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LOT 454
Historic U.S. 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment Pennant - This 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment pennant is made of silk with gold fringe on the edges and measures roughly 19 3⁄4 x 28 1⁄4 inches. The 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment has a long and proud history since becoming the first airborne unit designated in the U.S. military when it was activated in November 1942. Attached to the famous 101st Airborne Division, the 501st played a crucial role in the development and deployment of airborne units. In fact, the U.S. Army proclaims the 501st as “the prime ancestor of all American Parachute Units.” During World War II, the 501st was part of the famous night drop into Normandy and ran into fierce resistance battling their way behind enemy lines. The regiment lost 898 men killed, wounded, missing or captured before returning to their base in England in mid-July. Intensive training followed in preparation for the ill-fated airborne drop in the Netherlands codenamed Operation Market Garden. Then, came the Battle of the Bulge where once again the 501st suffered a high casualty rate. The 501st remains an active unit to this day, having gone on to see combat in the wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. CONDITION: Very good, with a fold, some light soiling and most of the colors remaining. A great display piece associated with one of the Army’s most revered airborne units. Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection. Estimate: 2,500 - 4,500
LOT 455
Very Rare Shoulder Sleeve Insignia for the Alamo Scouts of World War II, with Documentation to Decorated Scout William Blaise - Per an included photocopied notarized letter from Russ Blaise, son of William F. Blaise, this shoulder patch, one of approximately 440 made total, was the service-worn patch of Sergeant William Blaise. Organized by General Walter Krueger of the Sixth Army, the Alamo Scouts were an all-volunteer elite unit formed due to recurring issues with faulty intelligence reports, giving the 6th an organic reconnaissance and raiding element capable of going deep behind enemy lines. In addition to recon, the Scouts also provided a unique search and rescue function, being able to go ashore on unsecured islands for captured Allied troops; in New Guinea in particular they would be credited for liberating 197 prisoners, and would play a major role in the “Great Raid” on the Cabanatuan POW Camp. In some cases, the recon job took on a more aggressive tone, with Scout units receiving orders to hunt down and ID specific Japanese officers, and if possible capture or kill them. Blaise graduated from the 6th’s Alamo Scout Training Center in 1944 and was attached to “Sumner Team”, a small unit headed by Lieutenant Robert “Red” Sumner. While most Scout operations would consist of short 2-3 day patrols out past the lines to insure gathered intel remained timely and up to date, two missions documented in the supplied papers stand out. One was a raid on Pegun Island in August of 1944, in search of three enlisted men; these enlisted men, part of a PT boat crew (ironically) tasked for search and rescue, had gone ashore on the island while their boat proceeded to assist an Australian Beaufighter, but when they returned two men were missing and the third was gunned down while trying to wave off the boat from approaching any closer. Slipping onto the island pre-dawn, Sumner Team failed to locate any of the men, and ended up having to shoot their way out, exchanging fire with two Japanese units while advancing through the surf to meet their extraction boat, with no injuries. Later, it would be verified that both of the missing men had been summarily executed. The members of Sumner Team would receive the Bronze Star for their attempt. In April/May of 1945 Sumner Team would spend nearly a month sneaking about Mount Pinatubo in Zambales Province in Central Luzon hunting for a General Tsukda (commander of IJA forces in Zambales) and Vice Admiral Kondo (commander of Naval Air Station San Marcelino). During this patrol, they would come across numerous abandoned Japanese camps (often with men who died from fever or starvation left where they fell), engaged multiple Japanese patrols, and eventually determined that the area they were patrolling was no longer home to a Japanese command post. For a specific incident during the Mount Pinatubo patrol Blaise received a Silver Star (oak leaf cluster), getting into a shootout with 3 Japanese soldiers, killing 2 and capturing the third for interrogation. Blaise remained in service until 1947, and (as is often seen with prestigious/elite formations) continued to wear his Alamo Scouts patch for the duration. In 1988, the Scouts would be retroactively recognized as part of the traditions and heritage of U.S. Army Special Forces, with all members awarded the Special Forces Tab. The patch measures about 2 5/8 inches in diameter, with a red abd blue border surrounding “ALAMO SCOUTS/SIXTH ARMY” in green embroidery, with a Native American in profile backed by a wall of the Alamo in the center. Additional scanned and photocopied documents related to Blaise and the Scouts are included, as well as a photo of Sumner Team on New Year’s Day, 1945. CONDITION: Very good, with some light staining and wear. Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection. Estimate: 2,500 - 3,500