4th. Rangers helmet markings

[Pete_H]

Question: During WWII, did the 4th. Ranger Bn. have any special insignia painted onto their helmets? I know the 2nd. & 5th. Rangers had the familiar orange diamond painted on the back of their steel pots for Normandy. But what I'm looking for is if any Ranger Bn., particularly the 4th., had any such insignia on their helmets. I can't find anything on this in my references or online.

Thanks in advance ...

 

[captnenglish]

A WWII question from our own Pete H? What is the world coming to? :lol: :lol:

 

[Patrick Kirk]

Brother Petey,
Let me get a hold of my piso in the Regiment...the Rangers have a muesum at Benning and am sure the answer is somewhere in the archives.

All the best

Patrick

 

[Pete_H]

Thanks Brother Patrick! I owe you one.

Cheers!

 

[Larry R]

Petey, was it a blue triangle with yellow border, inside written with Ranger and underneath the number 4?

 

[Larry R]

4th

 

[Larry R]

Petey, what I gave you was the shoulder patch, still looking

 

[Patrick Kirk]

Petey,
Give me a call this evening if you can...if not, sometime this week or weekend. I have talked with some folks and think I have a little of what you are looking for.

Take care my brother

Patrick

 

[Pete_H]

Larry - that's the shoulder tab. However, the 4th. wore the black ribbon with a red border and white lettering that read "4th. Ranger Bn." inside it. This was worn in Sicily, Anzio, and Cisterna after which they were disbanded and reconstituted mainly into the 2nd. and 5th. Rangers. You remember what happened at Cisterna, right? What a disaster. Thanks for the info., I've never seen the blue diamond insignia with a number inside it.

Patrick - I'll give you a call tonight after my afternoon class. Say around 4:30 pm PST?

Thanks to "the Two Towers" for your help.

 

[Larry R]

your right Petey, I read up on it today during my search!

 

[Patrick Kirk]

Petey,
Shot you an email to the house with some info...hope it helps my brother. Let me know if it doesn't.

All the best

Patrick

 

[Pete_H]

Hey there, Patrick! The info. you sent me was exactly what I needed - thanks! I also just replied to your email.

Take care,

Pete

 

[RobH]

Hey Guys......I did some some searching on this and came up with nothing........any chance of putting the answer up here?

 

[Patrick Kirk]

Rob,
Please forgive me...essentially the 4th Bn didn't have the orange diamond. The diamond was reserved for those battalions (2nd and 5th) that particiapted in the D Day Invasion as a means to id'd one another on the beach. As the war went on, replacements to the D Day battalions didn't have them either. The "vets" that stayed with the battalions wore the orange diamond as a badge of honor (rightfull so!). I also found out that as the war went on, the men of the Rangers removed the patch since the Germans vowed to "kill them on sight."

Brother Petey,
Did I get it right?


All the best

Patrick

 

[RobH]

No probs Patrick.

Fascinating! thanks for posting

Cheers

Rob

 

[Pete_H]

Rob,
Sorry, we should've posted our info. here. Our apologies. What Patrick failed to mention was that he got the information (through a colleage of his) from a veteran of the 5th. Ranger Bn. Wow!

Brother Patrick,
Hey, you're the one who found the answer and gave it to me. I'm sure you got it right Thanks again, hermano.