Original U.S. WWII Army 250-Patch Souvenir Blanket Featuring Organized Air Forces, Divisions, Armored Divisions, and More - 61 x 80”

Original Item: One-Of-A-Kind. This is an incredible example of a soldier’s “souvenir” blanket. All patches were hand stitched and were meant to be a reminder of service during WWII. Many GIs returning home brought home souvenirs such as battlefield finds, edged weapons, helmets, uniform items, rifles and so on. Some soldiers collected patches from various units and would stitch them on curtains, clothing, hats and in this case, US Army regulation wool blankets. This one may have been put together by someone on the home front, as it appears to have most available patches from the period.

The blanket has a staggering 250 patches, and measures roughly 61 x 80”. This would be an outstanding wall display or backdrop for your collection.

The blanket is actually very well-designed, with all 16 (1-15 & 20) Air forces along the top with the 1st and 2nd Cavalry Divisions to each side. Then the numerical divisions of the Army are organized in a pattern that loops around the entire blanket, along with Airborne Divisions, while the middle of the blanket consists of non-divisional units, corps, forces, etc. There is a FSSF patch, an Amphibious Engineer patch, 1st Allied Airborne and troop carrier, Meritorious Service Wreath patch, and along the bottom of the blanket are the patches of the 1-16th Armored Divisions along with the 20th Armored Division. The stitching appears the same for every patch, and there appears to have been a data tag for the blanket behind the 2nd Cavalry Division patch. 

The blanket is in outstanding condition for its age and will serve well as a backdrop to your World War II collection. 

Comes ready for further research and display!