Established in 1943 in India, the 1st Provisional Tank Group was part of American and Chinese efforts to reopen the Burma Road to permit land resupply of Chinese forces. Majority Chinese in terms of personnel, the 1st had two full company-sized American contingents plus a number of advisors and logistics coordinators distributed through the unit, and were armed with Lend-Lease Stuart light and Sherman medium tanks. Heavily engaged in Burma, the 1st successfully fought its way into China proper. After the war, the American contingent handed their hardware over to the Nationalists and rotated home, while some of the battalions were remade into a Nationalist armored unit. The group includes a patch for the 2nd Maintenance Company (red/white/blue shield with green tank and "TM/C.A.I./2"), 3rd Tank Battalion (Nationalist Star over winged "III"), 4th Tank Battalion (yellow triangle with blue and silver rotary engine), two for the 5th Tank Battalion (shield with Nationalist Star over a gold bullion "V" crossed with silver bullion lightning bolts), and one for the 7th Tank Battalion (round, silver wire border around yellow/blue/red tricolor). Fine overall, with minor wear and staining. Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection.