5th Army

Worn from:
2 April 1943 - Current.

The Fifth Army was activated on December 12th, 1942, with Lt.
General Mark Clark as Commander and Headquarters at Oujda,
Morocco.

The first combat role performed by the Army was
(Operation Avalanche) the invasion of Italy at the Gulf
of Salerno which occured on September 9th, 1943.

By the 20th of that month, the beachhead was secured.

The Army took Naples in October and then broke through the Gustav
line and captured Rome on June 4th, 1944.

Fifth Army units continued to push north to the Arno River,
broke through the Gothic line, and crossed the rugged Apennines
Mountains.

Lt. General Lucian Truscott became the Army Commander
in December of 1944 and led the Army on its final push across
the Po Valley until the final surrender of all the German Forces
in Italy on May 2nd, 1945.

The shoulder patch for the Army was approved on April 7th, 1943,
in spite of the fact that the numerical designation "5" appeared
on the insignia. The colors red, white, and blue represent the
National Colors, and the mosque symbolizes Morocco where the Army
was originally activated.