World War I US Collar Disks

[Mitter2k1]

Here are a few of my WWI era Type I US collar disks. These six in particular are for various states and were the predecessors to the USNG (National Guard) disks that came out in 1917. Starting with the top left- Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Jersey Reserves, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma State Guard, Oregon, and Texas.

-Mike

[Mitter2k1]

Next up are the disks used after the United States entered WWI, but prior to December, 1917. The US was initially supposed to be worn by the regular army, but numerous Reserve, Guard, Volunteer, and National Army units wore them as the government had issues meeting the demand for proper disks. Basically it was make do with what we have. The regular army consisted of Divisions 1-20. The National Guard which was comprised of state militias and reserve units were Divisions 26-42. National Army were divisions composed of draftees and these were Divisions 77-97. This whole system is kind of confusing until you sit down and really go over the origin of the units. To make matters worse, there were numerous units that had no Divisional ties that served in France. 

Top Left- US, Top Right- USNA (National Army or Draftees)

Bottom Left- USNG (National Guard), Bottom Right- US Reserves

[Davejb]

Thats a pretty unique area of collecting, I would imagine these are hard to find in good condition, especially WW1 examples, thanks for posting

[Mitter2k1]

Thanks @Davejb. It is a very unique area when dealing with WWI. There are so many disks out there that it would be impossible to get them all. If you were to try, it would be enough to drive you mad. Just figure there are 15 companies within an infantry regiment during WWI x4 regiments within each division, the number of disks gets pretty crazy. Then take and add field artillery, you end up with a ton of disks. As for finding quality examples, it is hit or miss. The main concern I have collecting them is whether or not they have the nut on the back. It is impossible to find one on the loose.

Stay tuned for more as I have around 200 of these to photograph in groups.

Thanks,

Mike

[Mitter2k1]

Ok I am going to jump around a little. This is my US Army infantry collar disk collection as of this evening. First up are the numbered disks. These were generally made prior to December, 1917, but I haven't seen any evidence to say they were not manufactured after that date. Though the regulations changed, it doesn't mean things happened in a hurry. A lot of these were worn during and after the war and if you look at some of the regiment numbers, there should be a few familiar ones. Off the top of my head the 16th Infantry (1st Div.), 131st Infantry (33rd Div.), 334th Inf. (84th Div.), and 342nd Inf. (86th Div.). When it comes to the lower numbered disks, these are generally easier to find and there is a reason for that. Numbers 1-5 will be due to the fact that there was a 1-5 infantry regiment in every state, thus the reason for the state disks above. Once you get in to double digits and even the 100 series (National Guard) or 300 series (National Army), they tend to be a little harder to come by.

 

As things were simplified at the end of December, 1917, they started dropping the numbers off of the disks. This made the manufacturers able to crank out disks that were plain (no number or Co. letter) or disks that had only the company letter. It created more overlap and disk were now interchangeable with other units. Example- 1st Infantry Company A disks were only good for that unit. Now Infantry Company A disks worked for that company in every regiment. This is how each infantry regiment was laid out during WWI. Disks with the crossed rifles over MG were for Machine Gun companies while disks with MG above the rifles was for battalions. In the case of the bottom row, MG A through MG D, these were for the companies within the Machine Gun Battalion. 

 

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. I may not know it off the top of my head, but I can get you an answer.

Thanks,

Mike

[Mitter2k1]

Here are a few more of my WWI branch of service collar disks. 

First Row from the Left- Aviation Section (x2) The disk with the silver prop is what I have been told is French. Whether that is true, I am uncertain. The two "T's" are for Ammunition Trains, the gear with the shield in the center is for the Army Service Corps. Next is a Band and finally Chemical Corps with the crossed flasks.

2nd Row- Engineer and Engineer Company A. "H" for Headquarters. The flaming bomb for Ordnance and then the Medical Corps caduceus and finally three variations of the Motor Transportation Corps disk.

3rd Row- The very first disk is one that is rather hard to find. As you can see, the eagle faces to the right. Prior to WWI, the US Army field uniform had 4 disks (A US & branch disk on each side) So this disk would of been worn on the right side behind the US disk and the eagle would face forward. The other two disks are just variations of one another and would be worn on the left collar. The next two are for the ROTC (Recruit Officers' Training Corps) and finally SATC. This was an organization started sometime around WWI and the letter stand for Student Army Training Corps which was very similar to the ROTC.

4th Row- Four variations of the Signal Corps collar disk. The last one is for the Tank Corps. This is the second pattern disk that show the tank from the disk above two dragons facing one another. The first pattern is what I believe is the front view of a French tank and I have yet to add one of these to my collection. 

As always, if you have any questions or would like a better shot of something in particular, do not hesitate to ask.

Thanks for looking,

Mike

[Guest Fred Karno's Army]

I must admit I have heard many a "oh that's a............' Said for the chemical corps collar discs,the aviation discs are nice .Nice display.

Edited May 4, 2016 by Fred Karno's Army

[Mitter2k1]

On 5/4/2016 at 06:09, Ham & Jam said:

I must admit I have heard many a "oh that's a............' Said for the chemical corps collar discs,the aviation discs are nice .Nice display.

Thank you. I am glad you mentioned that about the chemical disk. I started thinking about it and checked my reference book and it states that they were never a "Corps" but rather a "Service." So to correct myself above, I should of said that it was a Chemical Warfare Service disk. The design is the crossed flasks and a Benzyl ring, which I couldn't think of when I posted it the other night. You will also see these referred to as Chemical Corps, Gas & Flame Regiment, and whatever else relates to chemical warfare. 

Thanks,

Mike

[Afrikakorpsrat64]

Those are fabulous @Mitter2k1! 

[Mitter2k1]

On 6/22/2016 at 10:41, Afrikakorpsrat64 said:

Those are fabulous @Mitter2k1! 

Thank you! If I ever find time to sit down and go through them, I will post some more from my collection. I have some really interesting ones that are hidden away in a drawer.

Thanks again,

Mike