Item number: M216

Year: AD 1945

Size: 29.1 x 29.0 x 13.8 mm

Weight: 13.15 g

Provenance: Private Collector, USA, 2024

This is a unit crest of the 14th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army, which was deployed in the European theatre during World War II. The 14th Infantry Regiment participated in the final phase of the assault on Germany.

The crest features a golden Chinese dragon standing in front of a red fortress, with the dragon’s head and body rendered in a three-dimensional effect. The design symbolises the regiment’s nickname, “Golden Dragons,” earned during the Boxer Rebellion. In the mission to capture the walls of Beijing, soldiers of the 14th Infantry Regiment scaled the 30-foot Dongbianmen Gate by hand, becoming the second unit to enter the city after the British forces.

The dragon is surrounded by a deep blue scroll, inscribed with the regiment’s motto, “THE RIGHT OF THE LINE.” This phrase originates from European military tradition, where the right flank is reserved for the finest troops. Founded during the American Civil War, the 14th Infantry Regiment often held the most critical and challenging positions on the battle line, thus adopting “The right of the line” as their motto.

The reverse side of the crest is secured with a circular screw and an additional pin clasp, with the manufacturer’s name, “N.S. MEYER INC,” engraved in the centre. N. S. Meyer founded the company in New York in AD 1906, continuing his family’s business of supplying medals, badges, and equipment to the U.S. Army and Navy, a trade that began during the Civil War. To the left of the name is a hallmark in the shape of a cross-shaped shield, with the company’s address, “NEW YORK,” indicated below.

物件編號: M216

年代: 公元 1945 年

尺寸: 29.1 x 29.0 x 13.8 mm

重量: 13.15 g

來源: 美國私人收藏 2024

這是一枚第二次世界大戰投入歐洲戰場的美軍第14步兵團單位章。第14步兵團在戰爭期間參與最後階段的進攻德國本土戰役。

徽章正面是一隻站在紅色碉樓前方的金色中國龍，龍首和身體部位還特意作出立體效果。徽章圖案象徵該團於八國聯軍之役得到的綽號「金龍」。攻克北京城牆的任務中，美國第14步兵團士兵們徒手攀登30英尺的東便門，成為緊接英軍第二批進城的部隊。

龍的周圍以深藍色卷軸作為裝飾，三個卷軸上寫有部隊格言「THE RIGHT OF THE LINE」。這句格言源自歐洲的軍事文化中，部署在右線的必定是最優秀的部隊。創立於美國南北戰爭時期的第14步兵團，經常肩負著戰線最為關鍵和艱難的位置，故將這句「位於戰線的右側」作為部隊格言。

徽章背面以圓形的螺絲跟外加的別針版作固定，中間鐫刻製造商「N.S. MEYER INC」商號。公元1906年，創始人N. S. Meyer以自己的名字在紐約開業，延續自南北戰爭起，其父輩專營美國陸海軍獎章、徽章和裝備的提供業務。商號左側是一個十字盾牌造型的商標，下方則標示公司的地址「NEW YORK」(紐約)。