Seven Steps to Hell patch...

I found an Eisenhower jacket with this patch on it. Unfortunately, shortly after I put it in my antique mall space, the patch was stolen.

I have been researching it online, I'm not terribly satisfied with the answers I have found. I know it is from the 7th Army. On the Korean War site it says that it is some sort of short timer's patch, or something. It does not explain "Seven Steps to Hell". And how it came to be.

I was wondering if it came from a conflict. Or am I reading way more into it?!

Anyone have any ideas?

Thank you!

Sandi

 

The pyramid part if the USA 7th Army's patch from WWII. I'm not sure, but the 7 Steps to Hell part was probably from the Korean War.

Here's a link:

2007-03 Feature-Seven Steps To Hell

 

Hi! Thank you!

I've read that. Unless I am not reading it thoroughly enough, it doesn't explain "Seven Steps To Hell". It only refers to it betwixt modern political junkets, and past.

Thank you, though!

Sandi

P.s, I like your Doolittle quote! I was fortunate enough to meet his son (?!), and his wife, I loved the story she told me about their wedding photograph! That he had a death grip on her hand as they were running down the aisle! And that her mother made her chantilly lace dress. (probably lost on boys, quite remarkable for me!) Oh, and it was a 1940's wedding, before 1945, so I am uncertain if he was son, or grandson. (??)

 

The original "Seven Step to Hell" patch first showed up in the MTO during the campaign in Sicily I think. At least that is where my Dad's second cousin sad he got his while he was with Patton's Seventh. I always called him Uncle Leo, but he was really a cousin. He gave me his patch for my collection when I was a kid, I have long since misplaced it in some storage box somewhere.

Leo thought the world of Patton, and served with him in the 3rd after D-Day as well. Leo made it all the way through the war without a single wound, other than a dose of VD he managed to pick up in France, he never had health problem one. As a farm kid from Montana driving a tracked vehicle was a natural for hiim, and so that is where he ended up, driving M4s.

 

Thank you Clint! And what is MTO?? He sounds like someone I could chat with for hours!

Sandi

 

mediterranean threather of operations (MTO)

 

Sad to say Leo passed away about eight years ago, I think it was either 2001 or 2002. At least that is what springs to mind because his sons both came through Billings on their way to his funeral about that time. They drove up from Denver rather than fly since they wanted to stop and visit other relatives on the way to and from the services.

 

Thank you Andy!

Sorry about Leo, Clint.

I'll keep poking about, see if I can find some more.

Sandi

 

MY Dad was attached to the 7th Army while part of the 36th ID. He often referred to the insignia as the "7 Steps to Hell".

I was attached to the 7th Army in 1998 while training at CMTC Hohenfells, Germany, "7 Steps to Hell" seemed to be quite the accepted Motto of the unit.

Brad

 

Lorrel, I came across this site accidentally when searching for 7th US Army. I wore a patch like this in 1967-68, when I was in the US Army. The patch did not include the words, just the triangle. I was stationed in Heidelberg, Germany, at the HQ, US Army Europe. As I understood it at the time, the 7th Army had been deactivated after WWII. At the time I was at the HQ, about half of the troops were designated as 7th Army and the other half were designated US Army Europe (USAREUR). We all worked together and our different designations meant little until we had alerts. The idea was that if there was an emergency, the 7th Army could be activated quickly. So those of us with 7th Army patches were subject to being alerted (usually in the middle of the night) and we had to get our field gear and rifles and load up on trucks, to be taken to some remote location out in the boondocks. Those with USAREUR patches simply went downstairs, turned in their alert cards, then went back to bed. This link shows exactly what the two patches looked like when I was in the Army ... United States Army Europe (USAREUR) / 7th Army

Dennis

 

Thank you so much Dennis!

I don't know what to say about what you went through, other than, thank you! And thank goodness you were there!

I thank you so much, for your information.

Sincerely, Sandi

 

Hi everyone. I'm new here. Yes I know this thread is more than a year old, but I stumbled upon it in a Google search & registered. Although he was only in combat a short time, my Dad (now 87) had enough to last a lifetime, apparently. He wouldn't talk much about how it was over there, but did mention going through Dachau just after it was liberated. That made quite the impression. Since I knew he'd served at the end of the war it naturally brought me an interest to WWII. One day he saw an album cover from my favorite rock group, Blue Oyster Cult, circa 1974. On the cover is a drawing of the band standing around and sitting on an Messerschmitt Me262, sans the swastika. He told me a story of crossing what was or became the Munchen Autobahn and seeing probably an entire squadron of them, sitting w/o qualified pilots nor fuel to run them. The war was almost over by then, but I don't remember what month he said that was. A month after I graduated HS in '76, I joined the Army and got sent to the 73rd MI Co., part of Seventh Army. My Mom and Dad came to visit me @ Stuttgart Army Airfield. He happened to see my dress uniforms hanging and said, what are you doing wearing my 7th Steps to Hell patch? Not exactly like Father, like Daughter, because thankfully the only "war" I was involved in was the "Cold" war. I should ask him if the bottom patch saying Seven Steps to Hell came during or after WWII. From what I read above and on another site, they began in Sicily. He didn't get involved in the war 'til later because he'd been laid up from a bad car accident. He broke his back in '42 but made it through basic and off to Germany in December '44 or January '45. Since he switched to the Air Force during occupation, he should know that, especially if his had that on it.

 

I'm a little confused. Was that a joint force 7th Army? I thought the 7th Army was http://www.popularpatch.com/army/us-army-7th-infantry-division-military-patch
like that.

 

That's the 7th Infantry Division patch, this discussion was about the 7th Army.

 

Ok, sorry. Thanks for clearing that up.

 

I am a novice when it comes to a lot of military lingo. The 7th army was formed when? I am just confused, trying to understand where everything falls. What divisions were under it? And what army does the 3rd Infantry Division fall?

For example, someone from the 3rd ID, 7th infantry regiment, Company B would be part of what army? And then where do platoons fit?

I feel like I need a degree in military history to be able to wrap my head around it all?

 

Start here with a beginners course on the 7th US Army.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventh_United_States_Army

And here for some 3ID (3rd Infantry Division) lessons.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3rd_Infantry_Division_(United_States)

Here's a introduction on army hierarchy and it's composition in WW2. Pretty simple actually, that is if you are familiar with it of course.

Unit symbol first, then followed by the unit size.

XXXXX army group (2 or more armies)
XXXX army (2 or more corps)
XXX corps (2 or more divisions)
XX division (2 or more regiments)
III regiment (2 or more battalions, usually 3 though)
II battalion (2 or more companies, usually 3-4)
I company (2 or more platoons, usually 3-4)
... platoon (3 or more squads of 11 men each)

Hope this helps. I'm sure that someone with more knowledge will come along with extra info to share before long. Plenty to learn here.

 

My father wore this patch when he separated from the service. He was a missile tech attached to a 7th Army Hercules Nike Missile Battery in the early sixties. I believe the "seven steps to hell" motto refers to nuke ready groups.

 

The problem is that the answer to your question varies by war and by year--- units are always being re-assigned. So the fact that the 3rd Infantry Division may have been under "X" Army at one time does not mean that it always was so assigned. To get any type of rational answer to your question, you need to identify at least a year to be looked at. For more on this topic, look up "order of battle". In general, platoons are grouped together into Companies, which are grouped together into battalions, which are grouped together into Brigades or Regiments or Combat Teams (depending on year), which are grouped together into Divisions, which are grouped together into Armies. You can see why a more specific question is needed--- What year in what location are you asking about? in answer to your other question, 7th Army was originally the I Armored Corps, and was redesignated as 7th Army on 10 July 1943.