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508TH BATTALION HELMET LOGOS |
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 A
Winner?
rendering of the fireball logo by Rigoberto Ledesma (Co A) may have
been a battalion-wide contest submission.
(courtesy of the Rex Combs collection)
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Fire Ball
logo was
used by the First Battalion.
(courtesy of Serge Vandenbroeck) |
In The Field
this example is one of two helmets with the fire ball logo found in the
area of Groesbeek
(courtesy of Paul Geutjes) |
Lightning Streaks
were the mark of the Second Battalion
(courtesy of Fabian Boons) |
Second Battalion
helmet unfortunately has no laundry mark inside
(courtesy of Serge Vandenbroeck) |
Side View
with the logo of 2d Battalion
(courtesy of Serge Vandenbroeck) |
Rear View
of 2d Battalion helmet shows white stripe denoting a NCO
(courtesy of Serge Vandenbroeck) |
Felix de Klein, using a
metal detector, located the two helmets on the right on Market Garden battlefields that
bear logos of the 508th |
This example showing the Fireball logo was found in the
area of Wyler-Groesbeek |
This one bearing a Winged
Foot at the DZ-Drop Zone was located near the Wylerbaan in Groesbeek |
Winged
Foot
was the Third Battalion's logo. This example was found in the Ardennes.
(courtesy of Fabian Boons) |
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Although the design and use of these logos
were apparently not official they did come into use during the late
phases of WW-II. It also appears that they were for, the most
part, hand-drawn. The usage may also have been sporadic as some
veterans state that they never saw any helmets done in this fashion. But
the logos were used as mastheads in the 508th's DEVILS DIGEST newspaper
published in Frankfurt. |
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