Lot 1251

World War II Intelligence/Reconnaissance Patches and Memorabilia

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World War II Intelligence/Reconnaissance Patches and Memorabilia

Estimate: $3,000 - $5,000

Starting Bid: $2,250

(0 Bids)

by Rock Island Auction Company
August 22, 2026 9:00 AM CDT
Live Auction
3600 Harwood Road
Bedford, TX, US 76021

World War II Intelligence/Reconnaissance Patches and Memorabilia, Including a Scarce Patch Set for the Special Allied Airborne Reconnaissance Force 1) Two patches for the Special Allied Airborne Reconnaissance Force. Established in March 1945 and disbanded in July of the same year, S.A.A.R.F. was planned as an airborne-capable unit that could move in advance of the main body of Allied forces to reconnoiter and assess enemy POW camps. Once the situation was understood, the team could request additional resources as needed, track and report movements if the enemy was trying to evacuate the prisoners, or make direct contact with the camp and assert themselves as an occupying authority. Drawn from a veritable who's who of the Western Allies' airborne and special forces community, the unit included soldiers from the 101st Airborne, OSS, and SOE, veterans of the Jedburgh teams and Normandy landings, and a number of lady operatives of the SOE who were veterans of clandestine activity in France. S.A.A.R.F. made one airdrop, Operation Violet, in April, dropping six teams in the area of Stalag XI-A, a POW camp near Altengrabow to try and prevent a move of POWs closer to Berlin. Results were mixed; contact was made with the base commandant, who was persuaded to cooperate with an evacuation (as much from the implied threat of the imminent approach of the Soviets as anything else), but the Soviets took custody a few days later, claiming the camp and all Eastern European POWs within. Additionally, one of the S.A.A.R.F. teams had to flee from a German division they were dropped too close to, only to be picked up by the Soviets, who didn't believe them when they described their mission, forcing them to mount their own POW camp escape in June. More success was had in approaching targets via ground, as well as using members of the unit for other intelligence and security tasks. The short-lived unit had received official insignia in an attempt to rapidly establish a sense of unity and camaraderie in the quickly formed outfit, as well as to make it easier to identify themselves to camp personnel; these insignia rank among the rarest airborne/special operations insignia of World War II. One is a 3 1/2" wide rectangle marked "S.A.A.R.F." in yellow text, the other 2" wide, depicting a winged arrow breaking a chain. 2) Military Intelligence Service Language School patch, 2 1/4" wide shield, yellow and black embroidered, with "MISLS" and "Student". Originally established as the Fourth Army Intelligence School in 1941 in San Francisco, with an intention to build up the number of Japanese interpreters available to the Army, the school recruited heavily from the Japanese-American population. The School would be forced to relocate in 1942 when Japanese-Americans were expelled en masse from the West Coast, reestablishing itself in Minnesota. Recruiting heavily from internment camps, the school produced thousands of qualified language experts who proved essential both during the War and the Occupation that followed. 3) Rayon printed radio operator "cheat sheet", roughly 8 1/2" x 12" in size, containing a list of contact protocols, frequencies and emergency channels.

Manufacturer: None

Model: None

Class: Other

  • Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection
  • Condition: The cheat sheet shows creasing and some edge fraying, otherwise very fine overall.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $199 $10
$200 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000