US Army Cpl 25th Infantry Division, 35th Inf Regt Ike Jacket with wool cap - Guadalcanal campaign - Militair uniform - 1944

Nice 100% original ike jacket and wool overseas cap of a Cpl who served with the 25th Infantry Division, 35th Infantry Regiment, as an infantry man. The 25th nfantry Diviision and the 35th Infantry Regiment are famous for their combat in the Guedalcanal campaign, amo ng others. The ike jacket is in nicely worn condition. He earned a good conduct medal, american campaign medal, WW2 Victory medak, Occupation Medal and Pacfic Campaign medal, indicating he served in the Pacific with the 25th Infantry Divisiion. The ike jacket has a beautiful age patina and is not a depot piece. The label dates this jacket to december 1944. The jacet also has a nice original sert of infnstrty collar discs.

A very nice and 100% original Ike Jacket of a famous Infantry unit that saw heavy combat during WW2!

See also our other interesting WW2 items!

History of the 25th Infantry Division
The regiment was sent to Guadalcanal, 25 November 1942, to relieve Marines near Henderson Field. First elements landed near the Tenaru River, 17 December 1942, and entered combat, 10 January 1943, participating in the seizure of Kokumbona and the reduction of the Mount Austen Pocket alongside the 27th Infantry Regiment, in some of the bitterest fighting of the Pacific campaign. With other units on 5 February 1943, it helped end organized enemy resistance.[9]

A period of garrison duty followed, ending 21 July: On that date, advance elements debarked on Munda, New Georgia. The 35th Infantry, under the Northern Landing Force, took part in the capture of Vella Lavella, 15 August to 15 September 1943. Organized resistance on New Georgia ended, 25 August, and the division moved to New Zealand for rest and training, last elements arriving on 5 December. The 25th was transferred to New Caledonia, 3 February – 14 March 1944, for continued training.[9]

The division landed in the San Fabian area of Luzon, 11 January 1945, to enter the struggle for the liberation of the Philippines. It drove across the Luzon Central Plain, meeting the enemy at Binalonan, 17 January. Moving through the rice paddies, the 25th occupied Umingan, Lupao, and San Jose and destroyed a great part of the Japanese armor on Luzon. On 21 February, the division began operations in the Caraballo Mountains. It fought its way along Highway No. 5, taking Digdig, Putlan, and Kapintalan against fierce enemy counterattacks and took Balete Pass, 13 May, and opened the gateway to the Cagayan Valley, 27 May, with the capture of Santa Fe. Until 30 June, when the division was relieved, it carried out mopping-up activities. On 1 July, the division moved to Tarlac for training, leaving for Japan, 20 September. At the end of the war the 35th was involved with occupation duty in Japan.[9]

The division was originally activated from Hawaii garrison units during World War II, slightly more than two months before the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor began the Pacific War. After spending almost a year training, it fought in the Allied counteroffensive during the Guadalcanal campaign from December 1942, helping to end organized Japanese resistance on that island by early February 1943. The 25th spent a period garrisoning the island, then moved on to fight in the New Georgia Campaign in July. After the Japanese defeat in the latter, it was sent to New Zealand later that year for rest and training, before moving to New Caledonia for further training. The division returned to combat in the January 1945 invasion of Luzon, reducing Japanese resistance on the island until late June, after which it was pulled out of the line for training. The division then served in the occupation of Japan after the surrender of the latter from September 1945.