WWI US ARMY 81st 35th DIVISION SHOULDER PATCH LOT

Collection of WW1 81st and 35th Division Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, all with variation and in excellent condition. The 81st Division was organized as a division of the United States Army in August 1917 during World War I at Camp Jackson, South Carolina. The division was originally organized with a small cadre of Regular Army, in addition to Officers Reserve Corps and National Army officers, while the soldiers were predominantly Selective Service men drawn from the southeastern states of Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee. During October 1918, most of the enlisted men were transferred to other units, but additional drafts from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee replenished the strength of the division. After finishing training, the 81st Division, commanded by Major General Charles Justin Bailey, deployed to Europe, arriving on the Western Front in August 1918. Elements of the 81st Division first saw limited action by defending the St. DiÈ sector in September and early October. After relief of mission, the 81st Division was attached to the American First Army in preparation for the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. In the last days of World War I, the 81st Division attacked a portion of the German Army's defensive line on 9 November 1918, and remained engaged in combat operations until the Armistice with Germany at 1100 hours on 11 November 1918. The division sustained 461 casualties on the last day, 66 of them killed. After the cessation of hostilities, the 81st Division remained in France until May 1919; after which the division was shipped back to the United States and inactivated on 11 June 1919.World War I Major events Ordered into federal service: 5 August 1917 (National Guard Division from Kansas and Missouri) Overseas: 7 May 1918 Returned to U.S. and demobilized: April 1919.Commanders Major General William M. Wright (25 August 1917) Brigadier General Lucien Grant Berry (18 September 1917) Major General William M. Wright (10 December 1917) Brigadier General Nathaniel F. McClure (15 June 1918)Major General Peter E. Traub (2 November 1918)Brigadier General Thomas B. Dugan (25 November 1918)Major General Peter E. Traub (7 December 1918)Brigadier General Thomas B. Dugan (27 December 1918 to inactivation)Actions during World War IThe 35th Division arrived at Le Havre, France, on 11 May 1918. The 35th served first, a brigade at a time, in the Vosges mountains between 30 June and 13 August. The whole division served in the Gerardmer sector, Alsace, 14 August to 1 September; Meuse-Argonne, 21 to 30 September; Sommedieu sector, 15 October, to 6 November. Men of the division spent ninety-two days in quiet sectors and five in active; advanced twelve and one half kilometers against resistance, captured 781 prisoners, and lost 1,067 killed and 6,216 wounded. The 35th Division had as an officer Captain Harry Truman, 33rd President of the United States, who commanded Battery D of the 129th Field Artillery Regiment.