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I can't believe I got home late and missed bidding on this great Ike jacket on ebay. I t ended up going for $42!!! This is the second 36th Ike jacket in the last couple of years on ebay that had a 10th Armored patch on the other sleeve. Dad said they were fueling up tanks for Patton when they got called back to the Bulge. I think his Ike jacket had a 3rd Army patch on it if I remember right. Any way it was a size 36 r ( same as Dad's) and It might have fit me in junior high school.

According to the history of the 36th Engineer Combat Regiment, after crossing the Rhine River at Mannheim, they were employed "...supporting the 63rd, 100th Inf Divs, and the 10th Armored Division." The Heilbronn pocket delayed operations for about two weeks with the 2826th (1st Bn) maintaining entrance/exit DUKW sites which supplied the bridgehead and operating support rafts during this period.

The regiment was a non-divisional, independent unit constantly changing attachments, so I'm wondering why they would ever wear a divisional patch of any kind? Like, did they sew on a new patch for every unit they were attached to?---Peanuts

My thoughts too and please post what you find out. In the meantime beware of eBay'ers.

I sent requests for info to several of my guys and also consulting some documentation. The following was taken from websites...

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*On the right sleeve of the Class A blouse was worn the rank.

*On the left sleeve of the Class A blouse were worn the following: Organizational patch of the unit he was serving with at the time (removed if the "Ruptured Duck" insignia worn on the uniform), rank, overseas stripes, and then the service stripes.

*On the Class A blouse right upper lapel was worn the one-inch brass USA disc.

*On the Class A blouse left upper lapel was worn the one-inch brass disc that was their branch insignia.

*On the Class A blouse right and left lower lapel were worn the Distinctive Insignia or DIs. This indicated the smaller unit that was part of the larger unit in which he was serving.

*References are: World War II Order Of Battle by Captain Shelby L. Stanton, U.S. Army Special Forces (Retired) and Finding Your Father's War: A Practical Guide To Researching And Understanding Service In The World War II U.S. Army by Jonathan Gawne

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Here's another reference:

Unit Patches - During WWII, patches were made of cotton twill, wool felt, leather, or bullion, and can be embroidered, printed or painted. An original patch with white thread will not glow under a black light (all natural fibers), and is often identified by a "cut edge". Modern embroidered patches are made using a machine that requires a full edging process, and often have a little embroidered chain "tail" that hangs off the side. Reproduction felt, leather, and bullion patches also exist, and are sometimes much harder to tell from the original, and are sometimes being made with vintage materials. (Bullion is a gold or silver metallic coil that is cut into tiny pieces and hand or machine stitched into a design). Original patches can run from $3-$5 for a common embroidered unit patch to $100's or $1,000's for a rare theater made bullion or leather made patch. Note: Class A's, ETO uniforms (Ike and trousers) and A-2 flight jackets are the only times when it's really appropriate to deviate from the standard embroidered patch. Otherwise, with patches, less is more. Many units did not wear patches at all on their HBT's.

The active unit goes on the left shoulder of your uniform, your former or combat unit is on the right, although if you are putting together a uniform for an impression, the former unit was not always practiced, and most often was a sign of someone who had served overseas or in combat, so it is advised that you not wear a second unit on your other sleeve.

Overseas bars - one for each 6 months of service, sewn on the cuff of class A uniforms

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Here's a general info page which will be of interest to many. Gives the ins and outs of WWII uniforms.

http://www.crew976.org/gear.html

My father has his engineer regimental patch, as well as the 34th's Inf Div's Red Bull patch. Unfortunately he is not around for me to ask him. Could it be he started off with them before joining the 540th? Certainly could be. He doesn't have any of the other patches of units they were attached to during the war.

Two of the 36th engineers replied. Art Cook stated he hadn't heard of attached unit patches. John Fallon states,

"The rules are as I understand them that you can wear on your right shouldeer the patch with which you wish to associated, probably the one you wore in combat. Since regulations require you to wear your current unit on your left shoulder you have no choice. I have a white uniform shirt I wear to certain functions of the American Legion and as a compromise I wear the Engineer Amphibioun Command Patch on my right shouler and the the 36th Engineer patch on my left. Mostly thought the American Legion preferred uniform is grey pants and blue blazer and I wear the Seahorse patch on my left pocket. Notice the General Officers you see on The TV on their right shoulder they ususally have an Infantry Division Patch and probably a Corps or Army on the Left.

36 Engineers are rugged......John Fallon II. Capt. USA Ret.

Trying to find out more info on ATTACHED units. Although this is not an ENGINEER unit, this might help shed some light on a similar note:

How Did AAA Units Operate?

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Normally, an AAA automatic weapons (AW) battalion was attached to each division — a self-propelled (SP) AW battalion if attached to an armored division, and a mobile AW battalion if attached to an infantry division. A corps normally had one or more AAA groups attached. Each AAA group consisted of two or more automatic weapons battalions (usually mobile), although a gun battalion was occasionally attached. In the European Theater, gun battalions were more frequently found in AAA groups attached to the army or army group. Antiaircraft brigades were also formed and were normally attached to armies or to theater commands. In addition, the IX Air Defense Command (in effect an AAA division, originally organized as a part of the U.S. Ninth Tactical Air Force), with an average of 10 to 15 gun and automatic weapons battalions, formed a powerful AAA reserve for General Omar Bradley's 12th Army Group in Europe. Searchlight battalions, on the other hand, could be attached to either an Army or Air Force as part of an AAA brigade. The 225th, for most of 1944-45, was part of the 49th AAA Brigade and alternately attached to the U.S. 1st Army and the 9th Air Force, and wore shoulder patches for one or the other, or both. Rarely would an AAA man at the battalion level wear a patch of any brigade, division, or squadron to which his unit was attached.

This was taken from:

http://www.skylighters.org/introduction/