Original Items: Only One Lot of 5 Available. This is an outstanding grouping of five original WWII U.S. Army Air Forces and China-Burma-India Theater shoulder sleeve insignia featuring elaborate bullion embroidery, quilted construction, velvet and cloth backings, and other characteristics associated with theater-made insignia.

These privately produced and locally embroidered patches were often made by skilled tailors and craftsmen using materials available near overseas duty stations. Their construction can vary considerably from regulation machine-embroidered insignia, making each surviving example a distinctive piece of wartime uniform art.

The lot includes two Army Air Forces shoulder patches, a quilted 5th Air Force patch, and two variations of the well-known China-Burma-India Theater insignia.

The Items in This Lot:

Velvet-Backed Bullion Army Air Forces Patch

This attractive AAF shoulder sleeve insignia features detailed metallic bullion embroidery applied to a velvet backing.

The central white star, red disc, and gold winged device are rendered with excellent visual depth, while the velvet base gives the insignia a particularly rich appearance.

The patch remains in very good overall condition and displays the individual character expected of a privately made example.

Uncut Bullion Army Air Forces Patch

This elaborate bullion AAF patch remains attached to a wider section of its original backing material.

The untrimmed construction suggests that it may never have been sewn to a uniform, or that it was retained by its owner before final fitting.

The bullion work remains highly attractive, and the survival of the surrounding material makes this an especially unusual example.

Bullion and Quilted 5th Air Force Patch

This thin, locally produced 5th Air Force shoulder patch features quilted construction and decorative bullion embroidery.

The 5th Air Force was one of the principal American air organizations operating in the Southwest Pacific during WWII. Its aircraft and personnel served in the campaigns that carried Allied forces from Australia and New Guinea toward the Philippines and Japan.

The patch has a distinctive hand-finished appearance and remains highly displayable.

The outer border has loosened slightly in places, but the insignia remains intact.

Blue Cloth-Backed Bullion CBI Patch with Snaps

This impressive China-Burma-India Theater insignia is constructed on a blue cloth backing with quilted red fields and circular decorative elements around the border.

The patch retains three snaps on the reverse, allowing it to be attached and removed from a uniform without permanent stitching.

This removable construction may have allowed the owner to transfer the insignia between uniforms or remove it for cleaning and storage.

The combination of bullion embroidery, quilting, and snap attachments makes this a particularly distinctive variation.

Uniform-Removed Theater-Made CBI Patch

This embroidered China-Burma-India Theater patch shows clear evidence of having been removed from a uniform.

The design features the familiar combination of the United States star and Chinese Nationalist sun emblem, symbolizing American service in cooperation with Chinese forces in the CBI Theater.

The embroidery remains attractive, although some fraying and wear are present around the edges from original use and later removal.

The complete grouping includes:

Velvet-backed bullion Army Air Forces patch
Uncut bullion Army Air Forces patch on extended backing material
Thin quilted bullion 5th Air Force patch
Blue cloth-backed bullion CBI patch with three rear snaps
Uniform-removed embroidered theater-made CBI patch

The China-Burma-India Theater was one of the most geographically isolated and logistically difficult Allied commands of WWII. American personnel operated across India, Burma, and China, supporting Chinese forces, maintaining air routes over the Himalayas, constructing the Ledo Road, and attempting to keep China supplied after Japanese forces severed the principal land routes.

The distinctive CBI shoulder patch combined the U.S. white star with the Chinese Nationalist twelve-pointed sun, creating one of the most recognizable American theater insignia of the war.

The 5th Air Force patch represents another demanding wartime theater. Its aircrews and support personnel operated from primitive bases, often under harsh tropical conditions, while supporting the Allied advance across the Southwest Pacific.

Bullion and theater-made insignia were generally more expensive and visually elaborate than standard government-issued patches. Officers and enlisted personnel often purchased them from local tailors, particularly for dress uniforms, walking-out uniforms, or garments worn away from combat areas.

Differences in thread, backing material, padding, embroidery style, and border construction give these locally made patches great appeal among advanced insignia collectors.

All five examples remain in attractive collector condition, with the expected differences in wear and construction. The loose border on the 5th Air Force patch and the fraying on the uniform-removed CBI insignia are fully visible and consistent with their age and use.

A visually impressive group of WWII theater-made aviation insignia displaying five distinct interpretations of Army Air Forces, 5th Air Force, and China-Burma-India shoulder patch designs.