DescriptionFirst-Tank-Corps-Branch-Insignia.png	US Army Tank Service Branch Insignia
Date	29 December 1917
Source	United States Army Institute of Heraldry
Author	US Army
Permission (Reusing this file)	Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse This image shows a flag, a coat of arms, a seal or some other official insignia produced by the United States Army Institute of Heraldry. It is in the public domain but its use is restricted by Title 18, United States Code, Section 704 [1] and the Code of Federal Regulations (32 CFR, Part 507) [2], [3]. Permission to use these images in the USA for most commercial purposes must be obtained from The Institute of Heraldry prior to their use. Deutsch ∙ English ∙ فارسی ∙ 日本語 ∙ русский ∙ +/− - US Army Institute Of Heraldry

• Description: Paragraph 36, Change 1 to War Department Special Regulations No. 42, dated 1917-12-29, stated that "the insignia on the collar of the coat for Tank Service would be a conventionalized tank, 1 inch high, with the number of the regiment attached to the bottom". The approved design is erroneously described by the source as "a front view of a French tank"; it is actually a drawing of an imaginary American tank that never existed.^[1]

• The insignia approved in 1917 was not well received and a new design was announced for the Tank Corps per Change 2 to Service Regulation 42, dated 1918-05-07. The new design showed the side view of a Mark VIII Tank above two stylized dragons breathing fire over a wreath. War Department Circular 72, dated 1921-03-16, eliminated the insignia of the Tank Corps.

• Paragraph 13b, AR 600-35 prescribed the collar insignia for Infantry (Tanks) as "The Infantry insignia with a circular raised center superimposed with the letter "T"."

• In a letter dated 1922-03-21, The Adjutant General approved a new design for Infantry (Tanks). Change 2, AR 600-35, dated 1922-03-28, prescribed the insignia for Infantry (Tanks) to be "The Infantry insignia with tank superimposed. This insignia was rescinded by Change 2, AR 600-35, dated 1933-08-22.

• Change 15, AR 600-35, dated 13 Mar 43, added the insignia for Tank Destroyer Forces. This change specified the design was a "75-mm gun, motor carriage M3, in gold color metal." The insignia was rescinded by Change 2, AR 600-35, dated 1944-11-28.

• A new insignia for the Armored Forces was authorized by War Department Circular 56, dated 1942-02-25. This insignia was the side-view of the Mark VIII Tank used in the 1920s and early 1930s. (The Mark VIII Tank was not used in World War I.) The insignia was continued in use until the Armor Branch was established in Feb 51. The new insignia was the result of the Army Reorganization Act of 1950 as announced in Army Bulletin No. 9. The Armored Forces and Cavalry were combined into a single branch called Armor. The Armored Forces insignia was no longer used; however, the Cavalry insignia was continued in use as a collar insignia for personnel assigned to Cavalry Units.

 Comment This is not a front view of a French tank. It is a representation of a vehicle supposedly designed in America. After the use of tanks by Great Britain in September 1916, plans of this machine appeared in two journals: "Scientific American" of October 7, and "Popular Mechanics" of November. The former stated that the machine had been designed for the British Government by the Bullock Tractor Company of Chicago (although there is no mention of it in British records); the latter described it as the "Land Cruiser" or "alligator car", designed by the Automatic Machine Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut. An artist's speculative impression of the vehicle in action on the Somme battlefield was published in "Scientific American", and that appears to have formed the basis for this drawing. It does not seem that the machine was ever built. The U.S. Tank Corps was not formed until over a year later, by which time the physical appearance of tanks was well-known. It is therefore not clear why a non-existent tank should feature on the Corps's buttons, badges, and patches. What is known is that during WWI the American Emblem Company of Utica, N.Y. produced novelty badges that strongly resembled both the artist's impression and the image shown here. It is, of course, possible that such insignia were pressed into service in 1918, although no specific mention is made in the accounts of G.S. Patton's design of the Tank Corps uniform. The French tanks in which U.S. soldiers served were Renault FT. The Renault did not resemble this image, and this image is not a French tank of any type. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hengistmate (talk • contribs)

1. ↑ https://landships.activeboard.com/t60775897/us-tank-corps-badgepinbutton-solved/