Униформа армии США во Второй мировой войне

Армия Соединенных Штатов во Второй мировой войне использовала различные стандартные и нестандартные формы одежды и боевую форму, которые часто менялись в зависимости от театра войны, климатических условий и потребностей в снабжении.

Униформа мужская [ править ]

Основная служебная форма армии США состояла из зимней служебной формы из шерсти оливкового цвета, которую носили в умеренную погоду, и летней служебной формы из хлопчатобумажной ткани цвета хаки (оттенок желто-коричневого), которую носили в тропическую погоду. В дополнение к служебной униформе, которую носили для обычных служебных и служебных целей, существовала также разнообразная усталостная и боевая униформа. Летняя и зимняя военная форма носили во время соответствующих сезонов в континентальных Соединенных Штатах. Во время войны Европейский театр военных действий (Северо-Западная Европа) считался круглогодичной зоной умеренного климата, а Тихоокеанский театр военных действий - круглогодичной тропической однородной зоной. В Средиземноморском театре военных действий солдаты США были одеты в обе сезонные формы. ^[1]

Военная форма солдатских мужчин [ править ]

Зимняя форма [ править ]

Зимняя униформа для мужчин, зачисленных в армию

Мужская зимняя военная форма солдатской службы в 1941 году состояла из шерстяного саржевого пальто на четырех пуговицах с четырьмя карманами оливково-серого оттенка No. 33 (OD 33), шерстяные брюки и шерстяная рубашка с длинными рукавами оливково-серого оттенка 32 (OD 32). Коричнево-коричневый кожаный ремень с латунной пряжкой носился с пальто до 1941 года, когда он был сброшен в качестве меры по сохранению кожи, при этом были устранены крючки на ремне на пальто. Многие военнослужащие добавляли крючки для ремня к своим пальто и в частном порядке покупали ремни; их часто можно увидеть долгое время после даты увольнения в 1941 году. Рубашки с двумя накладными карманами и без плечевых ремней были либо из шерстяной фланели OD 32, либо из хлопковой ткани чинос цвета хаки.. Под пальто можно было надеть рубашку любого цвета, однако хлопковую рубашку нельзя было носить в качестве верхней одежды с шерстяными брюками, когда пальто не было надето. Первоначальный дизайн рубашки имел воротник-стойку, как у типичной классической рубашки. В 1941 году рубашка была переработана: с воротника убрали полосу, чтобы воротник лежал ровно, когда ее носили без галстука в поле. ^{[2] [3]} В 1944 году цвет рубашки и брюк был изменен на OD 33.

В 1941 году галстук для зимней униформы был из черной шерсти, а летний - из хлопка цвета хаки. ^[4] В феврале 1942 года появился универсальный галстук из мохера и шерсти оливково-серого оттенка №1. 3 (OD 3) заменил оба предыдущих галстука. Галстук OD 3 вскоре был заменен галстуком цвета хаки из смесового хлопка. Галстук цвета хаки был предназначен для ношения как с летней, так и с зимней униформой. ^{[5] [6]} Когда рубашку носили как верхнюю одежду, галстук заправляли между первой и второй открытыми пуговицами рубашки. ^[7]

Летняя форма [ править ]

Летняя военная форма военнослужащего состояла из хлопковой форменной рубашки цвета хаки и подходящих брюк; пальто для этой униформы было прекращено для выдачи рядовым в 1930-х годах. Галстук заправляли между первой и второй открытыми пуговицами рубашки. ^[8] Первоначально использовавшаяся как летняя боевая форма, а также как летняя парадная форма, после вторжения на Филиппины в 1942 году форма цвета хаки была заменена в качестве летней боевой формы на служебную форму из твила в елочку .

Головной убор [ править ]

Фуражка была снята с производства для официального выпуска рядовым солдатам после 1942 года, но оставалась популярным предметом для частных покупок. После этого только гарнизонная фуражка оливкового цвета зимой или цвета хаки летом с окантовкой цвета солдатского рода была назначенным головным убором военнослужащего. Знак отличия солдатского подразделения (DUI) носился на левой передней части занавеса, если подразделение выдавало его. Однако после 1943 года производство новых DUI было приостановлено на время войны. ^[9]

Footwear[edit]

Issue footwear consisted of low quarter russet brown leather cap toe boots. For more on Army footwear see combat uniforms below.

Officer's service uniforms[edit]

Winter uniforms[edit]

The male officer's winter service uniform in 1941 consisted of a four-button, four-pocket coat of finer wool fabric in olive drab shade no. 51 (OD 51), a very dark olive green with brownish hue, nicknamed "greens". The coat was worn with a russet brown leather Sam Browne belt until 1942 when the leather belt was replaced by a cloth belt of matching fabric to the coat. Officers could wear trousers matching the color and fabric of the coat, or optionally they were allowed trousers of a contrasting pale taupe, officially called "drab shade no. 54", of the same material as the coat, nicknamed "pinks", leading to the nickname "pinks and greens" for the combination.^[11] Officers were also authorized to use the more durable OD 33 enlisted uniforms, except for the enlisted men's four pocket service coat, as long as they were not mixed with OD 51 or taupe clothing.^[12]

Officers' shirts, unlike the enlisted shirts, included shoulder straps. Officers had additional shirt color and fabric options. In 1941 officers shirts included cotton or tropical worsted wool khaki shirts that could be worn with either the summer or winter service uniforms and wool shirts in OD 33 or OD 51 with the winter uniform. Additionally, in 1944 shade No. 54 taupe shirts matching the trousers were authorized.^[3] Officers wore black and khaki neckties with winter and summer uniforms respectively, like enlisted soldiers, until after February 1942 when the universal neckties were changed to khaki for all ranks.^[6] As with enlisted men, officers could not wear khaki shirts as an outer garment with the wool trousers. The shirt had to be either the same shade OD as the trousers or OD 51 with the taupe trousers.

Summer uniforms[edit]

Male officer's summer service uniforms usually consisted of a wash-and-wear cotton khaki uniforms like those of enlisted men, the main difference being that the shirts had shoulder straps added. However, for dress purposes officers also had the option of purchasing a khaki summer service uniform of tropical weight suiting fabric. The coat of the uniform was identical in cut to the winter officers' uniform, except the cloth belt of the winter service coat was omitted.^[13]

Headgear[edit]

Officer's headgear for the winter uniform consisted of either an OD 51 peaked service cap with a russet leather visor or a garrison cap matching the OD fabric shade worn. The garrison cap for officers was piped around the curtain with black and gold cord except for general officers whose piping was all gold. The officer's rank insignia was worn on the left front side of the garrison cap. The service cap was also available in khaki tan with a removable top to be worn with the khaki summer uniform. Optionally khaki garrison caps were worn with the summer khaki uniform with the same piping as the winter OD version.

Footwear[edit]

Footwear normally consisted of russet-brown leather Type I (leather-soled) service shoes.

Eisenhower jacket[edit]

During the war in Europe a short jacket was adopted by General Dwight D. Eisenhower as an alternative to the 4 pocket service coat. The "Eisenhower jacket", or "Ike jacket", was popular. It closely resembled the short British Battle Dress jacket that inspired it. However, development and approval by the Army was slow. Except for small runs of jackets made for soldiers in England, the U.S. Army did not provide the jacket as an issue item to enlisted soldiers until the war in Europe was almost over.

There were several versions. Two Ike jackets were manufactured in England and issued to troops in Europe before the jackets were approved Army wide. Both of these were essentially wool versions of the 1941 pattern poplin field jacket.^[14] These jackets were authorized only in the ETO. There were also non-standard conversions made for GIs particularly officers by tailors in the United Kingdom with degrees of variation.

The standard-issue M44 Wool Field Jacket, made of fine-quality OD 33 wool, was originally designed as a liner to be worn under the M1943 combat jacket. While originally intended as a field or combat jacket, it was nearly always reserved for service or dress wear. The M44 ultimately replaced the four button service dress jacket for enlisted troops. However, the full phase-out of the enlisted service coat was only completed after the war was over.^[15]

Wear of insignia and badges[edit]

With the service uniform, the enlisted arm of service insignia was embossed on circular pins, while the officer's insignia was "free work" (i.e., open design with no backing). Officers' arm of service pins ("U.S." for the Regular Army) were worn on the upper lapels and their branch of service pins were worn on their lower lapels. Enlisted men wore the U.S. disk on the right and the branch disk on the left upper lapel. The rank of officers was worn on the outer edge of the shoulder loops whereas enlisted soldiers wore rank chevrons three inches wide points-up on both upper arms. Organizational patches were worn on the left upper shoulder only.

When the coat was worn, no insignia was worn on the shirts except sew-on patches. When the shirt was worn as an outer garment, officers wore pin on insignia on the shirt. Until 1942, the officers' U.S. pin was worn on the right collar point and the officers' branch insignia was worn on the left. The officers' rank was worn on the outer ends of the shoulder loops as on the coat. After September 1942, the U.S. pin was deleted, and the rank of the wearer was displayed on the right collar point.

Distinctive Unit Insignia pins (featuring the unit's coat-of-arms) were worn in the center of the epaulet for officers and on the lower lapels for enlisted men. These devices were relatively uncommon during the war as a metal-conservation measure.

Wound Chevrons (awarded from 1918 to 1932 for wounds in combat) were worn on the lower right sleeve between the cuff and the elbow. Service stripes, or "hash marks", (awarded for every 3 years of service) were worn on the lower left sleeve. World War I Overseas Chevrons (created 1918) and/or World War II Overseas Bars (created 1944) (awarded for each six months combat service overseas) were worn on the lower left sleeve between the elbow and lower sleeve, but above the Service Stripes. The World War II Bars were worn over the World War I Chevrons. After 1953 the Service Stripes were kept on the lower left sleeve and the Overseas Service Stripes were moved to the lower right sleeve.

Parachutist's Wings, Pilot's Wings, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Combat Infantryman Badge, or the Combat Medical Badge were worn above the left pocket. Discharged soldiers returning home wore the embroidered Honorable Discharge Emblem (or "Ruptured duck") on the uniform over the right pocket on a diamond-shaped olive drab cloth backing. American and foreign medals or medal ribbons were worn above the left pocket. American and foreign Unit citation ribbons are worn over the right top tunic pocket. The Meritorious Unit Commendation patch (created 1944), awarded to a unit for at least six months of exemplary combat service or combat support, is worn on the lower right sleeve above the cuff and below the Wound Chevrons.

Women's service uniforms[edit]

Female members of the U.S. Army during WWII were assigned to either the Army Nurse Corps (ANC) or the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC/WAC). The ANC preceded the WAAC/WAC so the two branches had separate uniform distinctions.

Army Nurse Corps uniforms[edit]

Prior to 1943, the ANC winter service uniform consisted of the ANC pattern dark blue cap or garrison cap with maroon piping, suit jacket with maroon cuff braid and gold army buttons, light blue or white shirt, black tie and light blue skirt; shoes were black or white. The ANC summer service uniform consisted of a similar suit in beige with maroon shoulder strap piping and cuff braid, beige ANC cap or beige garrison cap with maroon piping, white shirt, and black four-in-hand tie. During World War II the first flight nurses uniform consisted of a blue wool battle dress jacket, blue wool trousers and a blue wool men's style maroon piped garrison cap. The uniform was worn with either the ANC light blue or white shirt and black tie. After 1943 the ANC adopted olive drab service uniforms similar to the newly formed WAC. Nurses wore Army hospital whites on ward duty.^[16]

WAAC and WAC Uniforms[edit]

In May 1942 Congress approved the creation of the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps.^[17] Although the ANC were actual service members of the U.S. Army, the members of the WAAC were not, so they wore Army style uniforms with distinctly different insignia than U.S. Army service members. In the summer of 1943 the WAAC was converted to the Women's Army Corps (WAC). From that point the WAC were U.S. Army service members and their insignia was changed to that of the regular army.^[18]

Female service dress went through an evolution of patterns over the course of the war years, however throughout the period the service uniforms both summer and winter generally consisted of the WAC pattern "Hobby" hat or women's garrison cap, a women's suit coat, shirtwaist, four-in-hand tie, skirt, russet leather women's service shoes and hand bag. The women's olive drab wool "Ike jacket" was also worn as were women's service trousers. The colors essentially mirrored those of their male counterparts of corresponding rank in the equivalent service uniform although fabrics differed. There were also special off-duty dresses of summer beige and winter tan.

After the WAC were established the ANC adopted the WAC officer's uniforms, except for the ANC pattern hat and the ANC pattern handbag. However, those items were changed to olive drab and russet leather respectively. The ANC off duty dress was a separate ANC pattern in olive drab shade 51 or beige. The previous ANC beige summer service uniform with maroon trim was retained except that the tie was changed to maroon.^[19]

Combat and utility uniform[edit]

The U.S. Army during the inter-war period followed the previous model of having a standard uniform that combined elements of both the service uniform and field uniform. By combining the uniforms, it was thought that time and money could be saved. The temperate climate field configuration consisted of the olive drab wool trousers, shirt, and russet brown shoes from the service uniform worn with canvas leggings, helmet and web gear. An outer jacket or coat, either the Model 1938 "Overcoat, Mackinaw, Roll Collar" or the M1941 Field Jacket, nicknamed the "Parson jacket" after its designer, in OD 3 was issued. At the outset of the war, the khaki cotton summer uniform was intended to serve as a tropical climate field uniform.

In the European Theater of Operations, the basic wool uniform saw the most use and had the greatest functionality, being able to keep the soldier warm in the winter with its insulation and relatively cool and breathable in Northern European summer weather. However, the M-1941 field jacket received considerable criticism; it was poorly insulated and the light cotton shell provided little protection from wind or rain. In addition, the light OD 3 coloring was deemed inappropriate for use in northern Europe, as it stood out against most backdrops, making soldiers more visible targets.

Herringbone twill uniform[edit]

Additionally, a fatigue-duty uniform made of 8.2-ounce heavy cotton herringbone twill (HBT) cloth was issued. The uniform consisted of a shirt, trousers, and a hat. Initially, this was a circular-brimmed "clamdigger"-style hat which was later replaced by a billed cap that was based on a design used by railroad workers. It was intended to be worn over the basic wool or cotton uniforms to provide protection during fatigue duties, but it proved to be much better material than the primary wool uniform for hot weather, as so it saw use as a combat uniform in nearly all of the major theaters of combat in which the US was involved.^[20]

The original 1941 version came in a light sage green color that faded with repeated washing. The later 1943 version had small changes in tailoring and came in a darker olive drab shade No. 7, matching the new M-1943 version of the field jacket.

The M-1943 field uniform[edit]

The M-1943 uniform came into service in the later half of World War II. The uniform was designed as a layered system, meant to be worn over the wool shirt and trousers, and in conjunction with a wool sweater and liners in colder weather.

The most recognizable part of the uniform is the standardized M-1943 field jacket. It was longer than the earlier 1941 field jacket, coming down to the upper thighs. It was made of windproof cotton sateen and was issued in a new darker olive drab color, OD 7. The jacket also had a detachable hood, drawstring waist, two large breast pockets, and two lower skirt pockets.

The trousers were made out of the same OD 7 cotton sateen material and white cotton twill inner lining, and were equipped with both front and rear pockets. They also had buttoned tabs at the waist in order to cinch the waist. For airborne troops, treated canvas cargo pockets were added to the trousers.

In the ETO, initial issuance of the M-1943 was slowed as a consequence of opposition by some U.S. commanders. However, as U.S. and Allied troops pushed into Germany, more M-1943 uniforms or components of the uniform were issued as the supply situation (including replacements directly from stateside arrived) and the weather became harsher as winter arrived.

In use, the M-1943 was very popular with the men in the field, being relatively comfortable and having large amounts of pocket space.

Experimental tropical uniform[edit]

In 1943, after extensive testing in the swamplands and jungles of Florida and Panama, the U.S. Army determined that an experimental tropical uniform made of Byrd Cloth (known in Britain as Grenfell Cloth), would best protect soldiers from insects and disease while cooling the body and minimizing losses from perspiration.^[21] Byrd Cloth, as used in the Experimental Tropical Uniform, was a single-layer uniform of untreated OD long-staple Egyptian cotton, made in a tightly woven herringbone twill to prevent mosquito bites. In use, the uniform was intended to cool the wearer even when continuously wetted, as might be expected in a humid, rainy jungle environment.^[21] The uniform featured a short-tailed shirt, trousers with cuffs fitted with half-inch boottop fastening tapes, and a flap-protected fly to keep out crawling insects such as leeches, ticks, and chiggers.^[21][22] Pockets were shallow and kept to a minimum to increase cooling; users carried all their gear in load-bearing belts, suspenders, or in low-mounted field packs designed to minimize body contact (jungle packs). The uniform, always in short supply because of a shortage of Byrd Cloth, was used in combat by members of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)^[23] and the Mars Task Force (Army 5332nd Brigade-Provisional) in Burma.^[24][25][26]

Because of the shortage of suitable weaving machines and resultant cost of weaving Byrd Cloth, a less expensive 5-ounce OD cotton poplin shirt and trouser were issued on an experimental basis in 1944 for use in jungle and tropical regions; while reports were favorable, existing HBT stockpiles were deemed adequate, and the uniform was not adopted.^[22]

Women's fatigue uniforms[edit]

Nurses wore Army hospital whites on ward duty although a seersucker version with brown and white stripes was created because the whites were hard to maintain in some overseas areas. This dress was inspired by a WAC seersucker version the same color. Sage green fatigue uniforms of herringbone cotton twill for women, along with women's combat boots, field jackets and flight clothing, were manufactured by the U.S. Army during World War II. However, when women's versions of these items were not available, as was often the case in overseas areas, men's issue work/fatigue clothing was used instead.^[27] The M1942 HBT "clamdigger" utility hat was used extensively by the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. They wore it with the back of the brim flipped up and the front of the brim pulled down and nicknamed it the "Daisy Mae Cap". It replaced the WAACs' distinctive "Hobby Hat" kepi for field use and fatigue duties.

Footwear[edit]

Army combat footwear in World War II originally consisted of a basic tanned leather shoe, used with heavy canvas leggings, the "Shoes, Service, Composition Sole", or "Type I Service Shoe". This was an ankle-high field shoe made of tanned leather in a dark reddish-brown or russet color, originally with leather soles. The sole was changed to a rubber composition after 1940 and designated as the "Type II Service Shoe". Soon after the US entry into the war these shoes, which were also used as part of the dress uniform, were replaced with a "roughout" field shoe designated the "Type III Service Shoe," essentially identical to the Type II shoe but made from leather uppers that were flesh-side out. The Marine Corps used a version of these shoes similar in appearance, that were commonly referred to as "boondockers". In November 1943, the Type II and III service shoes were in turn replaced by a boot, the "Composition Sole Combat Service Boot," or "two-buckle boot". This boot had a permanently-attached two-buckled leather cuff which was designed to replace the unpopular canvas leggings. The sole was made of synthetic or reclaimed rubber. Due to supply issues, soldiers can be seen wearing both the service shoes with the leggings and the newer combat boot.

Specialized combat footwear[edit]

A rubber-soled, canvas-top Jungle boot was issued during the war for use by soldiers in the tropical and jungle environments typically encountered in the China-Burma-India (CBI) and the Pacific theaters. The 10th Mountain Division's troopers occasionally wore the Mountain Boot, a low-quarter brown leather boot with a square toe and rocker-type sole, though this boot was phased out in favor of the Type III Combat Boot in the last year of the war. In 1944, the M-44 Combat Boot, a high-top leather boot with full laces was adopted for service, but for the duration it was primarily worn by soldiers on stateside duty.

Parachute troops beginning in 1942 were issued Jump boots – high-lacing rubber-soled leather boots which were intended to provide additional ankle support when landing by parachute. Although these boots were to be replaced by the new M43 combat boots, jump boots continued to be worn throughout the war. Nicknamed "Corcorans", from the name of the first contractor to manufacture them, they have become a status symbol as the footwear of paratroopers and Rangers.

Overshoes were normally issued to Army units during winter operations. In January 1945, some Army units operating in the ETO received shoepacs for wet winter wear. The shoepac was a leather boot with rubberized lower top and sole, worn in conjunction with the wool ski sock. While it was effective in keeping feet protected from soaking and freezing ground, the shoepac lacked foot support and tended to wear quickly; it also resulted in incidents of foot injuries when a soldier wearing shoepacs on a march in freezing weather stopped to rest, allowing perspiration-soaked socks inside the boot to freeze.^[28]

See also[edit]

• Uniforms of the United States Army
• Uniforms of the United States Marine Corps
• History of the United States Army
• United States Army enlisted rank insignia of World War II

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Military Uniforms Color Catalog Life Magazine, May 19, 1941
• World War II Living History and Reenacting Information
• 90th Infantry Division Preservation Group Uniform and Equipment Section