US Army 82nd Airborne Division shoulder sleeve patch with two stylized letter A’s

Shoulder sleeve insignia, 82nd Airborne Division, United States Army, known as the All American, of the type used during World War II. It is a square patch with Airborne on a banner and stylized letter A’s in the national colors, red, white, and blue. Actiivated in 1918 during World War I, as an infantry division, it was nicknamed the All American, because it was composed of soldiers from all 48 states. The 82nd was reactivated in 1942 as an airborne division and saw action in North Africa, Italy, Holland, France, and Belgium. In February 1945, they were fighting in Germany. On May 2, 1945, the 82nd Airborne and 8th Infantry Divisions liberated Wöbbelin, a subcamp of Neuengamme concentration camp, and found roughly 1,000 dead inmates. The Units ordered the people from the nearby town of Ludwigslust to bury the bodies. An additional 200 inmates died after liberation, and the Divisions held public funeral services on May 7, 1945, the same day Germany surrendered. The 82nd Airborne was ordered to Berlin to serve as part of the Army of Occupation until its return to the United States in January 1946.