Insignias of the WWII Philippine Army Divisions

[friscohare]

I've been looking for good quality images of the WWII Philippine Army Divisions insignia for quite sometime, but I haven't been able to find a place that has this.

Using the Oroquieta City's USAFFE page and pictures at Mt. Samat as a reference, I decided to re-illustrate them in color...

...So that we may all have a reference guide to the insignia of these brave units.

Please let me know if there's anything that needs to be corrected.

(I also added the US Army's Philippine Department and Division since all of these units served together during WWII)

[legionnaire]

Here is what I have created and donated a poster copy to the Camp Aguinaldo Museum.

[legionnaire]

The 21st Div original design had the numerical number, which was consistent with all the div numerical numbering, it was changed by Marcos during is presidency being his div., using the roman numerals just to be different from all the other Div.

[Hers]

Nice artwork Friscoshare.

My 2012 Calendar (my illustrations) I included theses insignias including the name of commanding officer of each divisions (source from Corregidor)

Dami nagugulat sa amin sa Bataan pag nababasa nila yung mga Divisions from various regions na nainvolved sa Battle of Bataan. So sad, now lang nila ito nalalaman.

Heres the link of my Bataan 2012 calendar. :-)

www.flickr.com/photos/bataan_paintings/6154670642/in/photostream


@ legionnaire.....
yeah I saw your poster in Camp Aguinaldo museum (DBC Office too). May picture ako dun.

Attachments:

[friscohare]

legionnaire Very nice! That's what I have been looking for the entire time. It is interesting that Marcos made that change. I didn't know that... But now I do and will make the change. And, based on your poster, I have a few other things to change.

Hers Salamat! That is one awesome calendar.

I hate to say it, but it seems that the Philippine Army is the Forgotten Army of WWII. The media in April 1942 didn't know that there were actually 65,000 Filipino troops in Bataan. In 1946, President Truman and Congress declared that the Phil. Army was not under "federal service," although they served under the USAFFE. I can see why it has been slowly and surely forgotten by the world.

I am really glad to see there are others who still keep their memories alive.

[friscohare]

The genesis of re-illustrating the insignia comes from a story my Lolo told me when I was 10 years old:

At the young age of 14, my Lolo Edring climbed the stairs into the bell tower of the Church of San Gregorio in Majayjay, Laguna. His task: warn the Philippine Army when the Japanese Army was approaching the town. He called himself a "Philippine Scout" and he was just that, a scout of the Philippine Army.

When the Japanese were coming, my Lolo promptly warned the Phil. Army troops. It enabled the Phil. Army troops to engage the Japanese in a brief skirmish in town. My Lolo watched in the bell tower as the Filipino troops tried to hold or delay the advance before they retreated towards Manila.

I always wondered, who did my Lolo warn and what unit were they from?

Years later, I obtained maps of the retreat to Bataan and found out that they were part of the 51st Philippine Division.

I became curious as to what insignia the 51st Philippine had and it led me here.

In the map below, the little red arrow that bypasses Lucban, Quezon represents the Japanese advance into Majayjay, Laguna. Lolo said that the Japanese built a small garrison in town. When Lolo became a guerrilla, he ended up scouting and spying on them.

[legionnaire]

Thank you for sharing with us your story of your Grandfather's role. A lot of the PA insignia's were very hard to really find out the original designs. Like the OSP I had to guess alot how it could have been.

The results of your PS insignia's are also very well designed and a lot of good research you put in.

The one I am woorking and developing now are the Unit insignia's of the PC. Which also very very had to complete.

Were I need help is if anyone can help find a portrait image of MOH PS Louis C. Mosher. I have only found one wearing a Sgt.'s strips on him i a side view photo. please let me know if anyone has a better photo of him.

Philip

[79thfoot]

Nice work!! Great to see all the divisional insignia - and in full color too! Quick question though - these insignia most likely would not have actually been worn would they? Did the Phil.Commonwealth Army have time and resources to mass produce divisional patches? I'm pretty sure the PS troops wore their gold carabao head on a red shield but what of the Commonwealth forces?

[legionnaire]

The 1st Division was a regular Div and a lot of documented photos of the infantry wearing the inverted red triangle patch specially on parade in Luneta.

However they wore the 1st Regular Div. DUI pin on their Gunit Sun Helmets.

All the other 10 Divs were reserves. There is a very good possibility that most of the Div. were not issued patches.

I have seen an existing original patch of the 41st on display at the Camp Aguinaldo Museum.

[VeeVee]

Fantastic guys! Lots of talent and labor of love. Thanks for posting these.

Hers, nice detail on the rifles

[quartermaster]

Mr. Friscohare,
Is the calendar available in the market?

[legionnaire]

QM,

Get in touch with Hers regarding buying a copy of the 2012 Bataan calender, he made and sells them.

Hershy Masayon - [e-mail]

Philip