US Army Patch Airborne Recon 7 VII Corps LRRP Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol

US Army Patch Airborne VII Corps LRRP Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol 1965 West Germany German made Embroidered on twill merrowed edge 101mm four inches diameter.

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The modern US Army Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol LRRP concept was created in 1956 by 11 Airborne Division while based in Augsburg West Germany tasked with the defence of the West German border with Czechoslovakia and East Germany borders against Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces.

In event of war in Europe 11 Airborne Division LRRP Companies would insert small independently operating deep penetration reconnaissance patrols behind enemy lines to provide surveillance reconnaissance and intelligence. In addition LRRP teams would select targets of opportunity for artillery or USAF delivered munitions and targets for Atomic Demolition Munitions carried by a team to destroy key terrain features or choke points such as bridges dams mountain passes or tunnels creating physical and radiological obstacles to the movement of enemy forces and channel them into prepared killing zones.

11 Airborne Division was inactivated in July 1958 but the LRRP concept for the defence of Western Europe in the event of a Soviet Warsaw Pact attack was continued with the formation of provisional surveillance platoons and V and VII Corps provisional LRRP companies with helicopter support in Autumn 1959 for Exercise Winter Shield and Winter Shield II in 1960. The Provisional LRRP Companies made up of both trained LRRP personnel and regular soldiers and proved very successful in the field during the Exercises and the Department of the Army authorized the activation of two Airborne LRRP Companies for US Army Europe in 1961.

VII Corps LRRP Company Airborne was activated by 7 Army at Nellingen Barracks Stuttgart West Germany on 9 June 1961 as US Army 3780 Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol Company under Headquarters VII Corps Special Troops operating directly for VII Corps G 2 Intelligence.

The second LRRP Company established as US Army 3779 Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol Company at Wildflecken Bavaria West Germany on 15 July 1961 under V Corps.

VII Corps 3780 LRRP Company had the largest area to cover and had responsibility for the deepest penetrations of up to 150 Km behind enemy lines. The Company was nicknamed the JayHawk LRRPs and chose the motto of Eyes Behind the Lines for its crest.

The Company had a larger compliment of personnel than V Corps LRRP and had the facilities and ability to train all its personnel in all field requirements of LRRP operations with the exception of Atomic Demolition Munitions operations which was provided by specialist Engineer units.

VII Corps and V Corps LRRPs perfected many aspects of Long Range Reconnaissance Operations and continued training and developing techniques establishing the first LRRP Table of Organization and Equipment in 1965 with each Company increased to 208 personnel with each LRRP team made up of of 4 to 5 men and incorporating its own transport component. All personnel from team leader and above were to be Ranger qualified. The experiences of the Companies formed the basis of the first US Army LRRP Field Manual FM 31 16.

VII Corps LRRP Company was redesignated Company C LRP 58 Infantry Airborne on 15 May 1965 at the same time as V Corps LRRP Company was redesignated Company D LRP 17 Infantry Airborne.

Company C LRP 58 Infantry Airborne was redeployed from Nellingen Barracks Stuttgart West Germany to Fort Riley Kansas in June 1968 at the same time that Company D LRP 17 Infantry Airborne.was moved to Fort Benning Georgia. Both LRPs retained their status as LRRP units for V and VII Corps in the event of war in Europe with deployments back to West Germany for training and exercises.

Company C LRP 58 Infantry Airborne moved to Fort Carson Colorado and was redesignated B Company Ranger 75 Infantry Airborne on 1 February 1969. B Company Ranger 75 Infantry Airborne relocated to Fort Lewis Washington in June 1974 and disbanded in November 1974 on the activation of 2 Battalion 75 Ranger Regiment.

This patch dates from 1965.