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yellow lettering and winged “2”), the 3rd Tank Battalion (embroidered
LOT 1495
Six Attractive Patches for the Joint U.S./Nationalist Chinese 1st Provisional Tank Group - 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. Four of the patches are directly associated with the PTG, and two are believed to be connected to the unit.
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The uncertain patches are a yellow triangular patch with silver and blue embroidery depicting a rotary engine (the Stuarts of the PTG used a rotary engine, suggesting a maintenance company), and the other a round patch with a broad silver border and red/yellow/blue tricolor design. The other four patches are for the 2nd Maintenance Company (green embroidered tank over red/white/blue shield with
Nationalist star over red/white stripes and a winged “III”) and two patches for the 5th Tank Battalion (shield with Nationalist Star on blue on top, golden “V” on red backed by silver lightning bolts below). CONDITION: Very good, with minimal wear.
Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection.
Estimate: 3,000 - 4,500