Established in 1941, the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion would gain the distinction of being the first American paratrooper unit to perform a live combat jump, dropping into North Africa as part of the joint U.S./British opening of Operation Torch. Though the drop itself was imperfect, the 509th had a noteworthy encounter with their would-be opposite numbers, the Vichy French 3rd Zouaves. The possible actions of the Vichy French forces in North Africa were a major x-factor in the invasion, and initial rules of engagement called for American forces to not fire the first shot in an encounter, in hopes that they would break faith with their occupiers and realign with Free France instead of accepting the new status quo or seeking revenge for Allied actions such as the bombing of the French Fleet in 1940. After a tense standoff, the 3rd's commander gifted his American counterpart an insignia for his unit and ordered their guns turned on the Axis forces; in commemoration of the incident, men and officers of the 509th would be authorized to wear the 3rd Zouaves badge with their uniforms. The 509th would see additional action in Italy, Southern France, and the Ardennes Forest, the latter resulting in victory at the cost of the virtual destruction of the unit. An attached note from the consignor indicates that the items in the lot are the former property of a Richard D. Adams of Lincoln, Nebraska, a Sergeant with the 509th; records are limited, but online records confirm Adams as a member of the 509th (but listed as a Private instead of a Sergeant). The grouping includes a set of silver bullion embroidered parachutists badge, "PARACHUTE" tab, and 5th Army patch, a pair of metal pins from the French 3rd Zouaves, and a pair of bullion embroidered "Man in the Door"/"Gingerbread Man" insignia patches, featuring a simplified rendering of a paratrooper about to jump with "509" above and "Geronimo" below. Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection

Fine overall. One of the Gingerbread Men shows some loss of wire in the embroidering, and the remainder of the items show mild wear and stains.