{"product_id":"original-u-s-wwii-540th-engineer-combat-regiment-2832nd-engineer-combat-battalion-invasion-group-with-theater-inscribed-american-flag-armband-shore-patrol-armband-patches-ephemera-arthur-j-honbarger","title":"Original U.S. WWII 540th Engineer Combat Regiment \/ 2832nd Engineer Combat Battalion Invasion Group with Theater-Inscribed American Flag Armband, Shore Patrol Armband, Patches \u0026 Ephemera - Arthur J. Honbarger","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Items. One-of-a-Kind Group. This is an outstanding original WWII grouping belonging to \u003cb\u003eArthur J. Honbarger\u003c\/b\u003e, who served with the organization later designated the \u003cb\u003e2832nd Engineer Combat Battalion\u003c\/b\u003e. The centerpiece is a remarkable American flag invasion armband that Honbarger turned into a personal record of his wartime movements through \u003cb\u003eNorth Africa, Sicily, and Italy\u003c\/b\u003e, recording dates and locations directly on the cloth. Also included are a yellow \u003cb\u003eShore Patrol armband\u003c\/b\u003e, 5th and 7th Army patches, five overseas service bars, photographs, a troop assignment card, and a May 17, 1945 captured-property certificate naming Honbarger and the 2832nd Engineer Combat Battalion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe American flag armband measures approximately \u003cb\u003e17 ¾ x 3 ⅝ inches\u003c\/b\u003e and consists of a cotton armband with a stitched American flag patch. American flag brassards were issued to U.S. invasion troops beginning with the North African campaign as an immediately recognizable indication of American nationality. This example appears to have been fastened with a safety pin for an extended period, consistent with the method commonly used to secure these invasion armbands.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe armband is inscribed:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e“AFRICA” - 3\/19\/43 TO 6\/25\/43\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e“ORAN” - “ARZUW” - “MONSTAGIEM”\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e“TUNIS” - “BERSITA”\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e“SICILY” - 7\/10\/43 - TO 9\/8\/43\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eGELA - PALERMO - TERMINY\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e“ITALY” 9\/10\/43 TO\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePAESTIM SALERNO - NAPLES\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMONTRAGONI - SESSA - POMPAE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eANZIO - NETTONE - ROME\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeveral of these names appear to be phonetic or abbreviated wartime spellings of locations encountered during Honbarger’s travels, including places that likely correspond to \u003cb\u003eArzew, Mostaganem, Bizerte, Termini, Paestum, Mondragone, Pompeii, and Nettuno\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe chronology recorded on the armband closely follows the Mediterranean campaigns of the \u003cb\u003e540th Engineer Combat Regiment\u003c\/b\u003e, the organization from which the 2832nd Engineer Combat Battalion was later formed. The 540th Engineer Shore Regiment was activated in 1942 and redesignated the \u003cb\u003e540th Engineer Combat Regiment\u003c\/b\u003e before deploying overseas. It participated in operations in North Africa and subsequently took part in the amphibious landings in \u003cb\u003eSicily, Salerno, and Anzio\u003c\/b\u003e, followed later by the invasion of Southern France.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn \u003cb\u003eFebruary 15, 1945\u003c\/b\u003e, the 540th Engineer Combat Regiment was reorganized as the \u003cb\u003e540th Engineer Combat Group\u003c\/b\u003e. Its former \u003cb\u003e1st Battalion became the 2832nd Engineer Combat Battalion\u003c\/b\u003e, while the 2nd Battalion became the 2833rd Engineer Combat Battalion. This distinction is important because Honbarger’s handwritten 1943–44 itinerary predates the 2832nd designation. The grouping therefore appears to document his service with the predecessor organization before he later served under the 2832nd Engineer Combat Battalion designation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe armband’s Sicily section begins \u003cb\u003e7\/10\/43\u003c\/b\u003e, the opening period of \u003cb\u003eOperation Husky\u003c\/b\u003e, and records \u003cb\u003eGela, Palermo, and “TERMINY,”\u003c\/b\u003e apparently Termini. The Italian portion begins \u003cb\u003e9\/10\/43\u003c\/b\u003e, immediately following the Allied landings in the Salerno area, and continues through a remarkable succession of locations including \u003cb\u003ePaestum, Salerno, Naples, Mondragone, Sessa, Pompeii, Anzio, Nettuno, and Rome\u003c\/b\u003e. As a personal theater record written directly onto an invasion brassard, it provides an unusually immediate visual record of Honbarger’s progression through the Mediterranean war.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe included Shore Patrol armband is yellow wool with an embroidered black \u003cb\u003eSP\u003c\/b\u003e. It measures 14 ¾ x 3 ⅞” and has some moth nipping as shown.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe group also includes 5th Army and 7th Army patches, a set of five overseas stripes, and two photos, one showing the soldier in camp and the other of a 5th Army presentation plaque. There is also a ID Discharge Certificate, not named, and a troop assignment card named with his name and number on the back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the most important documents is an original \u003cb\u003eWar Capture Certificate dated May 17, 1945\u003c\/b\u003e, which specifically identifies \u003cb\u003eArthur J. Honbarger\u003c\/b\u003e and authorizes captured German material in his possession. The listed souvenirs include \u003cb\u003eGerman medals, one armband, and one small flag\u003c\/b\u003e. The certificate was approved by \u003cb\u003eLieutenant Donald G. Phelps\u003c\/b\u003e and identifies the unit as \u003cb\u003e2832 Enr. Combat Bn.\u003c\/b\u003e This document firmly establishes Honbarger’s association with the 2832nd Engineer Combat Battalion by the closing weeks of the war in Europe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is an unusually cohesive grouping because the surviving artifacts document several different stages of one soldier’s wartime experience. The \u003cb\u003etheater-inscribed American flag armband\u003c\/b\u003e records Honbarger’s movements through Africa, Sicily, and Italy, while the \u003cb\u003eMay 1945 captured-property certificate\u003c\/b\u003e places him specifically in the 2832nd Engineer Combat Battalion after its formation from the veteran 540th Engineer organization. Together with the Army patches, overseas bars, photographs, troop card, and Shore Patrol brassard, the group preserves a highly personal record of an engineer soldier whose overseas service followed some of the principal Allied campaigns of the Mediterranean Theater.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45819650474053,"sku":"ONSV26MSB080","price":1595.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/ONSV26MSB080__01.jpg?v=1790018991","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-u-s-wwii-540th-engineer-combat-regiment-2832nd-engineer-combat-battalion-invasion-group-with-theater-inscribed-american-flag-armband-shore-patrol-armband-patches-ephemera-arthur-j-honbarger","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}