Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 256:
Description
WWII U.S. 82nd Airborne Division M-1944 "Ike" Field Jacket and Trousers Named to Russen, P. – with Combat Infantryman Badge, Glider Badge, Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon and Belgian Fourragere, Jacket Dated June 10, 1944 by Bertward Clothes Inc. for the Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot Offered is a named, insignia-rich M-1944 field jacket and matching wool trousers documenting the service of a glider-qualified infantryman of the 82nd Airborne Division, "All American, " in the European Theater of Operations. The jacket is hand-inked inside the collar lining "RUSSEN, P., " with a partial, largely illegible service number beneath it. The 82nd Airborne fought across Sicily, Salerno, Normandy (Operation Overlord), the Netherlands (Operation Market Garden), and the Ardennes-Alsace (Battle of the Bulge), earning a Belgian Croix de Guerre with Palm and the accompanying fourragere for its stand at the Bulge, along with a Presidential Unit Citation for earlier fighting. The three bronze service stars affixed to the green-and-brown European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign ribbon indicate credit for three named campaigns or major operations, while the Combat Infantryman Badge – awarded only to those who personally engaged the enemy in ground combat as infantry – confirms this was no rear-echelon posting. Three gold overseas service bars on the lower left sleeve denote a minimum of eighteen months overseas, consistent with a soldier who served through the Division’s sustained 1944-45 fighting in Northwest Europe. The jacket, wool OD, size 34L, retains its fully legible maker’s label: "Jacket, Field, Wool, O.D., " Stock No. 55-J-384-540, Bertward Clothes Inc., P.O. No. 12165, dated June 10, 1944, Pattern Date 5/10/44, Spec. P.Q.D. No. 437, Phila. Q.M. Depot. The left sleeve carries the sewn 82nd Airborne Division shoulder sleeve insignia (blue "AA" on red shield) beneath an arced blue-and-white "AIRBORNE" tab. The left breast bears a Glider Badge mounted on an oval trimmed background, above a two-tier ribbon bar comprising Purple Heart and a second toned ribbon, and beneath it American Campaign, EAME Campaign (three bronze service stars), and WWII Victory ribbons, with a pin-back Combat Infantryman Badge below. A Presidential Unit Citation ribbon in its gold frame is mounted to the right breast pocket. Gold-toned enlisted "U.S." and crossed-rifles Infantry collar disks are pinned to the lapels. A red-and-green twisted Belgian fourragere is looped at the left shoulder seam, and a twisted orange-and-blue shoulder cord of unidentified unit affiliation is mounted at the right shoulder. The lot includes the matching wool OD trousers, unmarked but consistent in weight and shade to the jacket. Condition is very good for the period: the wool shows light surface lint and honest age but no obvious moth damage, holes, or major staining; the ribbons show light toning and a few small nap losses; the badges retain original finish with light oxidation; the maker’s label and hand-inked name remain legible. A vividly badged, named 82nd Airborne combat uniform whose glider wings, Combat Infantryman Badge, and Belgian fourragere speak to hard campaigning across Normandy, Holland, and the Bulge.
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