U.S. Army Men's Trousers
Trousers, Enlisted Men's, Service, Olive Drab
Specification QMC 8-83 Dated 7 April 1930
(For Specification QMC 8-83B)
| Procuring Agencies | Functional Use |
Allowances & Purchases Zone of Interior |
Allowances & Purchases Theater of Operations |
Major Variants |
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War Department: Philadelphia Quatermaster Depot for US Army and Civilian Conservation Corps use. |
All Types:
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Enlisted Men (Dismounted):
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Combat Zone: Enlisted Men:
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| Key Visual ID's | Primary Materials | Color | Fasteners | Labeling |
All Types:
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Various Types:
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Olive-Drab Shade 32 "Light Shade":
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Buttons (5 total):
Buttons (6 total):
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Size Label - one or more of the following:
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| Treatments | Est. Procurement Life | Preceded By | Replaced By | Companion Garments |
| Special or regular trousers could be impregnated with a chemical solution to provide protection against vesicant gas vapor and droplets. Such treated garments were authorized for issue to troops in theater of operations at the discretion of the theater commander. Treated clothing was re-classified as Protective and had its own specified stock number identifiers and storage and handling requirements within the Army's Class II supply system. |
Trousers, Wool, Serge, Olive-Drab Light Shade:
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Trousers, Service, Olive Drab, Enlisted Men's: Specification QMC 8-83A dated 27 March 1933. |
Trousers, Wool, Serge, Special, Olive-Drab Light Shade: Specification PQD 353 dated 17 April 1943. |
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There were probably more types of trousers issued for the American soldier during WW2 than any other kind of garment. This is particularly the case with wool trousers worn by the enlisted man. No less than eight different specifications for enlisted men's wool service and field trousers were let during the period just before and immediately after the war. Furthermore, several different types often existed within a specification. And, on top of that, there were pattern changes within some types. Like most garments during this time, trousers were under constant development to improve fit and function. Once trousers were fully integrated into the Army, the process of incremental improvement came into play resulting in a lineage of different types as the design evolved to meet the physical needs of the soldier, as well as the demands of war. Throughout WW2, enlisted man's wool trousers were utilized as a dress garment to be worn with the winter service uniform and as a field garment to be worn with the winter field uniform. However, development and production of wool trousers can be broken into two major types: one being wool service trousers procured from 1937 to mid-1943, and wool field trousers procured from mid-1943 through the end of the war. In 1941, 1942, and again in 1943 the pattern of the service trousers was made larger to make them more comfortable for field work. The wool service trouser, in its final form, was quite baggy and easily distinguishable from the earliest models that provided a neat compliment to the form hugging service coat. Wool trousers were re-designed in mid-1943 to be primarily a field garment and were re-classified as such by thereafter including the word Field in the nomenclature. Field trousers retained the looser fit of the later service trousers, took on a darker color, and had a variety of other features designed to make them more efficient field garments. What follows below is a convenient list of the major types of wool service and wool field trousers worn by the enlisted man during WW2. The first bullets list the major specifications for trousers issued during the pre-war, war, and immediate post-war years followed by a sub-set of bullets that list the important types that were produced within each specification:
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Of the many variations of wool trousers that were produced during WW2, the most heavily produced and the most frequently encountered to this day are the light shade regular and light shade special trousers made under specification 8-83B. In totality, wool trouser production during the War was very heavy and unissued or unworn examples remain relatively easy to find to this day. A number of different stock number ranges were allocated throughout the wool trouser production cycle. Each time a significant change occurred to the trousers, a unique stock number series was assigned for identification purposes in the supply system. New sock numbers could be assigned when a new type was introduced, a new material or color was used, or a significant change to the pattern occurred. Stock number changes can be noted on the contractor label and is a helpful way to identify the major types that were produced. Army Regulations prescribed that officers were to wear their dark shade elastique trousers in the field. However, as an alternative, officers were able to purchase standard issue enlisted men's wool trousers from the Quartermaster. Use of standard wool trousers by officers was strictly limited to the field, whereas their dark elastique trousers were also used with the service uniform. In addition to trousers, there were a limited number of other enlisted men's clothing items that could be purchased by officers for field use, such as flannel shirts (shoulder loops had to be added) and service shoes. On occasion officers acquired light shade olive drab 32 trousers and had them dyed dark shade olive drab 51, which was the regulation color for their service uniform. These dyed trousers occasionally turn up in the wardrobe of WW2 era officers. In early 1945, a wool field uniform common to both officers and enlisted men was adopted, which helped to simplify the variety of garments being worn in the field. At the time of separation, enlisted men were permitted to keep what amounted to one complete winter service uniform and one complete summer service uniform. Army regulations stipulated that in order to retain these items individuals had to be placed on inactive duty status or receive an honorable discharge. Because wool trousers were part of the winter service uniform that enlisted men retained upon discharge, they have among the highest survivability rate of any WW2 garment. Interestingly, many more wool service trousers have survived to this day than have cotton khaki trousers. Service trousers and other woolen garments from the WW2 era have been stored away for seven decades now and at some point over that time many have been subjected to pest damage. Often referred to "moth damage", this appears as a series of small holes or surface tracks in the material. Damage can be localized or spread throughout the garment and is the result of poor storage practices. Woolen garments, like the service trousers, are highly susceptible to pest damage. Pests that can damage or destroy woolen garments are numerous in type and do not just include moths. Clothes moths were once the scourge of closets and wardrobes during the era of wool and silk garments. Though the dreaded clothes moth still exists, they are far less common in this era of synthetic fabrics. In fact, today other types of common pests are far more likely to cause damage to natural fiber garments. Some of these types of pests to be aware of include roaches, silverfish, and carpet beetles. Additionally, vermin such as mice are also attracted to and chew on natural fibers as well. Dirty garments are more attractive to vermin. Fabric contaminated with sweat, body oils, and food stains draw vermin in because these substances provide the extra sustenance they need for a successful existence. For those who plan to collect or keep garments from the WW2 era, diligent care should be taken to keep them clean and away from areas where any potential pests may reside. |