507th INSIGNIA
JUMP WINGS
July 1942 - September 1945
The Parachutist Badge or Jump Wings are the proud symbol of every paratrooper. To be eligible, an individual must have completed the Basic Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia consisting of a ground phase, a tower phase, and a jump phase. By the end of the course, a student will have completed five jumps from an aircraft. The original Parachutist Badge was designed in 1941 by Captain (later Lieutenant General) William P. Yarborough and approved by the Department of the Army in March 1941.
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507th JUMP WING OVAL
July 1942 - September 1945
The embroidered Jump Wing Oval provides and area for mounting the Jump Wings to the Service Coat or Ike Jacket. Paratroopers who were assigned to an airborne unit on jump status wore the respective oval for their regiment. Those soliders who had completed jump school, but who were not in an airborne unit, wore no oval. Ovals were not typically worn on jump jackets or field uniforms. The oval of the 507th was black with an orange border band.
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507th DISTINCTIVE INSIGNIA
July 1942 - September 1945
The distinctive insignia of the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment was originally drawn by Sgt. Kenneth Jenkins of the regimental intelligence section. The shield features a white parachute on a blue background and a blue streak of lightning on a white background to denote the infantry. The insignia below, "Descende Ad Terram," was composed by Chaplain John J. Verrett. Translated, it means "Down to Earth."
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PARACHUTE CAP PATCH
July 1942 - August 1944
The Parachute Infantry Cap Patch was worn on the Garrison Cap by all Parachute Infantrymen in World War II. Enlisted ranks wore it on the left side and officers wore it on the right side of their caps. The early style cap patches typically featured an embroidered white parachute and border on a light blue circular background.
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PARAGLIDER CAP PATCH
August 1944 - September 1945
The Paraglider Cap Patch was worn on the Garrison Cap by Parachute and Glider Infantrymen starting in 1944. Enlisted ranks wore it on the left side and officers wore a reversed version of the patch on the right side of their caps. The combined Paraglider patch featured an embroidered white parachute and glider on a circular blue background with a red border band.
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507th REGIMENTAL PATCH
July 1942 - September 1945
Each of the U.S. Airborne regiments had their own unique insignia for wear on their rear area clothing. These decorative pocket patches were not worn on regular combat uniforms but were applied to M41 Field Jackets, M42 Jump Jackets or A2 Flight Jackets, usually on the upper left breast. The 507th's black and orange jumping spider, with his lightning bolt and lit bomb, is one of the most distinctive and memorable of all the Airborne patches of World War II
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U.S. PARATROOPS PATCH
July 1942 - September 1945
Like the 507th's regimental patch, the United States Paratroops patch would have been worn on M41 Field Jackets, M42 Jump Jackets or A2 Flight Jackets on the upper left breast. These were available for private purchase at the PX and were an alternate to the unit-specific regimental pocket patches.
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AIRBORNE COMMAND PATCH April 1943 - December 1943
The shoulder patch worn by the 1st Airborne Brigade was designed by the Airborne Command and is worn by all Airborne troops not assigned to a division. While stationed in Alliance, Nebraska, the 507th was formally assigned to the 1st Airborne Brigade on April 14, 1943. The red shield features a combined glider and parachute infantry design with a black Airborne tab above.
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82nd AIRBORNE DIVISION PATCH January 1944 - August 1944
The 507th joined the 82nd Airborne Division on January 14, 1944. They were a replacement for the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment which was still in need of replacements from its losses in Italy. The 507th fought valiantly with the "All Americans" of the 82nd throughout the Normandy campaign, finally returning to England on July 13, 1944.
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17th AIRBORNE DIVISION PATCH August 1944 - September 1945
With the 17th Airborne Division training in England and in need of another parachute regiment, it was determined that the battle-tested 507th would permanently join its ranks. The 507th was assigned to the 17th Airborne on August 17, 1944. Spearheading the Golden Talons, the 507th fought through the bitter Battle of the Bulge and jumped on Wesel, Germany as part of Operation Varsity.
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