Original Item. Only One Available. This is an exceptional original WWII 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment hand-painted badge, photographed and featured on Page 372 of Heroes in Our Midst: Volume 3 by noted militaria author John R. Angolia. Measuring only approximately 1 ½ inches in diameter, the badge is a small privately produced piece, likely of zinc construction, with the insignia of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment individually painted across its face.

The painted design remains readily identifiable despite substantial service and age wear. There is heavy loss to the painted finish along the left wing and parachute, together with additional scattered paint loss elsewhere. The underlying metal has developed the expected age patina.

The badge is featured in Heroes in Our Midst: Volume 3 by John Angolia on Page 372. The badge is a very small 1 ½” diameter likely zinc pin which is painted to the front with the insignia of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment. The badge has very heavy loss to the paint in the left wing and parachute.

The pin retains a pin but there is no catch, with a small hole in the spot where it was. It would likely still hold if pinned today. This may have been worn on a garrison cap.

The 502nd entered combat in Normandy during the airborne assault of June 6, 1944, and subsequently participated in the fighting around Carentan. The regiment later jumped into the Netherlands during Operation Market Garden and fought with the 101st Airborne Division during the Battle of the Bulge, including the defense of Bastogne. By the end of WWII, the regiment had accumulated an extensive combat record as one of the principal parachute infantry organizations of the 101st Airborne Division.

Of particular importance is the badge’s publication history. This exact example is illustrated on Page 372 of John R. Angolia’s Heroes in Our Midst: Volume 3, an extensive reference devoted to American airborne uniforms, insignia, equipment, and related material. Publication of the actual artifact provides an unusually strong reference point for comparison and gives the badge established provenance within the collecting literature.

Condition is good considering its small size and apparent period use. The principal issues are the heavy paint loss to the left wing and parachute, general surface wear, and loss of the original pin catch. The pin itself remains attached, and enough of the hand-painted design survives to clearly identify the badge.

This is an especially noteworthy piece of WWII airborne insignia for the combination of its small hand-painted construction, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment imagery, surviving original pin, period wear, and documented appearance on Page 372 of Heroes in Our Midst: Volume 3. Unlike standardized mass-produced insignia, its individually painted character reflects the unofficial and privately obtained unit material associated with American airborne troops during WWII.