US Army 63rd Infantry Division shoulder sleeve patch with a golden sword within a red flame
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 3.625 inches (9.208 cm) | Width: 2.250 inches (5.715 cm)
Archival History
The badge was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2004.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection
Scope and Content
Shoulder sleeve insignia of the 63rd Infantry Division, United States Army, nicknamed the Blood and Fire Division. The Division’s nickname and insignia are inspired by a quote by Winston Churchill: “the enemy would bleed and burn in expiation of their crimes against humanity.” The 63rd Division arrived in Marseilles, France, on December 8, 1944. They pushed into Germany, where a battalion was ordered to search the Landsberg area for subcamps of Dachau concentration camp. They discovered seven of the eleven Kaufering subcamps on April 29 and 30, 1945, and found hundreds of weak and sick prisoners. Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945, and the Division was placed on occupation duty until inactivated on September 27, 1945.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Pear shaped military patch, worn point upward, machine embroidered on white netting with a red flame with 5 branches on a light green field with a light green border. Superimposed on the flame is a gold sword, point upward, with a red drop near the point, resembling blood. The patch appears to be unused.
Corporate Bodies
- United States. Army. Infantry Division, 63rd
Subjects
- Armed Forces--Insignia--History--20th century.
- World War, 1939-1945--Insignia--United States.
Genre
- Military Insignia
- Object