Original Item: Only One Available. This is an excellent unissued condition example of a very scarce Airborne Paratrooper Flag Armband. This type of armband was typically used by U.S. Paratroopers, for example in North Africa (1942), during the D-Day invasion in Normandy (June 1944) and during Operation Market Garden (September 1944). The armband was typically fixed to the uniform jacket arm with safety pins.

This is the third type of Arm flag, which was printed as an armband on a kind of sturdy paper stock resembling wall paper, called oilcloth. This is a semi-waterproof material also called "lacquered cloth" and "American Cloth". It has punch holes and originally came with two safety pins, both of which are present.

Condition is simply extraordinary. This flag shows no signs of ever having been used or attached to a uniform, and still has the original safety pins. There is no wear at all to the flag, just some age toning and oxidation on the safety pins. The only difference from when issued is that these were not folded, issued from a stack of flags.

This type was issued for the Southern France, Holland and Rhine jumps and was worn as an armband or cut or folded and pinned to the sleeve. 509th PIR troopers during Operation Dragoon wore their flags on the left sleeve. There are two variations of this type of armflag, and you will mostly find both described as printed on oilcloth. This is true for the second type, which has a hemmed edge all around, but which is otherwise identical in pattern and size.