Engineer Special Brigade tunic: Is it good?

[albatrosdva]

I picked up this tunic at local auction (for $20 so I think I did alright even if the patches are not good). Transportation insignia. Given the campaign ribbon he was in four campaigns in Europe so he would have to have been in the 1st Engineer Special Brigade (Africa, Invasion of Sicily, Invasion of Italy, Invasion of Normandy) but the 1st also was in the Invasion of Okinawa. Of course the medal ribbons are separate so it could be family trying to add granddad's ribbons to his tunic and not having all of them. It has no name just laundry number. What do you think of it all?

[Kohima]

Everything has a nice ‘feel’ to it... and for $20, fakery sounds unlikely.

I like it.
Bob

I found 90 possibles on the laundry number... the first one I looked at was Ralph J. Babb, an engineer from Georgia. Good start...

[CBH]

The Marksmanship badge alone, is worth more the 20$, you did well.

[albatrosdva]

Everything has a nice ‘feel’ to it... and for $20, fakery sounds unlikely.

I like it.
Bob

I found 90 possibles on the laundry number... the first one I looked at was Ralph J. Babb, an engineer from Georgia. Good start...

Hello Bob,
Thanks for your reply. How do you look up people by laundry number?
Regards
Sam

[BlackCat1982]

Hello Bob,
Thanks for your reply. How do you look up people by laundry number?
Regards
Sam

There are 90 names listed with this laundry number (last 4 digits of the owners serial number and the initial letter of the surname). You could narrow it down if you knew where the owner enlisted from, but ideally you need his name to start researching. Lovely jacket, a real bargain for $20!

[MilitariaOne]

Hello Bob,
Thanks for your reply. How do you look up people by laundry number?
Regards
Sam

Greetings Sam,

Go here Home | WWII US Army Enlistment Records and plug in the B4001 and you will see :-)

Best,

V/r Lance

[Rakkasan187]

Good looking uniform.. Looks complete and unmessed with. The loose ribbons are fine.. Not uncommon to see individual ribbons pinned to the uniforms instead of complete ribbon bars..

A great looking uniform to a very important force that was integral in early invasion landings..

Smitty

[reneblacky]

Hello Bob,
Thanks for your reply. How do you look up people by laundry number?
Regards
Sam

G'day Sam you can search here - Home | WWII US Army Enlistment Records
Nice jacket BTW I once had a ESB mackinaw
Whoopsy I see it was already post!

[albatrosdva]

Oddly enough Ralph Babb is an extremely good start. The laundry number on the inside pocket has the additional numbers 478. Ralph Babb's serial number 34284001 is the only one in the list that closely resembles the additional numbers and an electronic transcriber could very easily mistake a 7 for a 2. I checked and ASN 34784001 doesn't exist on the website so it is likely an error. His enlistment date is consistent with the date of the jacket and after 2 1/2 years and four campaigns he would have recycled back to the states with enough points rather than serving with the 1st ESB in Okinawa. Add his civilian engineer experience and I think we have a positive ID. Thanks everyone for your help

[albatrosdva]

Just to be thorough I have continued to narrow down the list. After taking away about 30 because of too late enlistment dates I've got it narrowed down to roughly 20 by going through obituaries and eliminating AAF and that sort. I found an explanation for the extra digits. One of the others on the list was a tec5 in the quartermaster and has the same last 6 digits of his serial number 784001 so they had to list the 4 on the uniform. What are the odds of having a fellow in a neighboring outfit with same rank and first letter of last name with only one digit different on their serial number!