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. The drop was, to be polite, a learning experience; after a long-haul flight from England to Africa, only about a quarter of the passengers actually jumped, the remainder dismounting after an improvised landing on a dry lake, though even the 509th still reached the target by marching the old fashioned way. Later, the 509th would deploy for the invasions of Italy and Southern France, the former leading to an incident where a 46-man Pathfinder detachment bluffed the Germans into surrendering an entire island, which would later be documented in John Steinbeck's article collection "Once There Was A War". During these actions, the 509th would make air drops and also act as an amphibious assault and mountain warfare unit. They also saw combat during the Battle of the Bulge in the vicinity of Sadzot during the initial German counteroffensive, eventually fighting their way forward to retake St. Vith. While successful, the Bulge was effectively the end of the war for the 509th, having been left with around 7% of the unit still effective; they would be disbanded in March of 1945, with the remaining men rolled into the 82nd Airborne Division as replacements. The unit would be reactivated after World War II and remains on the Army rolls as the 509th Infantry Regiment to this day. The items in this lot are attributed as the wartime property of a Private Edwin Solak, a Combat Medic who served with Company C and the Headquarters Company of the 509th. Per the online history record of the unit, Solak is noted as having been with the 509th for the amphibious landing at Anzio and the airborne landing for Operation Dragoon in Southern France. The record does not note how exactly his service ended, but he is documented as having participated in at least one post-war unit reunion. The contents include a vintage picture postcard of Solak in uniform (showing the Parachute tab and Fifth Army patch in this lot), a nickel plated Combat Medic badge, a silver-finished set of jump wings on a yellow trimmed black patch, and a brass badge for the French 3rd Zouave Regiment; a Vichy French unit that was defending the 509th's intended target during the Torch drop, the commander of the 3rd instead opted to extend a hand of friendship, pinning a 3rd ZR badge on the 509th's leader and turning their guns on the Germans. The 3rd Zouave badge would become an authorized part of the 509th's uniform to commemorate the encounter. Also included are four cloth patches, reportedly hand-made in Naples, with a "PARACHUTE" tab (white cord lettering on blue field), a 5th Army Patch (wire bullion on blue with a red field), and two versions of the unofficial but authorized "Man in the Door"/"Gingerbread Man" insignia, both featuring a simplified rendering of a paratrooper about to jump with "509" above and "Geronimo" below, one in yellow thread and the other in bullion wire. Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection

Fine overall, with the Zouave badge showing significant polishing, some light wear on the patches and Medic badge, and good detail overall.