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Congo era 1st Paratroopers Battalion badge


Milihfra
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Hello all,

 

Looking into getting a Congo crisis period 1st Paratroopers Battalion beret badge. I have not been able to find many photos of the badge from this era so I am trying to understand what it should look like. From what I have read it seems they should have lugs on the reverse. I have attached a photo of one, how does it look to you all? If anyone has any photos to share that would be great.

 

Thanks in advance.

belgium_1st_parachute_battalion.jpeg

belgium_1st_parachute_battalion_back.jpeg

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There is another version of this beret badge (see photo) out there that uses simple wire as rear fixings instead of the British style lugs.  I have no idea which version was worn in the Congo.  Have you seen this website (see link) that has a photograph of what could be this beret badge (see photo) but it could also be a British SAS beret badge as the name of this individual is George Schroeder?  If you go further down there are photos of a different style Belgium beret badge being worn in the Congo (see photo).

 

https://juleswings.wordpress.com/tag/badge/

 

 

belgium-airborne-sas-parachute_360_195ec2d003208df077d4148ab1af3141.jpg

georg-schroeder-1.jpg

jean-schramme-lt-colonel-1967.jpg

a850f773c5cd8354941537bedc287fdb.jpg

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2 hours ago, Tonomachi said:

There is another version of this beret badge (see photo) out there that uses simple wire as rear fixings instead of the British style lugs.  I have no idea which version was worn in the Congo.  Have you seen this website (see link) that has a photograph of what could be this beret badge (see photo) but it could also be a British SAS beret badge as the name of this individual is George Schroeder?  If you go further down there are photos of a different style Belgium beret badge being worn in the Congo (see photo).

 

https://juleswings.wordpress.com/tag/badge/

 

 

belgium-airborne-sas-parachute_360_195ec2d003208df077d4148ab1af3141.jpg

georg-schroeder-1.jpg

jean-schramme-lt-colonel-1967.jpg

a850f773c5cd8354941537bedc287fdb.jpg

Thanks for the pictures! The photo of the Congo Merc. is certainly the same badge I am looking for and would. The Belgian 1st para were pretty much birthed from the British SAS as many of the founding members were trained and fought with them in their own unit. Thus, this is the reason they share a similar badge with the same motto. The french also have a similar post-war unit that has its origins in the same way. 

 

The other insignia is the Belgian 2 commando battalion. Both units were involved in operation Dragon Rouge during the Congo crisis during which they were assisted by the US in rescuing hostages at Simisini airport. Mike Hoare's 5 Commando were also there afterwards.

 

Is that your 2 commando badge? Does it have lugs or wire? Hopefully someone else could weigh in on what style is appropriate for the time period. 

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Sorry that is not my badge as I got the image off of the Internet.  I have these images I kept for reference that I can't remember where I got them from however they are supposedly the type worn in the Congo.

 

 

1Mer17.jpg

1Mer16.jpg

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triplecanopy

I think that these examples are what you are seeking. The one on the left is Belgium. I had the one on the right in with my British SAS wings. I am not sure that is correct as it is a bit larger than typical UK Commonwealth SAS badges. I hope that this info is of use.

All the best...

IMG_2828.JPG

IMG_2831.JPG

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22 hours ago, triplecanopy said:

I think that these examples are what you are seeking. The one on the left is Belgium. I had the one on the right in with my British SAS wings. I am not sure that is correct as it is a bit larger than typical UK Commonwealth SAS badges. I hope that this info is of use.

All the best...

IMG_2828.JPG

IMG_2831.JPG

Yes, that is the pattern of badge I am referring to! Do you know what era it is from specifically? Interesting to see that it has 3 lugs on the back. I believe many people confuse this with the British SAS badge which is understandable.

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triplecanopy

Unfortunately, I don't recall where or even when I acquired that SAS Beret Badge. I know I have had it a long time, over 40 years or more. I once had a contact in the British SAS and we swapped a few badges and I actually worked with the Australian and NZ SAS back in the late 1970's and 1980's. So I have a few SAS Badges I have accumulated over the years.

The three lugs on the back are sorta different as most have only two. I wish I could be more helpful.

 

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On 5/15/2022 at 4:58 PM, triplecanopy said:

Unfortunately, I don't recall where or even when I acquired that SAS Beret Badge. I know I have had it a long time, over 40 years or more. I once had a contact in the British SAS and we swapped a few badges and I actually worked with the Australian and NZ SAS back in the late 1970's and 1980's. So I have a few SAS Badges I have accumulated over the years.

The three lugs on the back are sorta different as most have only two. I wish I could be more helpful.

 

No Worries! I appreciate the help you did give me. Given that you have had it that long points me in the right direction as to what to look for in Belgian Paratrooper insignia.

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In case anyone who was viewing/ participating in this thread was curious, all the Belgian insignia with lugs is original to that period. It seems actually that those were the first iteration of post WW2 Belgian insignia while the wire was next, not sure when the change was made though.

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