of green and white piping on its garrison caps (also known as overseas caps). Green is recognized as the traditional color of the armored corps. Tankers wore their garrison caps with a sharp slant downward toward the left eye (as shown in the B&W photo above).
	Overseas Service Bars U.S. Army personnel who served overseas were entitled to wear Overseas Service Bars. Each bar represented a full 6 months of service outside of the U.S. The original members of the 752nd who initially shipped out to England were entitled to wear 5 service bars for service through the end of the war. Few, if any, of the original cadre stayed long enough after the end of the war to earn a 6th bar. The bars were sewn on the left sleeve, a few inches above the jacket cuff. These 5 overseas bars were cross-stitched onto an "Ike" jacket belonging to Sgt. Raymond Holt of B Company.
	Service Stripes Army enlisted men were entitled to wear a Service Stripe, also known as a hash mark, to denote each 3-year period of active service. Service stripes were worn below the overseas stripes, just above the jacket cuff. The service stripe was wider than the overseas bars, and was more subdued in color. Interestingly, no service stripes appear in any photos of 752nd men, either during the wartime period or well into the postwar period. To the hardened combat vet who was anxious to return to civilian life, sewing on a service stripe was apparently not a big priority. And the majority of men in postwar service with the 752nd had not accumulated enough time to earn a stripe.
	Ruptured Duck Honorably discharged servicemen were issued the "Ruptured Duck" insignia to signify to MPs that the soldier was recently discharged. Soldiers were allowed to continue wearing their uniforms for 30 days after discharge, due to the clothing shortage. The original Ruptured Duck was a cloth insignia that was machine-sewn above the right breast pocket by the processing unit. The one depicted was issued in early 1945. The Ruptured Duck was later issued as a pin.