Attributed 82nd Airborne 1st Brigade “Devil” Ike Jacket

A World War II airborne Ike jacket that was beautifully tailored for the paratrooper from a four pocket tunic. The jacket is attributed to Corporal Joseph Jacobs, service number 31256131. The jacket displays clutch back collar insignia of an infantryman. On the sleeves are machine woven Corporal chevrons. On the left shoulder is the patch of the 82nd Airborne Division while on the right shoulder is a theater made bullion “Airborne” patch with the head of the devil descending on a parachute. This was the original, theater made, insignia of the 1st Brigade of the famed 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. When the unit was fighting in Anzio a journal was recovered from the body of a German officer who had been killed in action. In one entry the officer described the tenacious combat abilities of the paratroopers of the 1st Brigade and famously characterized them as “devils in baggy pants”. The praise led to the adoption of the descending devil’s head as the brigade’s insignia, here reflected in the theater made shoulder patch, and the nickname of “The Devils” for the men of the brigade. On the left breast is sewn the oval airborne wing backer of the 1st Brigade of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. A set of airborne qualification wings is worn on the oval, with the pin attachment having been removed and the wings sewn in place on the oval. The wings have a star device mounted through a hole in the wings, reflecting the paratrooper’s participation in an operational combat jump. Beneath the wings are pinned six individual ribbons for medals and decorations: the Bronze Star; the Purple Heart; the Good Conduct Medal; the American Campaign Medal; the WWII Victory Medal; and the European Campaign Medal with two campaign stars and an arrowhead invasion device. Beneath the ribbons is a sterling silver Combat Infantry Badge with smooth face, sterling silver, clutch fasteners. Above the right pocket id the Presidential Unit Citation ribbon and the “Ruptured Duck” discharge patch. Over the left shoulder is the fourragere of the French Croix de Guerre. On the interior of the jacket, which is marked as a size “36R”, is written the last four digits of Jacob’s service number as a laundry mark: “6131”. On the lower left sleeve are four overseas service stripes. The jacket, as noted, was converted in the theater of operations from a four pocket tunic. One interesting aspect of that conversion was the means by which the tailor dealt with the buttons. An issued “Ike” jacket did not have the large brass buttons of the four pocket tunic and, in fact, had concealed buttons on the front. On this jacket, every one of the buttons was carefully covered with matching olive drab wool to make them virtually “invisible”, just as on an issued Ike jacket. This jacket was, of course, worn, but it is in excellent used condition.