"SERVICE UNIFORMS of WORLD WAR II"

General Info

This display entitled "Service Uniforms of World War II" was exhibited at the Niles Public Library as part of their 2011 Memorial Day program. The library stages multiple events each year to honor local veterans and educate the public by exhibiting displays, hosting guest speakers, and having commemorative performances. As a member of the Veterans History Project, the Niles Library offers audio and visual transcripts that document the experiences of local veterans during their time of service. These transcripts can be accessed at the library or online.

Background

The purpose of this display is to give the viewer a general idea of the appearance of the enlisted man's basic service uniform from each of the major branches of service during WWII. Today we rightly think of the major branches of service as separate entities consisting of the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines. However, that wasn't always the case, as it should be noted during WWII the Marine Corps was a department of the Navy, and likewise, the Air Force was a department of the Army. Navy and Marine Corps uniforms were generally different in appearance from one another. Conversely, Army and Army Air Force personnel generally wore the same types of service uniforms. Dress, service, or class A uniforms, as they were known, were worn on many different occasions including on parade, in garrison, and for leave. Being chiefly constructed of medium weight wool, these types of uniforms were meant to be worn in cool weather in temperate climate zones. In keeping with tradition, the design and appearance of Navy and Marine Corps service uniforms changed little during the war. The Army's uniform, on the other hand, changed dramatically as it sought to produce a multipurpose uniform that could be worn for dress occasions or when campaigning in the field.

Service Uniforms

The service uniforms pictured from left to right are Army, Navy, Army Air Force, and Marines. The Army and Army Air Force uniforms are only classified by their insignia because both styles were issued to Army and Army Air force personnel. The following is a brief description of each uniform beginning from the left:

1.) US Army Class A Uniform - consisting of the Olive Drab Serge Wool Service Coat, Light Shade Serge Wool Service Trousers, and Olive Drab Serge Wool Service Cap. This service uniform featured a coat with a lapel collar and four flapped pockets. The trousers were a lighter shade of olive drab to provide contrast to the coat. The cap sported a russet brown leather visor that matched the service shoes. Sometimes the coat was worn with a leather belt that also matched the cap and shoes in color. Although the belt was dropped in 1942 to conserve leather, many service men continued to purchase and wear the belts on their own. The uniform was superseded in 1944 by the more versatile Olive Drab Wool Field Jacket and Field Trousers (Uniform # 3).

2.) US Navy Dress Blue Uniform - consisting of the Dress Blue Jumper, Blue Trousers, and Complete Cap. This uniform was worn with the integral neckerchief, which was tied with a distinctive square knot displayed at mid-chest. Close fitting Navy Jumpers were made in both blue felted kersey for cool weather dress wear, and in white cotton for working in warm climates. Navy service uniforms were perhaps the most distinctive type worn by any of the armed forces. Sailors were instantly recognizable wearing their flapped jumpers, trousers with flared bottoms, and topped with either the blue "Donald Duck" flat cap, or unique white "dixie cup" hat. Adorning the Blue Cap is a gold lettered ribbon that identifies the uniform as United States Navy. The "U.S. Navy" displayed on the cap ribbon was standardized in 1940 for security reasons because prior it had displayed the name of the ship the sailor was serving on. Though the blue wool cap was part of the winter wool uniform shown, the white "dixie cup" hat was most often worn with this Uniform. The Navy had more than one type of dress uniform for enlisted men. The type shown in the display was worn by those below the rank of Chief Petty Officer. Petty officers wore a dress uniform that was similar in appearance to a commissioned officers uniform.

3.) US Army Air Force Wool Field Uniform - consisting of the Olive Drab Wool Field Jacket, Olive Drab shade 33 Serge Wool Field Trousers, and Olive Drab Wool Garrison cap. This Army uniform was intended to be dual purpose by filling roles for both field and dress use. Production of the older Service Coat (Uniform # 1) ceased in 1943 when development of the wool field jacket got under way. Origins of the jacket were the result of repeated requests by the ETO command for a wool jacket more suitable for the European climate; similar in type to what the British wore. Introduced in the spring of 1944, the wool field jacket could provide the desired warmth and utility in the field that the service coat could not.

U.S. Enlisted Men's wool service uniforms of WWII (L-R) Army, Navy, Army Air Force, and Marine Corps.

Note the cloth belt utilized on the Marine Corps service coat (4th from left) that was intended to replace the leather belt. Also, note the Army Air Force "Eisenhower" jacket's (3rd from left) concealed buttons at front and pocket closures; an indication of its dual purpose as a field and dress garment.