Hello,

         Just looking for some information on these south Korean Jump Wings I picked up recently date of use etc.

Not sure if the marine patch would have been worn or not.

I have to say there isn't much information on this subject on line. Spent a lot of time looking about the net. I know there's a few guys from the USMF on this site who probably know.

Thanks

Billyh

By the way. The fish under the Dragons are white, not blue.

Billyh

A better view of the Marines patch.

Billyh

The black on olive drab and white on OD are standard cloth ROK Army basic parachute wings. They are found in three grades: Basic, Senior and Master. They seem fairly standard. The ROK Marine wings seem to have more variations with additional skill symbols like SCUBA or Commando ratings. You can see numerous examples in The Bragg and Turner Book PARACHUTE WINGS published in 1985. If you have  a copy, look at page 52 which illustrates several similar examples to your badge.

Thanks mate. Any idea of dates for these? As I understand it newspaper backing was a bit of a trend in Korea.

Billyh

The wings designs above were in use when I was in Korea back in the late 1980's. I suspect they are still using these same insignia. You will find a great deal of variations in many Asian badges, especially Thailand, Indonesia and Korea. They have a wide variety of wings and other badges. The paper on the back is common for sewing shop insignia. I think it slides under the needle a bit easier. Most of these badges are hand made.

Thanks for that. I suppose with such a wide variation of wings etc, it can become a little difficult to date some insignia then?

Is it the same story for metal badges? 

Did stamped versus solid back?

Billyh

Pardon the flash. Here are just a few of the variations of ROK Marine jump wings. There are others. 

Metal ROK badges also vary, but not as much since they are usually not hand made and are more standardized. The higher quality made insignia are the ones you need to look for. The current designs have been used for decades. If you go back to the 1950's,  both Army and Marine jump wings had an older pattern that was in use. They are illustrated in the original Bragg and Turner book if you have a copy.

That's a nice collection. Thanks for showing it.

Re Bragg & Turner. I have their 1979 edition which only shows a few ROK wings.

I have been thinking about getting the second edition. I wonder if they have corrected the errors in the first edition?

My copy is good but it's also a frustration as it doesn't give approximate dates of issue, just first pattern etc.

Thanks for the information.

Billyh

The Bragg and Turner books are both great references even though they are out of date. The 1985 edition Parachute Wings has better photographic illustrations instead of drawings. Good hunting.