Original Items: One Set of 6 Patches. This is a fantastic set of Original WWII patches from various "Special Operations Units" (Spec Ops) that existed during WWII. These were unconventional warfare units of the United States military. Most units were created to fulfill specific duties within a particular conflict, and were disbanded once that conflict ended. All branches of the United States armed forces – the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force have fielded special operations units.

This set consists of:

• TWO patches from the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), named MERRILLS MARAUDERS, after their commander General Frank Dow Merrill. This was a United States Army long range penetration special operations jungle warfare unit, which fought in the South-East Asian theatre of World War II, or China-Burma-India Theater (CBI). The unit became famous for its deep-penetration missions behind Japanese lines, often engaging Japanese forces superior in number.
  
• One Patch from the American / Canadian First Special Service Force, which is a red arrowhead marked with USA and CANADA. This unit was known by many names, such as The Devil's Brigade, The Black Devils, The Black Devils' Brigade, and Freddie's Freighters. This was an elite American-Canadian commando unit in World War II, under command of the United States Fifth Army. The unit was organized in 1942 and trained at Fort William Henry Harrison near Helena, Montana in the United States. The Force served in the Aleutian Islands, and fought in Italy, and southern France before being disbanded in December 1944.
• One patch from the 474th Infantry Regiment / 1st Special Service Force, which was formed after the American / Canadian First Special Service force was disbanded. The patch takes the red arrowhead design from the U.S. / Canadian unit, with a blue sailing ship in the middle. It Constituted 11 November 1944 in the Regular Army as the 474th Infantry. Activated 6 January 1945 in France with American personnel from the joint Canadian-American 1st Special Service Force. (99th Infantry Battalion replaced 3rd Battalion on 25 January 1945.) Inactivated, less 99th Infantry Battalion, on 26 October 1945 at Camp Shanks, New York.
• One Patch from the 99th Infantry Battalion (separate). This was a battalion of Norwegian-speaking soldiers in the US Army. Created in July 1942 at Camp Ripley, Minnesota, the battalion originally consisted of 1,001 soldiers. The battalion was attached to the First Army; however, it was labeled "Separate" because it was not attached to a specific regiment. It was joined to the 474th Infantry Regiment / 1st Special Service Force towards the end of the war.
• One "Kiska Task Force" patch, which is a circular badge with a blue field and white border. Inside the badge is a vertical bowie style knife, pointing downward. This was a Special Operations group created to re-take Kiska Island in the Aleutian Islands chain, which was occupied by 12,000 Japanese soldiers. Members of the First Special Service Force were chosen, and invaded the island, only to find it abandoned. A small force was left behind to hold it, and the task force was dissolved. The task force was fairly small and lasted only a short time so the patch is fairly scarce.

A very nice set of Origina WWII Special Special Operations patches, ready to add to your collection