US Army 63rd Infantry Division shoulder sleeve patch with a golden sword within a red flame
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Washington, United States
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.
- Title: US Army 63rd Infantry Division shoulder sleeve patch with a golden sword within a red flame
- Provenance: The badge was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2004.
- Subject Keywords: World War, 1939-1945--Insignia--United States. Armed Forces--Insignia--History--20th century.
- Type: Military Insignia
- Rights: Permanent Collection
- External Link: See the full record at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Medium: 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.
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