Insignia question

Re:Insignia question (Son of Flight Engineer)

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:02:31 GMT

Thanks Kevin. If I would have framed the question correctly no doubt I wouldn't have been sent off to obscure movie trivia sites. Thanks for your help.

Re:Insignia question (k9iua)

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:52:24 GMT

A quick search of Wikepedia also shows the changes that took place in 1942:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w...signia_of_World_War_II

The movie was correct.
Kevin Anderson

Re:Insignia question (Son of Flight Engineer)

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:41:41 GMT

Thanks, Bob. It took me a while to find it but Google says they're both correct.

Here's a question and reply from a site called "movie Mistakes."

Burt Lancaster is the 1st Sgt. of his Army company, the top enlisted man in the unit and in Army slang is referred to as "Top". The chevrons on his sleeve show the diamond insignia between three stripes on top but only two on the bottom. Top enlisted men in Army units such as 1st Sgts. and Sergeants Major have three stripes up and three stripes down. [Sorry but you are incorrect. At this point in time (pre December 7, 1941) the rank of 1st Sergeant WAS 3 up with 2 down with a diamond in the middle. It changed to 3 up, 3 down with a diamond in 1942. Also during WWII there WAS NO rank of Sergeant Major. Therefore Burt Lancaster is wearing the correct insignia.]
There's nothing there to indicate the date of the question or who to offer attribution to for the answer. (I am, however, relieved to note that after watching "Eternity" dozens of times over the years that I wasn't imagining a missing rocker.)

Re:Insignia question (Bob Watkins)

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 10:44:05 GMT

Donald,

I've often wondered about this myself but the attached document is part of
the 1944 AAF-Official Guide To The Army Air Forces.

Judging from this, 'Eternity' got it wrong.

Bob

Insignia question (Son of Flight Engineer)

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 10:24:11 GMT

In the movie "From Here To Eternity" (1953) Burt Lancaster's character, First Sergeant Warren, has three stripes, two rockers, and the diamond between them. However, in last night's re-watching of "Band Of Brothers" (2001), I noted that the First Sergeants insignia was three stripes, three rockers with the diamond between them. The latter is consistent with my own Army experience in the late-Sixties. Did Hanks and Spielberg let an historical inaccuracy creep into their film?