Description:

Clark Mark 1896 - 1984

WWII dated Mark Clark TLS with Fifth Army shoulder patch.

Single page TLS, 8" x 10.5" on "Headquarters Fifth Army, Office of the Commanding General" letterhead dated "September 18, 1944" and crisply signed by Mark W. Clark (1896-1984) as "Mark W. Clark, Lieutenant General, USA, Commanding". Page shows uneven toning and expected folds, else near fine. Accompanied by a vibrantly colored Fifth Army shoulder patch originally sent with the letter. The red, white and blue patch is 2.5" x 2.75" and in stunning, unused condition. The Fifth Army patch has a blue mosque background, signifying that the Army division was organized in North Africa. It was the first American army to be organized outside the United States. The "autographed photograph" accompanying the letter and shoulder patch in 1944 is not included in this lot.

The Fifth Army was officially activated on January 5, 1943 at Oujda, French Morocco and charged with defending Algeriaand Morocco. It was also given the responsibility for planning the American part of the invasion of mainland Italy, and therefore was not involved in the Allied invasion of Sicily(code named Operation Husky). The United States Fifth Army was initially commanded by Lieutenant General Mark Wayne Clark, who would lead it for nearly two years. The Fifth Army was to experience some of the toughest fighting of World War II, where trench fighting on the Italian front reminiscent of World War I was common. Clark summarized the difficulties of fighting in Italy in 1944: "Terrain, weather, carefully prepared defensive positions in the mountains, determined and well-trained enemy troops, grossly inadequate means at our disposal while on the offensive, with approximately equal forces to the defender." The Fifth Army suffered 109,642 casualties in 602 days of combat, of which 19,475 were killed in action.

A fantastic letter written by Clark to one Mrs. Emma Bracken of Bridgeport, Connecticut acknowledging receipt of her letter and "inclosing the Fifth Army Patch which she requested".

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