Chevrons and Diamonds

1944-45 324th Infantry Regiment (44th Infantry Division)

VetCollector
2–3 minutes

324th Infantry Regiment History
Placed into active duty on February 1, 1943, at Fort Lewis Washington, the 324th was assigned as an element of the 44th Infantry Division. Over the course of a year, the division’s unit strength was assembled, and intense training was conducted prior to departing for Louisiana in early February. From February 4 to April 3, 1944, the division participated in maneuvers and moved on to Camp Phillips, Kansas in preparation for overseas deployment. The 324th along with the entire 44th Division sailed for Europe on September 5, 1944

(Chevrons and Diamonds Collection).

The 324th Regiment participated in the last of the Northern France campaign, the Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe campaigns and spent 190 days in combat before the surrender of the Third Reich. In the weeks following VE-Day as the baseball season in the European Theater commenced, the 324th may have participated briefly before shipping back to the U.S. on July 20. Arriving at Camp Chaffee, Arkansas, the 324th began preparations for deployment to the Pacific. With the two atomic bomb drops on Japan in August, it was clear that the division would not deploy. The 324th was inactivated on November 1, 1945.

The red athletic felt letters on the chest are 3.5 inches and span nearly armpit-to-armpit (Chevrons and Diamonds Collection).

One notable member of the 324th was Private Ernie Raimondi, a former third baseman of the San Francisco Seals. Of the four Raimondi brothers (Bill, Al, and Walt), all of whom played in the Pacific Coast League, Ernie was the second youngest. Ernie entered the Army one day prior to the D-Day invasion and was in France within six months. By early January, the 324th was defending Sarreguemines when Ernie was mortally wounded on January 9, 1945. Raimondi lingered for 17 days before succumbing to his wounds.

It is unlikely that Raimondi ever played baseball for the regiment though we are honored to preserve his memory with this jersey.

Inside the 324th Regiment jersey, the sole tag, not uncommon to wartime service jerseys, denotes the size. Four armpit vent holes adorn each sleeve. The lettering is affixed to the jersey’s front using a standard straight stitch (Chevrons and Diamonds Collection).

The reinforced collar extends down to the button placket but lacks soutache leaving the deep red letters to truly stand out against the heavy grey wool flannel (Chevrons and Diamonds Collection).

Jersey Features:

  • Buttons: Five gray plastic convex buttons
  • Collar: Shallow-V
  • Material: The base material is heavy gray/away wool-flannel.
  • Soutache: None.
  • Lettering: 3.5-inch athletic red athletic felt.
  • Numeral: None.
  • Sleeves: 10.5-inch, in-set, non-gusseted, vented.
  • Tag: No manufacturer’s tag. Size 42 tag.

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