Item Description
Original Item: One-of-a-kind. Major Ralph R. Thrift O-1284437 was commanding officer of the 163rd Infantry Regiment stationed in World War II and was with the regiment for Papua New Guinea (with arrowhead), Luzon and the Southern Philippines (with arrowhead).
In December 1942, General Douglas MacArthur decided to commit more American troops to the Battle of Buna-Gona. The 163rd Regimental Combat Team, under the command of Colonel Jens A. Doe, was alerted on 14 December 1942. It arrived at Port Moresby on 27 December. The first elements, which included the 1st Battalion and regimental headquarters, flew over the Owen Stanley Range to Popondetta and Dobodura on 30 December, where they came under the command of Lieutenant General Edmund Herring's Advanced New Guinea Force.
The 163rd Regimental Combat Team was attached to Major General George Alan Vasey's 7th Division and Doe assumed command of the Sanananda Front from Brigadier Ivan Dougherty on 3 January 1943. The front line consisted of a raised road with Japanese positions on relatively dry ground astride it, surrounded by jungle swamp. Roadblocks had been established behind the Japanese positions but they had not been budged; both sides resupplied their positions through the swamp. Vasey's plan was for the Americans to fix the Japanese in position while he attacked with Brigadier George Wootten's 18th Infantry Brigade, supported by M3 Stuart light tanks of the 2/6th Armoured Regiment and 25 pounders of the 2/1st Field Regiment.
Included in the set are his Class A Uniform jacket named to him on the inside pocket, dog tag, ID card, engraved bronze star medal, insignia, photo album, numerous original documents and SO much more.
Jacket Measures Approximately:
Collar to shoulder: 10”
Shoulder to sleeve: 25”
Shoulder to shoulder: 19”
Chest width: 19”
Waist width: 18”
Hip width: 20”
Front length: 32”
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle
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