Original U.S. WWI 81st “Wildcat” Division Field Artillery Summer Weight Uniform Jacket & Trousers with Cross-Stitched Insignia
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Original Item. Only One Available. The 81st Division was organized as a division of the United States Army in August 1917 during World War I at Camp Jackson, South Carolina. The division was originally organized with a small cadre of Regular Army, in addition to Officers Reserve Corps and National Army officers, while the soldiers were predominantly Selective Service men drawn from the southeastern states of Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee. During October 1917, most of the enlisted men were transferred to other units, but additional drafts from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee replenished the strength of the division. After finishing training, the 81st Division, commanded by Major General Charles Justin Bailey, deployed to Europe, arriving on the Western Front in August 1918. Elements of the 81st Division first saw limited action by defending the St. Dié sector in September and early October. After relief of mission, the 81st Division was attached to the American First Army in preparation for the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. In the last days of World War I, the 81st Division attacked a portion of the German Army's defensive line on 9 November 1918, and remained engaged in combat operations until the Armistice with Germany at 1100 hours on 11 November 1918. The division sustained 461 casualties on the last day, 66 of them killed.
This is a great WWI Summer weight uniform set for a Corporal Serving with the 81st Division’s 156th Field Artillery Brigade. The jacket has a great red-backed 81st Division “Wildcat” patch on the left shoulder. There are two overseas chevrons on the left cuff denoting 12-17 months overseas, a red honorable discharge chevron on the left sleeve, and Corporal chevrons on the right sleeve. There are US & Field Artillery collar discs. The interior does not have a maker’s tag or any name marking we could find. The jacket has honest field wear with great cross-stitching on the insignia.
The 81st Division is noteworthy as the first Division to have an authorized shoulder patch, and the division actually wore these patches when going overseas in September 1918!
The trousers are in fair shape and match the jacket well.
The set comes ready for further research and display.
- This product is available for international shipping.
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