Characters, characters, World, world, Two, two, History, history, Originals, originals, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1940’s, For, for, Sale, sale, Old, old, New, new, Used, used, NOS, nos, Trade, trade, Collectors, collectors, Collections, collections, Aircraft, aircraft, Airplanes, airplanes, Fighter, fighter, Bomb, Bomb, Pursuit, pursuit, Torpedo, torpedo, 14th, 8th, 5th, 9th, 10th, 7th, 11th,12th, 15th, Combat, combat, Logos, logos, Group, group G1’s, g1’s, A2’s, a2’s, A-2’s, a-2’s, G-1’s, g-1’s, Surplus, surplus, restorations, restored, warner brothers, Jacket, jacket,
Do you have a Patch you can't identify?
Do you want to ID a logo or insignia?

I don't know of any comprehensive books or reference manuals available through normal sources.  I couldn't find much beyond the 1942 National Geographic list when I started my research so many years ago. And that is why I put my WWII Squadron Patch website together.  There was no master list of WW2 Squadron Insignia anywhere.  There were no online archives.

So if you have a patch or insignia that you cannot identify and don't see it listed here, then it may be a very long search to find some stationary, cruise book, or photograph that ID's the logo.

---

As the top WWII Squadron Patch website for over a decade, I do get huge number of visitors, many of whom have their own private library and collections of rare resources who are willing to help research such things. But...

The days of free quality web space are long over. I no longer have any free webspace, so any additional photos incur a bandwidth charge.   So while I am as curious as the next researcher / collector, I cannot be the only one footing the bill for other people's quests for answers.

So for a $10 payment through PayPal I will upload & post a photo of your unknown patch on my website for an indefinite time until it is ID'd. If you have more than one patch you want identified then any additional unknown patch photos sent at the same time are $5 each .

To utilize this valuable service and gain the benefit of all the traffic my WWII Squadron Patch Archives generates...

• Prepare a quality / good resolution (approx. 6 inch size) JPG photo of the patch or insignia
• Photo should be taken straight on making sure not to clip any of the edges of the patch
• use good lighting
• make it a good resolution photo where the image of the patch is at least 6 inches in size
• send it as a JPG file
• send a $10 payment through paypal to:  ww2jeep@gmail.com
• indicate that payment is for:  Unknown Patch ID listing fee
• send an email to me at:  ww2jeep@gmail.com
• with subject line of:  Submitting Unknown Patch - ID listing fee PAID
• in the email include any known or probable information you have on the patch...
• such as branch of service: AAF, USN, USMC, etc.
• area of service... CBI, N. Africa, Pacific, ETO, Aleutians, etc.
• Attach the JPG photo or photos if you have more than one unknown patch that you want ID'd.

I will do the photo-shop preparation to optimize the photo, upload the photo and add your photo and the probable information on it to my UNKNOWN Squadron Patch web page.  When any ID is made I will post it to the location on the webpage of your patch.
UNKNOWN WW2 SQUADRON PATCHES

Brian

Thanks also to; Dustin, Bill, & Grizzly!
And to Terry L Horstead for help in identifying several patches on the 'unkowns' page.
Brian

The patch identified as #x (patch now moved to correct page & unknown number reassigned) on your listing is the patch for the 440th Air Base Group and the training squadrons at Santa Maria Army Air Field. I have the history of the patch, including a copy of the official drawing from the Air Force Office of Heraldry, pix of the patch on noses of P-38s at SMAAF, etc., and even the name of the designer. The following is a quote from part of our history:

"In the fall of 1944 a contest was held at the Santa Maria Army Air Field (SMAAF) to select a "patch" to represent the base mission, and to enhance the morale of the personnel assigned. This emblem would be applied to aircraft assigned to the 440th Air Base Unit, the parent unit at SMAAF, and provide an "identity" for those serving at the base. Several designs were submitted. A man assigned to Squadron "E" SSgt. Fred D. Meek, submitted the winning design. It was submitted to headquarters for approval in October 1944. Sergeant Meek received a war bond for this design, and was featured in "Fighter Pilot," the base newspaper."

I can send via email a JPEG file of the original artwork, if it would do you any good. We would love to locate one of the patches like this one, if you know of a source.
Bill Mckee
Historian, Santa Maria Museum of Flight.

Hi Brian,
Thanks! That is it. The patch on my grandfather's flight jacket is so beat up all of the color was missing and part of the image. I also have a Thanksgiving squadron dinner menu with the image in it as well. Here is what I can remember off the top of my head....
"Primus cum Maximus" translates to "The First and the Best"
The patch belongs to the 327th Ferry Squadron, Mediterranean Air Transport Service of which my grandfather (H.W. Ebbett) was a Captain.

I have a TON of his gear, logs, pictures and I am trying to track down more info on his sqaudron (which led me to your site). I believe their main base of ops was in Sicily, but he flew all over North Africa, and carried supplies and troops to Patton during the push into Germany.  I even have a Spokane, Washington newspaper article where he flew a reporter below sea level (down into the dead sea). :)
I plan on eventually creating a site surrounding what info I have, just need to dig in and begin!
Thanks for the hi-res image, and if the owner does indeed want to part with the patch, I would be more than interested in acquiring it!
Thanks, Mark Ebbett