Constituted in December of 1942, the 513th PIR arrived in Europe post D-Day, and would see action in the Ardennes Forest and drop across the Rhine as part of Operation Varsity; men from the 513th would earn posthumous Medals of Honor in both actions. Two artifacts in the group, a vintage unit history pamphlet and a 4 1/4 inch diameter embroidered shoulder patch, feature the unit insignia, a black cat dubbed "Little Joi" descending under black silk with bayonet already fixed (and on the patch already red with blood; presumably a Fokker pilot wandered a little too close during the drop). Also included is a set of brass paratrooper wings with a single star, a yellow-on-black "AIRBORNE" shoulder rocker, oval patch (white border, plain black interior), white-on-blue parachute infantry cap patch, "eagle claw" airborne patch, and a card made out to a PFC John Delgado (confirmed by available records as on the roster of the 513th) authorizing a set of decorations including the Parachutist Badge, Combat Infantryman and Expert Infantryman Badges, and 3 Bronze Service Stars. Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection