Having a taste for history, and a dislike the of the last two Army dress uniforms, you'd think that I'd like the Army having gone to the new "pink & green" uniform. Indeed, I thought I'd feel that way as well.
The new Army Green Uniform based on the old officer's Army Service Uniform that came in, in stages, during the 1920s and 1930s and lasted until the mid 1950s, and the current Army Class A blue uniform in the center.
But I don't.
Maybe I'll change my mind, but to my own surprise, I don't like it. It strikes me as sort of staged and made up, or maybe even a little pathetic to some degree.
Okay, what am I even talking about? That requires some background explanation, and for that I have to go about it in sort of a round about way or a direct line in a historical way. I'll do the latter.
I don't intend to do a "history of Army dress uniforms" here (really, I don't, even if I end up doing just that), so I'm just going to leap in just prior to World War One and go from there, more or less. We've been looking at a lot of photographs of the Great War and therefore, for anyone following this blog, there's a ready frame of reference.
U.S. Army officers on their way home from France after the war. Note the stitching on their great coats. All wear the then new overseas cap.
Up until after World War Two the Army had a "service uniform" and a series of dress uniforms. The two were not the same. Dating back to the Revolution, the Army's more or less official color was blue, which impacted both types of uniforms early on and dress uniforms to this day. I'm not exactly certain why blue came to be the American Army's color, and I'll have to look it up, but I think it may have actually gone as far back as the French and Indian Wars for colonial militia. It became the official color for the Continental Army in 1779. That distinguished Americans from the British who wore red, and I do know how that came about but it was no doubt a very useful fact for both armies during the Revolution, as identification of troops by color of uniform was an absolute necessity in the dense gun powder smoke of the day. Red was the color of Cromwell's New Model Army that prevailed in the English Civil War and replaced the army of the crown.
Wounded Army offices, 1918. A couple of these men are blind.
Blue, indeed a very dark blue, was used for all uniforms pretty much (there are exception) in the U.S. Army up until the 1890s when smokeless powder made it clear (Plains warfare was already actually making it clear) that the era had come when uniforms should help hide a soldier rather than make him more visible, so the Army went to natural colors for field uniforms. I've dealt with that earlier in the blog, and I'm not going to go into it in depth here, but going into World War One that meant that the Service Uniform was a earthy green color during the cooler months that's generally referred to currently as "Olive Drab" and a tan that Americans call khaki in the hot months.* Olive drab, abbreviated to "OD", is confusing, as there's a zillion different shades of it and some are much different from others. But for convenience sake, we'll refer to it as OD here. For solders serving in a very, very hot tropical environment there was a white uniform of cotton with white coat and white breeches.**
74th Infantry, 1918.
Going into the Great War, the Army Service Uniform, i.e., the field uniform, consisted of OD breeches, an OD wool shirt, OD wool breeches, an OD wool service coat, an OD campaign hat, OD leggings and russet service shoes (boots) for enlisted men in most regions. For those serving in hot locations during the summer all the same would be true except the color was now an odd OD and the fabric cotton.*** Most soldiers serving in the U.S. Army during World War One only received the wool uniform, and indeed even during the Punitive Expedition soldiers wore the wool uniform into Mexico. This change in patterns had come about in 1912, and it reflected the rapid evolution of uniforms at the time. The pattern changed again in 1917, although it really takes an experts eye to be able to tell one pattern in this era from the next. Indeed, the overall patterns were so close to the British ones that British uniforms were in fact issued to American soldiers on some occasions.
For officers the uniform was very similar except that officers did not normally (hardly ever) wear leggings and instead wore riding boots and spurs. Both enlisted men and officers were issued OD ties, although you usually only see them if the men are not wearing their Service Coast as the weather was warm.
Wyoming National Guardsmen mustered in 1916 wearing the uniform that, for the most part, would serve all the way into the 1920s. While it can be somewhat difficult to tell due to the size of the photo, this photograph does a good job of illustrating that the enlisted men's uniform and the officers were essentially the same. Two officers can be seen on the left margin of the photo as viewed, one of whom has omitted his service coat. Both are wearing riding boots rather than leggings, which is the only easy way to distinguish between them.
This is one of many photos of American servicemen I've run in recent months wit this one giving a good example of the variety in uniforms. The officer on the left, as viewed, is not wearing an official pattern uniform at all, but the other two officers are. The cut of the pockets is notably different from that of the enlisted men's uniform. All wear the wartime Same Browne belt that came in during the Great War from the British. The officer on the left is wearing non pattern boots, which was highly common. The other two officers are wearing "field boots", a type or riding boot that is still worn by equestrians today.
A very dark blue Dress Uniform also existed for enlisted men and officers, but during World War One it wasn't issued to most troops. It was actually somewhat similar to the service uniform, actually in cut and appearance except that it was very dark blue and featured larger and more elaborate rank insignia and flourishes, recalling the 19th Century blue uniform fairly strongly. Indeed, the prior dress uniform of that type, which was very close in pattern, had actually been issued to some mustering state units in the Spanish American War who, at least at first, were apparently not aware that it was as dress, not a service, uniform.****
World War One recruiting poster showing a cavalryman, mounted, and an infantryman, dismounted. Both men are shown in their Dress Blue uniform, which would not have been worn in the field, and the scene oddly depicts frontier service more than it does contemporary World War One service. This does provide, however, good examples of dress uniforms of the period.
For the most part, the service uniform was worn for everything, and indeed, it was well suited for that.
There was some variety in this uniform. For one thing there was as Service Cap which was a wheelhouse cap. That wasn't really for field use but for garrison use and similar duty. Mounted men's breeches were foxed and differed from dismounted service men. The cut of the officer's service coat was different the enlisted men's and of much finer material. There was as summer or hot weather version of this uniform, although you don't tend to see it in use much even in the summer, which was made of cotton rather than wool, although the headgear was the same. There was a tremendous amount of leeway in footgear for officers who frequently didn't wear the standard field boot but some other variety of riding boot, and the leggings for mounted enlisted men were faced on the inside unlike those for dismounted men.
Okay, that's likely confusing but its' only background and will have to do.
At the same time that this was the Service Uniform, the Army had a Dress Blue uniform, as noted. For some reason this seems to be poorly understood but its' well established. That uniform retained the traditional blue color of the United States Army in the coat, which was a very dark blue. Trousers were light blue and for NCO's featured a stripe that indicated the soldiers branch (i.e., cavalry, infantry, artillery, etc.). Some coloration of insignia likewise indicated branch, while other coloration did not. The hat was the wheelhouse cap.
U.S. Army uniforms changed very little during the Great War but they did change a little. Sam Browne Belts were introduced for officers, taken from the example of European armies. The Overseas (flat) cap was introduced to replace the campaign hat in Europe due to the introduction of the M1917 helmet to combat use. The flat French pattern had was in fact the French pattern at first, but by the end of the war a more stylized, better looking, and less functional version had been introduced.
Two officers of the "Lost Battalion" wearing late war U.S. Army service uniforms featuring the second patter of Overseas cap. The officer on the left wears a Same Browne Belt. Maj. Whittlesey, on the right, should be wearing one but isn't. His service coat is an overseas contract version manufactured by the British, which is evident as the collar folds down rather than stands up.
We've run this photograph before, as frequent viewers will recognize, but it contains a wealth of information on late war U.S. Army uniforms. The General officer on the left wears the Service uniform for an officer of the U.S. Army, but with private purchase riding breaches and private purchase field boots. His spurs straps also depart from the issue pattern. The Overseas cap is an early pattern. The Marine Corps officer on the right wears the Marine pattern of Service uniform which was a much darker olive shade and which featured, by this point, the new pattern Overseas cap. His boots are actually Service Shoes with leather leggings, which would also have departed from issue.
Leydecker illustration of the late war enlisted uniform which is, as always, technically correct for this period. By late war the Army had gone to the British pattern puttees rather than leggings for European use and this soldier is wearing the war time "Pershing boots" which were roughout and hobnailed. The color is incorrect, which I've been blaming on Leyendecker, but it turns out that had something to do with the dies being used by the Saturday Evening Post.
After the Great War the Army retained some of the wartime innovations in the uniform and dropped others, with the elimination of puttees being particularly notable. But by the early 1920s the Army was discontent with the world War One uniform and began to change them.
And that's where this story gets really complicated.
One of the things that happened after World War One is that the uniform entered an oddly impractical stage. It's almost like the Army didn't expect to fight any more wars after the Great War.
Hmm. . . .
The first change, and it was a sign of things to come, came in 1921 when the Army, which had issued "subdued" rank insignia went to full color insignia. This was an odd development as it was contrary to the trend of camouflage in the service uniform. Then, in 1924 the Army introduced full color brass buttons to the uniform, which was very much counter to this trend.
One of the things that happened after World War One is that the uniform entered an oddly impractical stage. It's almost like the Army didn't expect to fight any more wars after the Great War.
Hmm. . . .
Enlisted men jumping a horse in 1920. The Chevrons of the riding sergeant are visible in the photograph.
Then, in 1926, the Army introduced a completely different service uniform featuring a more "modern" open collared coat, like that worn with sports coats or Edwardian suits appeared in the service coat, even thought that was supposed to be a combat uniform Officers and enlisted uniforms were made highly distinct from each other for the first time since the Civil War. Enlisted soldiers were now issued an OD service uniform with an open collar and, if it was winter, they wore a wool shirt with a black tie. If it was summer, they wore a khaki shirt with a black tie. If they were operating without the service coat, and it was winter, they wore OD wool pants (after 1938, when breeches were phased out) and OD wool shirt with black tie. If it was summer or they were serving in the warm regions, they wore khaki "chinos" (that's where they come from), a khaki shirt and a black tie.
The Army Service Uniform in 1939, for enlisted men. Olive Service Coat, Olive shirt, Olive wool trousers, black tie, leggings, Service Shoes, and field gear. Note the brass buttons. Highly impractical, quite frankly.
Note the tie was always supposed to be black. Soldiers who bought their own often didn't buy black, but OD or khaki, which look better.
Corporal serving in a tropical area prior to World War Two. He's wearing the cotton khaki shirt with black tie, the khaki wool Service coat with chevrons that would be OD and black (khaki private purchase ones were common), and the Service Cap of the wheelhouse type. He's also wearing the heavy leather garrison belt. This was as type of semi dress uniform that was actually fairly rare after the start of World War Two..
Officers, on the other hand, were issued a blizzard of uniforms.
Or, rather more correctly, they had to buy a blizzard of uniforms. Officers are allowed a clothing allowance for the purchase of uniforms, but it doesn't go very far if there are a lot of them or if they change often.
Anyhow, that's where the "Pink & Green" uniform came in.
Under the new regulations that came in during the 1920s, the officer service coat was a dark green coat with an open collar. The trousers were khaki. In warm weather or warm regions, officers wore khakis like enlisted men, but unlike the enlisted men, they also were required to have a wool khaki uniform that had a wool khaki shirt, wool khaki trousers and a wool khaki service coat. That latter service coat was of a completely different pattern from the service coat for general use, oddly enough. Indeed, it's the pattern that was later adopted for general issue to all ranks. . .a trend that seems to repeat it self.
U.S. Army officers of World War Two wearing Pinks & Greens. The officer on the left is an Air Corps officer and is wearing his cap with the stiffner removed.
Making it a bit more confusing, the shirts that went with the new officers uniform varied from khaki, to dark green, to a sort of chocolate green. It's really difficult to tell when one was supported to be worn over another, and I suspect that it often varied by individual officer a fair amount.
This was all well in good in peace time, but during war time, it didn't work at all as the uniform was obviously unsuited for combat. Given that, in the year leading up to World War Two for the United States, the Army adopted an entire series of uniform additions or even new uniforms that ended up being the ones used in World War Two. When that occurred, the Service Uniform was relegated to being a dress uniform.
But not the full dress uniform, or the Dress Blue uniform. That uniform was always around, but it wasn't issued to enlisted men during the 1930s, or World War Two, as it was too expensive to do so. In 1938 it was redesigned to have an open collar and a white dress shirt. If that sounds familiar, that's because that's the dress uniform that has been in use in recent years.
U.S. Army general officers in Europe exhibiting the spectacular variance in semi dress uniforms at the end of the war. All of the officers depicted here wear the Eisenhower type jacket that Dwight Eisenhower caused to be introduced into service based upon his like of the British Pattern 39 combat jacket.***** From left to right in the back row, we see: (Stearley) Dark Green "Eisenhower Jacket" with garrison cap and khaki shirt and tie, (Vendenburg) Olive Drab Eisenhower jacket and wheelhouse cap with stiffner removed (common for Air Corps officers), (Smith) Eisenhower jacket worn by officer who had not afixed any decorations; (Weyland) Eisenhower jacket worn with green tie, (Nugent) Eisenhower jacket with wheelhouse cap with stiffener removed. Front row: (Simpon) Eisenhower jacket, (Patton) private purchase Eisnehower jacket cut from service jacket featuring brass service buttons with General Officer's service belt, uniform breeches and private purchase riding boots based on the Army pattern; (Spaatz) completely non regulation khaki colored Einenhower style jakcet with khaki wool trousers, (Eisenhower) dark green Eisehnower jacket with dress khaki wool trousers and private purchase shoes, (Bradley) Olive Drab Eisenhower jacket with OD wool trouers, (Hodges) Olive drab Eisenhower jacket and trousers with U.S. Army service shoes, (Gerow) Eisenhower jacket in olive drab shade with olive drab trousers and paratrooper boots.
After World War Two for some weird reason the Army decided that it had to adopt a new service, or in other words dress, uniform. This seems to have been based on the fact that after fighting a huge global war followed by a large war of peace (the Korean War) there were so many dress uniforms around that the Army felt that their status was diminished. That logic is fine, in so far as it goes, but it didn't seem to contemplate the Cold War, which would continue to bring millions of men into the service.
Walter Bedell Smith and Dwight Eisenhower, center, with Allied officers at the end of World War Two. Smith is wearing the Pink and Green service uniform, Eisenhower is wearing the jacket named after him in the Olive Drab shade and a dark green tie.
Be that as it may, that's what motivated the Army to adopt The Green Pickle Suit in 1957.
Eh?
Yes, that was the derisive name given by soldiers to the Army Service Uniform, now called the Army Green Uniform. that was adopted after the Korean War. The uniform, at first, featured a dark green service coat of the exact same pattern as the former officers wool khaki service coat mentioned above, and trousers of the same shade. Officers trousers featured a black stripe down the side, although officers didn't always buy trousers with that really ugly addition. Indeed, frequently they did not. Black shoes and a dark green wheelhouse cap and dark green flat cap finished the uniform. By dark green, we mean a sort of forest green. The shirt was khaki. The tie was dark green. There was no difference between officers and enlisted uniforms except as noted which was the first time that this had been the case since the 1920 with there being some actual distinctions between enlisted men and officers prior to then. The Army also adopted an optional khaki colored uniform for hot climates, phasing it out however in 1969.
As originally issued or purchased (by officers) the uniform featured dark green heavy wool coat and trousers which may explain why a tropical version in lighter wool was issued at the same time. As noted, the shirt was khaki and at the same time the Army had a semi dress uniform that was an evolution of the undress khaki uniform that had come in during the 1930s. This evolved however and starting in 1964 the green uniform started to feature an "all season" wool, which was the beginning of the end of its acceptable appearance. In 1979 the Army adopted a "mint" green shirt to go with the uniform that was hideous and hated by everyone who wore it and it started to phase out the semi dress khaki uniform. In 1990 it completed the uglification of the uniform by switching the already too light fabric to a poly/wool blend, just at the time that petroleum based clothing was solidly on its way out for good.
During the same period the Army reduced, then re-expanded, the headgear that went with the uniform. Every since the 1920s the Army had been issuing peaked or wheelhouse caps as well as garrison (overeseas) caps to be worn with the dress uniform or even with the service uniform. It continued to do this all the way through the Vietnam War, amazingly, as that made for a lot of headgear for troops who also had separate fatigue and combat uniforms. After the Vietnam War it stopped doing this and for a time just issued garrison caps, although it retained the wheelhouse cap as a private purchase item, but then in the late 1980s it adopted the black beret, which was a controversial move at the time.
The Green Pickle Suit was never fondly thought of by soldiers, who perhaps thought it, accurately, having a sad appearance in comparison with the Service Uniform that preceded it. Nonetheless, it lasted a really long time. Unfortunately, the quality of materials in it drastically declined during its service, going from a nice wool to a crappy wool poly blend. That last version looked bad due to the materials more than anything else, but at some point the Army decided to abandon it in favor of a blue dress uniform.
Dress Blues had come back into service for enlisted men in 1954, having ceased to be issued in the 1920s and as a practical matter not really having been issued since prior to World War One. Up until the abandonment of the Army Green Uniform for the blue uniform, it was an optional item for enlisted men. The basic pattern of the blue uniform had been adopted in 1938, and there was a rarely seen white uniform that existed at the same time and in fact which survived at least into the 1990s.
The problem there is that the blue uniform, when modified and adopted for general use, was made of the same ultra crappy looking materials. So it looked pretty darn bad as well. I'll not go into it, but a blue dress uniform of wool/ploy craptacular looks craptacular.
We'll note, fwiw, that this entire time the Marines stuck with a uniform, a good looking one, that they'd adopted in the 1920s as well but which was less modified in form from their World War One era one. Everyone always remarks how good looking that uniform is.
Hmmm. . . .
Well, anyhow, after years and years being afflicted with lousy looking dress uniforms, the Army has decided to introduce the Army Greens Uniform, which is the old Pink & Green uniform, sort of.
Here's an Army summation of it:
Army Greens Uniform
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
What is it?
The U.S. Army is adopting the Army Greens as its new service uniform, based on the iconic "pink and green" uniform worn during the World War II. This will be the everyday service uniform starting in 2020, and it will reflect the professionalism of the Soldier.
The Army Greens Uniform will include khaki pants and brown leather oxfords for both men and women, with women having the option to wear a pencil skirt and pumps instead. There will be a leather bomber jacket as an outerwear option.**
The Army Blues Uniform will return to its role as a formal dress uniform, and the Army Combat Uniform also known as the Operational Camouflage Pattern, or OCP will remain the duty/field uniform.
What are the current and past efforts of the Army?
In March 2017, Program Executive Office Soldier (PEO Soldier), under direction from the Chief of Staff of the Army, prepared a "Greens" Uniform demonstration and options to support the decision-making process. Extensive polling data showed overwhelming support for this uniform.
On Veterans Day, 2018, the Army announced the new uniform, which will be made in the U.S., and have no additional cost to the American taxpayer. This uniform will be constructed of high-quality fabrics and tailored for each Soldier. This will be cost-neutral and covered under enlisted Soldiers' annual clothing allowance. The new uniform and associated materials will comply with all Berry Amendment statutory requirements for Clothing and Textiles.
What continued efforts does the Army have planned?
The Army will conduct a Limited User Evaluation (LUE), using Soldiers that interact with the public. These Soldiers will wear the new uniform for a few months and then provide feedback for possible last-minute changes to the final design. The mandatory wear date for all Soldiers will be 2028.
Why is this important to the Army?
The reintroduction of this uniform is an effort to create a deeper understanding of, and connection to, the Army in communities where awareness of the Total Army needs to increase.
The Army believes this high-quality uniform will instill pride, bolster recruiting and enhance readiness.
Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage are core Army Values, and the new uniform is at the center of demonstrating Soldiers' values, professionalism and accountability to each other and the American people.
The Army Greens will be worn by America's next Greatest Generation as they develop into the smart, thoughtful and innovative leaders of character outlined in the Army Vision.
Now, the old uniform, and by extension this one, is much, much better looking than the old Green Pickle Suit.
But something just seems wrong. What is it?
Well, for one thing, the Army isn't adopting the 1926 to 1957 dress uniform. . . it's adopting the dress uniform of that period that was issued to officers only.
I don't mean to sound chauvinistic at all. I was an enlisted man, not an officer, but adopting the officers uniform of that period somehow smacks of grade inflation, if you will. The Army has already been suffering from something like this anyhow since World War Two or at least World War One, and this really seems an expression of that.
Going into World War One the Army issued but single medal, the Congressional Medal of Honor. During the war, in recognition of what a big event it was, the Army introduced wound stripes, overseas bars and in 1918 the Silver Star. During World War Two additional awards were added, including the Bronze Star, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Expert Infantryman's Badge, etc. I'm not saying that any of this was bad by any means but it reflects a definite trend.
Coming out of World War Two a lot of soldiers now had a variety of awards in addition to those that had been authorized earlier reflecting campaigns and other decorations. This has continued on to the point now where a career soldier has a shocking number of awards compared to his World War Two colleagues. The black beret itself is also an example of this as originally the only American soldiers who wore the berets of any color were the post war Special Forces, who were even nicknamed for their beret. Black berets came in unofficially for Rangers in Vietnam during that war and then were taken up by tankers, mimicking the British (who had earlier mimicked the Germans) in the 1970s. That was put to an end but the mass issuance of black berets offended both and particularly offended the Rangers who soon acquired a tan beret, somewhat recalling the general issue color that had been adopted by the British during World War Two. Now the Airborne also has its own color, maroon, also recalling the World War Two British issuance.
The point is that if the Army really wanted to recall the heroic service of American troops in World War Two, it ought to just go back to the pattern of dress that existed in 1939. It was a good uniform and it looks right. Most sergeants don't want to look like they're pretending to be an officer in the first place.
And frankly another thing that doesn't look quite right is the uniform itself. For most of the officers who wore it, in its incredible assortment of varieties, it featured a stiff wheelhouse cap and an officers overseas cap. The Army here is adopting the wheelhouse cap with the stiffner removed, which looks sharp but which was an Army Air Force thing that went on to be continued by at least the first USAF dress uniforms. After the separation of the Air Force from the Army in the 1940s the Army made fun of the early dress uniform of the Air Force by calling it a "bus driver's uniform, but now the Air Force will have legitimate reasons to be miffed at the Army, particularly as the Army is also going to readopt the A2 flight jacket.******
Beyond that, one thing that the adoption of the uniform really glaringly points out is that World War Two, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and even our current wars, were men's wars, war being and remaining a traditional role of men. There's something almost shocking about seeing the pink & green uniform altered to contemplate pregnancy in a way that the same for the Army Green Uniform or the blue uniform was not surprising to the eye. Or maybe its because there was a period female pink & green uniform that's obviously not been adopted, and I don't blame them for that, which causes a bit of mind bending in the historic throwback category. The updating by the British of their service uniform, which they've retained as a dress uniform for the entire period since World War Two, for women looks absolutely correct, because of its long usage, the same just isn't true of the female variant of the pink & green uniform which hasn't been.
And maybe you can't recapture past glory. You can recall it, but World War Two and the Korean War are over. Readopting the uniform of that period, after so many years have gone by, seems odd. It's much like watching the British celebrate their victories and triumphs of the Second World War. It's poignant, but it seems like maybe its so focused on as nothing very good has happened to them since.
Not that the Army doesn't need a new uniform, although its not replacing the Dress Blue uniform, only augmenting it for daily wear. It does. But something here just isn't working.
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*Khaki is a confused term in American usage. The term was a Hindi one that was picked up by the British with the apparent meaning of "dust". But in British military use it meant a color much like the American Olive Drab.
**The U.S. experimented with uniforms a great deal from 1890 to 1910 or so and there were a lot of changes and varieties of uniforms including some that retained blue for awhile. White is clearly not a suitable uniform for an Army in the field in the smokeless powder era, but it took the Army awhile to catch on to that.
***I don't know what caused the Army to switch from khaki for hot weather to a light olive uniform for the same, but it did.
Regarding the pants, the Army issued breeches and not trousers, having gone to that some time prior. Breeches are associated with equestrians today and because the Army was so horse dependant its not surprising that it would choose breeches as its pants. having said that, not even cavalrymen were issued breeches in the U.S. Army up until the 1890s when the uniform changes started to come in.
Breeches were an extremely common military pant at the time and while they look very awkward now, they served a real purpose. Most armies, the United States Army included, did not issue high boots to infantrymen. As the Army always wanted trousers sealed up for protection from vegetation and insects that meant this had to be done with leggings or puttees. Both of these items are very uncomfortable with trousers but less so with breeches. It's notable that when the Army abandoned breeches for trousers in 1939, save for mounted men, leggings were phased out within a few years thereafter.
****The actual field uniform at the time of the war with Spain was really in a state of flux and most soldiers deployed to Cuba wearing blue wool shirts, cotton duck stable trousers, and cotton duck stable jackets. The stable uniform by that time was died a color that resembles that of the current Carhartt cotton duck. Because of the heat, solders fought stripped down and therefore hardly ever wore the jacket.
The Army had just adopted a new service uniform at the time, however, and the soldiers should have been issued khaki breeches, blue shirts, and a khaki service coat. Most were after they returned to the United States.
*****So I don't go down too many rabbit holes, I'm not going to deal with uniforms that are sort of dead ends in our discussion here. But the Eisenhower jacket came about as Dwight Eisenhower was really impressed with the British Pattern 1939 battle dress, which featured an incredibly high wasted pair of baggy trousers and a short court. His influence caused the short coat to be adopted as a uniform item in the thought that it would serve all purposes, just like it did for the British, pretty much.
Polish volunteers in British battle dress during World War Two.
The problem was that the ship had sailed on that type of uniform already as the Army had adopted the M1943 field jacket. The M1943 field jacket, originally designed for paratroopers, would revolutionize military uniforms in the west and it only recently ceased to be issued, in its modified M-60 pattern, in the U.S. Military (but can still be worn as a private purchase item). After that, there was no way that the Eisenhower jacket was going anywhere as a field uniform.
Contrary to common belief, it didn't really go anywhere as a general issue item during World War Two, but officers started to acquire them ahead of the logistics system, and it became a common officer semi dress item by the end of the war. Shortly after the war the supply system caught up with the average soldier and it became very widely issued. This immediate post war issuance caused the Eisenhower jacket to be associated with the World War Two soldiers, as in the immediate peace time conditions it was a more comfortable item than the Service Uniform, but it never saw field use with the U.S. Army. It was quite popular through the entire period it was issued, however, and was adopted in blue by the USAF. It started to be phased out in the 1950s but servicemen who had acquired one before that were allowed to wear them for a long time, and they accordingly became a coveted item.
When the Army recently decided to adopt the Pink & Green uniform as a current dress uniform, it considered reintroducing the Eisenhower jacket but decided not to, perhaps because of a bad decision it made that's address in a footnote below.
******By which the Army means the A2 flight jacket, which was originally introduced for airmen and which is a current semi dress item for U.S. Air Force officers. The similar Navy pattern of flight jacket from World War Two remains a semi dress item for flyers in the Navy. This will be hugely unpopular with the Air Force and it should be.
American fighter pilots of the 332 Fighter Group being issued escape kits in Italy, 1945. These African American pilots are wearing a mix of uniforms, probably reflecting their length in time of service. The pilot on the left is wearing the classic A2 Flight Jacket with a flight suit underneath it. He's also wearing a wheelhouse cap with the stiffner removed. A pilot immediately behind him has the plastic rain cover on the same type of cap. The other two pilots in the photo are wearing later pattern cloth flight jackets that came into service during World War Two. One wears a garrison cap. One is carrying a M1911 pistol in a shoulder holster. The pilot on the left appears to be carrying one as well that he has not yet fastened. The seated lieutenant isn't an airman and wears a M1943 field jacket with a garrison cap, an allowable practice at the time. He also has his watch on upside down, a practice common to World War Two era combat troops and sailors. An airman in the background wears the sheepskin aviator's cap.
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