Original U.S. WWII Merrill’s Marauders Australian-Made Ike Jacket Attributed to Lt. Col. Charles Beach, 3rd Battalion Commander, 5307th Composite Group
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Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. Nicknamed "Old Ranger", Lieutenant Colonel Beach was made the commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion of US 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), more popularly known by the unit's unofficial nickname "Merrill's Marauders". As a part of the unit's K Force, Beach led the battalion through the dense jungles of northern Burma and successfully took control of Myitkyina and its surroundings, and like so many others of 5307th, he suffered from various diseases after spending an extended time in the jungle. He was awarded the Silver Star medal with oak leaf cluster for his WW2 achievements. After the war, he became a police officer. He committed suicide in Newark, Ohio in 1954 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in northern Virginia, United States.
This is a very nice Australian-made Ike jacket that came with an old tag reading:
LT COL.
CHAS.
BEACH
5307
COMP.
The jacket has direct-embroidered US & Infantry collar insignia, bullion Lieutenant Colonel oak leaves on the shoulder boards, four bullion overseas stripes on the left cuff, and a gorgeous bullion theater-made CBI (China, Burma, India) patch on the left shoulder. There is some mothing across the jacket as shown. The interior is a very soft material, but there is no name or nametag anywhere on the uniform. The only attribution to Beach is the tag that came with it, but considering the high quality of the insignia, we are confident that it was his.
This is an outstanding jacket that comes with the original tie it was found with. Ready for further research and display!
Approximate Measurements:-
Collar to shoulder: 10.5"
Shoulder to sleeve: 25.5”
Shoulder to shoulder: 15.5"
Chest width: 19.5”
Waist: 16"
Hip: 16"
Front length: 24.5"
Merrill’s Marauders (named after Frank Merrill) or Unit Galahad, officially named the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), was a United States Army special operations force unit that specialized in artillery observer, close-quarters battle, combat patrol, commando style raids in jungle warfare, guerrilla warfare, long-range penetration, special reconnaissance, and tracking targets to frontline military intelligence gathering or surprise attacks, which fought in the South-East Asian theatre of World War II, or China Burma India theater (CBI).
The unit became famous for its long-range penetration missions behind Japanese lines, often engaging Imperial Japanese forces superior in number.
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