US Marine Corps Vests

Vests, Alpaca, Pile Lined
&
Vests, Alpaca, Pile Lined (Marine Corps Women's Reserve)

Front and back views of the split hem alpaca pile vest adopted by the Marine Corps during WW2. There were three versions of the USMC vest ‐ one with a button‐up front, one with a zip‐up front and split hem, and one with a zip-up front and solid hem. The vest pictured here is believed to be the second type issued.
 

Quick Reference Guide For USMC Pile Lined Alpaca Vest

Description Purpose Important Dates Production & Procurement
Men's:

A sleeveless vest as shown made of olive-drab wind and water‐resistant cotton poplin and lined on the inside with alpaca pile. The front consists of left and right halves made of the same materials and joined together in the middle with a slide fastener, a one‐piece back made of the same materials joined to the front pieces at the sides and shoulders. The garment does not have pockets. Early vests have a five button front and a split hem at the side seams.

Women's:

Same as above but with shaping darts on the front shoulders, front waist, and rear waist. 		A cold climate garment issued to men engaged in jobs requiring moderate to heavy physical activity where a parka or other heavily layered clothing would inhibit movement of the upper body and arms. Issued in lieu of a sweater, the vest could be worn under the field jacket, winter coat, or parka for added warmth but was also worn as an exterior garment in milder weather. The vest was worn with a variety of field uniforms, and occasionally with the winter service uniform in lieu of the service coat.
  • 1942 - Marine Corps Specification for Cloth, Alpaca, Pile, 14.50 oz. Per Sq. Yd. (National Directory of Commodity Specifications, 1945).
  • April 1942 - Earliest USMC contract date for alpaca vests appearing in Alphabetical Listing of Major War Supply Contracts, 1946.
  • 1944 - Marine Corps specification for Vest, Alpaca Lined (National Directory of Commodity Specifications, 1947).
  • 1944 - Marine Corps specification date for Vest, Alpaca Lined, Marine Corps Women's Reserve. (National Directory of Commodity Specifications, 1945).
  • 27 October 1944 - Alpaca vest first appears in the USMC Price List of Clothing, etc. as a standard issue article of clothing.
Procurement Station:

  • The Quartermaster General of the Marine Corps, U.S.M.C. Washington, D.C.
    (Contracting Office No. N0m)

Known Contractors & Contract Award Dates:

  • Oldin‐Dennis Inc., New York, NY.
    N0m:
    33254 ‐ February 1942.
    34582 ‐ April 1942.
    45967 ‐ August 1944.
    46874 ‐ December 1944.
    48078 ‐ April 1945.
Distinctive Features
 Fabrics & Fasteners Labeling Types & Variants
For known Marine Corps issued types:

Men's:

  • Type Ⅰ
    • Cotton poplin shell.
    • Full alpaca pile lining.
    • Five button front.
    • Hanger loop.
    • No pockets or adjustment tabs.
  • Type Ⅱ
    • Zipper front.
    • Split hem at each side seam.
  • Type Ⅲ
    • Zipper front.
    • Solid hem.

Women's:

  • Same as Type Ⅲ above except with shaping darts on the front shoulders and front and rear waist.
Shell Fabric:

  • 5‐ounce wind‐resistant & water‐repellent cotton poplin, olive‐drab shade 2.
  • 5‐ounce wind‐resistant & water‐repellent cotton poplin, olive‐drab shade 7.

Lining Fabric;

  • 14.50‐ounce alpaca pile cloth.

Buttons:

  • Early vests were made with a five‐button front. Currently, the button size is undocumented.

Slide Fasteners:

  • Most vests are equipped with a front opening slide fastener made from nickel, brass, or steel alloy. Confirmed makers include Conmar and Talon.
Contractor Label:

Currently, no labels or stampings displaying a Marine Corps issued contract number have been observed on the types of vests shown here or on any other known variant of the alpaca vest.

Size Label:

A small cloth label showing the chest size was attached on or near the hanging loop. This label was fragile, falling off easily, and is thus missing from most remaining examples.

Commercial:

  • Some alpaca vests have an Oldin‐Dennis Sportswear label with company logo below the hanging loop. This type of label would be contrary to military labeling protocol, so it is likely that these vests were made for the commericial market. To date, none of these vests have been attributed to military veterans. Additionally, these vests tend to exhibit features not found on military examples, such as pockets, extended backs, buttons, and tightening tabs.
  • Some examples of the alpaca vest have a cloth label stating:

    "Alpaca‐Wool Pile, A Timme Tuft, Reg. US PAT. OFF."

    or

    "DEMOTEX‐ED, MOTHS WILL NOT DAMAGE, A TIMME TUFT."

    These labels are attached below the hanging loop. And though unusual, they have been observed on vests attributed to Marine Corps veterans. E. F. Timme & Son made alpaca pile fabric for the Marine Corps during WW2. Demotex‐ed was a trade name for a moth proofing compound that was applied to the pile fabric.
Verified USMC issue variants:

Men's

  1. Five‐button front, olive‐drab shade 2 shell. Period photos show use in WW2 & Korean War.
  2. Zipper front, split hem at both side seams, no pockets, O.D. shade 2 shell, size label near hanging loop. Period photos show use in WW2 & Korean War.
  3. Same as # 2 above except split hem is eliminated, Olive‐drab shade 2 or 7 shell. Period photos show use in WW2 & Korean War.

Women's:

  1. Zipper front, shaping darts on front and back, no pockets, size label near hanging loop, O.D. shade 2 or 7 shell.

Modified & Commercial Variants:

  1. Front and back of vest are the same length, 5‐button front, patch pockets with button‐through flaps, O.D. shade 2 shell. This is believed to be a field modified variant of the first pattern vest.
  2. Front and back of vest are the same length, split hem at both side seams, zipper front, large patch pockets, DEMOTEX‐ED label, size label, O.D. shade 2 shell. This is believed to be a field modified variant of the second pattern vest.
  3. Back bottom half is extended approx. 3 inches below front, 6‐button front, small horizontal slit pockets on each side, no labels, light colored pile, O.D. shade 2 shell. This is a commercial variant ‐ see the Sears ad in slide #10 in the presentation above.
Integral Garments
& Equipment 		Insignia & Markings Lineage Inter‐Service Use
& Equivalents
Vests were often worn under the following garments:


The vest was often issued in conjunction with the following garment, especially in post‐war China:

 Insignia:

  • None observed.

Markings:

  • Tactical ‐ sometimes on rear.
  • Unit ‐ sometimes on rear.
  • Name ‐ sometimes on rear or on front, left breast.
Preceded By:

Unknown.

Superseded By:

  • Sweater, Highneck ‐ Specification PQD 111G, dated 22 October 1945.
  • Jackets, Field, MQ‐1.
  • Jackets, Field, M‐1950.
Inter-Service Use:

Army:
Photographic evidence shows the use of alpaca vests by Army ground troops in WW2 and Korea. Currently no official documents have been located that show Army procurement of these vests or that the garment was ever a standard issue item. It remains unknown how Army personnel came into possession of these vests.

Air Force:
Photographic evidence shows the use of alpaca vests by personnel of the Army Air Force during WW2 and the US Air Force during the Korean War. Currently no official documents have been located that show Air Force procurement of the alpaca vest or that it was ever a standard issue item. It remains unknown how Air Force personnel came into possession of these vests.

Equivalents:

Army:

  • Sweater, Sleeveless ‐ Specification dated 11 October 1940 & PQD 111B, dated 11 April 1942.
  • Jacket, Field, Pile, Olive‐drab ‐ Specification PQD 368A, dated 30 June 1943.

Army Air Force:

  • Vest, Flying, Winter, Type C‐3.

Navy:

  • Sweater, Winter, N‐1; Specification 55‐S‐24 (1943).
Allowances & Purchases Theaters & Campaigns Comments References &
Further Reading
Aviation Ground Personnel (Organizational property):

  • Letter of Instruction No. 961, Special Clothing, Allowances and Issue, 21 February 1945.
    • Outfit, Clothing, Winter (Continental US): Vest, Alpaca‐Lined ‐ issue not to exceed 30% of personnel.

Aviation Ground Personnel (Individual allowance):

  • Letter of Instruction No. 961, Special Clothing, Allowances and Issue, 21 February 1945.
    • Outfit, Clothing, Winter (Theater of Operations): 1 Vest, Alpaca‐Lined per man.

Officers (Individual basis by established allowances):

  • Letter of Instruction No. 1260, Special Clothing, 19 April 1946.
    • Special Cold Weather Clothing Issue: 1 Vest, Alpaca‐Lined per officer.
 Marine Corps use of the alpaca vest has been confirmed in following instances:

  • Worn by the First Marine Division when billeted in Australia (1943).
  • Worn by the First Marine Division during occupation of Northern China (1945‐49).
  • Worn during the occupation of Japan (1945‐49).
  • Worn in various campaigns during the Korean War (1950‐53).
Adoption of the Alpaca Vest

Uncertainty remains around the date the USMC adopted the alpaca vest. This is primarily because The National Directory of Commodity Specifications published in 1947 shows the adoption date as 1944. The entry is not shown as a revision to an existing specification but as an adoption date. Similarly, the 1945 edition shows 1944 as the adoption date for the women's vest. The 1944 date coincides with the vest's first appearance in the Marine Corps Price List of Clothing, Etc., dated 30 October 1944. However, the Alphabetical Listing of Major War Supply Contracts, published in 1946, shows the Marine Corps procured these vests as early as February 1942 from the manufacturer Oldin‐Dennis, Inc. of New York City whose labels sometimes appear on these garments. Additionally, this publication shows the Marine Corps contracted for the manufacture of alpaca fabric from E. F. Timme & Son's of New York City as early as February 1942. Lastly, The National Directory of Commodity Specifications, published in 1945, shows the Marine Corps issued a specification for 14.50‐ounce alpaca pile cloth dated 1942. National Archive photos show Marines wearing the alpaca vest in Australia as early as July 1943. Perhaps the alpaca vest was officially standardized by the Marine Corps in 1944, but what is certain is that it was procured and issued before 1944.
  • Marine Corps Order No. 199, Marine Corps Price List Of Clothing, Etc., U.S. Marine Corps, Washington, 30 October 1944.
  • Marine Corps Letter of Instruction No. 961. Special Clothing, Allowances and Issues. Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, Washington, D.C., 21 February 1945.
  • Marine Corps Letter of Instruction No. 1260. Clothing, Special. Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps. Washington, D.C., 19 April 1946.
  • (Unaccredited). Alphabetical Listing of Major War Supply Contracts. (Culmulative June 1940 Through September 1945). Civilian Production Administration, Industrial Statistics Division. 1947.
  • United States Department of Commerce & National Bureau of Standards. National Directory of Commodity Specifications. National Bureau of Standards, Publication M178. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, 1945.
  • United States Department of Commerce & National Bureau of Standards. National Directory of Commodity Specifications. National Bureau of Standards, Supplement to Miscellaneous Publication M178. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, 1947.
Comments Continued Comments Continued Comments Continued References Continued
Three Different Types of USMC Vests

Photographic evidence shows three basic types of alpaca vests were worn by Marine Corps personnel. The first has a button-up front that is believed to be the earliest. The second has a zip‐up front with splits in the hem at each hip. To date, the second type has only been observed in olive‐drab light shade. Additionally, the split hem vest has been seen in photos dated to July 1943. Last was a zip‐up vest with a solid hem where the poplin shell was made in both light and dark shade olive‐drab. 		Organizational & Individual Use

The alpaca vest was issued both as organizational property and as an individual allowance. In keeping with Navy practice, specialized clothing & equipment such as winter parkas & steel helmets were often allotted to a unit as a percentage of its personnel strength. This was known as organizational property and meant that the items belonged to the organization rather than the individual and were to be turned in when not in use. This ensured there was always a ready supply of certain specialized items available for use within the unit. In the case of stateside USMC aviation ground personnel, the alpaca vest was issued as organizational property and is described as such in Marine Corps Letter of Instruction circulars published between 1945 and 1946. 		Organizational & Individual Use Continued

This would help explain why many existing vests show signs of being used by multiple individuals. For Marine personnel deployed overseas in regions having a cold season, the vest was issued as an individual allowance. This meant that each Marine received a vest, and it was regarded as a required clothing item. It is worth noting that in the Marine Corps Letter of Instruction outlining issue procedures for the vest to personnel assigned to aviation ground units, the vest is described as specialized winter clothing thus relegating it to organization property status. But, in other documents, like the Marine Corps Price List of Clothing, etc., the vest is regarded as a standard issue clothing item.
  • Bob Hudson, et al. OD Alpaca-lined USMC Vests. U.S. Militaria Forum, Posts 1 to 97, 14 June 2007 to 30 January 2021.
    www.usmilitariaforum.com
    /forums/index.php?
    /topic/6310-od-alpaca-lined-usmc-vests/
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