Original U.S. WWII Early Austrian Occupation & 8th “Blue Devils” Infantry Division Uniform Ike Jacket with Italian-Made 88th Patch & German-Made DUIs with 88th Unit History & Cigarette Case
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Original Item. Only One Available. The 88th Infantry Division was one of the first all-draftee divisions of the United States Army to enter the war. Ordered into active military service at Camp Gruber, Oklahoma, the division, commanded by Major General John E. Sloan, arrived at Casablanca, French Morocco on 15 December 1943, and moved to Magenta, Algeria, on the 28 December for intensive training. Destined to spend the war fighting on the Italian Front, the 88th Division arrived at Naples, Italy on 6 February 1944, and concentrated around Piedimonte d'Alife for combat training. An advance element went into the line before Monte Cassino on 27 February, and the entire division relieved the battered British 46th Infantry Division along the Garigliano River in the Minturno area on 5 March. A period of defensive patrols and training followed. The 88th formed part of Major General Geoffrey Keyes' II Corps, part of the U.S. Fifth Army, under Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark.
This is a great uniform set to a Technician 5th Grade who served with the 88th Signal Company of the 88th Infantry Division during the war, afterward serving with the Occupation US Forces Austria. There is a laundry number, S6209 under the collar, a good research project.
The jacket has a great Austrian-made Occupation US Forces Austria patch on the left shoulder, a gorgeous 88th “Blue Devils” Infantry Division Italian-Made Bullion Patch with a Separate 88th BLUE DEVILS Div. Rocker on the right shoulder, Technician 5th Grade chevrons on both sleeves, and a Meritorious Service wreath on the right cuff. Both shoulder boards have a great Austrian-made DUI for Occupation US Forces Austria. There are US & Signal corps collar discs, a ruptured duck discharge patch over the right breast pocket, and a 3-place ribbon bar with the Occupation Service medal, WWII Victory medal, and European-African-Middle Eastern campaign medal with 2 campaign stars over the left breast pocket. On the pocket is a sharpshooter rifle ladder badge. The jacket has a size tag, 38R, under the collar, and a maker tag in the pocket which is entirely washed out. One of the cuff buttons is missing.
The trousers are marked W34 L31 and are in good order.
Also included is The Blue Devils in Italy, a great unit history in unissued condition, 360 pages long, and a great leatherette cigarette case with an embossed map of Germany, a great addition.
This is a great 88th ID uniform, ready for further research and display.
- This product is available for international shipping.
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