I have some some german patches from WWII that he brought back from Europe. I want to put them on display and add some details to where he was and the details of each patch. Is there a way to determine where he travelled. Searching online I can only find the date of enlistment and a number.
Any help is appreciated.
Hello there! As your question is related to looking for identification/information regarding military personnel, our Guide on Military Identification may be of use to you. It provides a number of different resources, including how to request service records from a number of national agencies around the world, as well as graphical aids to assist in deciphering rank, unit, and other forms of badges or insignia. While the users here may still be able to lend you more assistance, hopefully this will provide a good place to start!
Im guessing US military? What i would do is start by building a profile on him. Units he served in is one of the most important details, his rank and dates of service, and even his job. His DD-214 (US military) is a treasure trove of info (awards, campaigns, dates, jobs, units) and can be requested by family members. https://www.va.gov/records/get-military-service-records/
Once you have that info you can fill in blanks easier (example) by researching the unit and its missions (unit history is pretty important and each base usually has a museum with unit history nerds). Dont get discouraged if the unit is disbanded, the info is out there.
For example, i would try for an end result like this: Gramps enlisted in (year) did basic training in (date) & (state) then went on to his advanced training as a (military mos/job) in (date) in (state). He was then assigned to (squad, platoon, company) in (month)(year). That unit was assigned to guard/parachute into/protect/etc... The unit then moved to (location).. And so on... In (date/year) gramps got out of the military to smoke dope and have a gender change but ended up breeding and opening a record store.
You get the picture.