US Army Table of Equipment No. 21 Dated 15 December 1943
(80 Pages)

About T/E 21

The Table of Equipment was a periodic document that contained the guidelines for the requisition and issue of various articles of clothing. It provided quick reference charts for the type and quantity of clothing and equipment to be issued to enlisted men and women stationed in either the zone of interior (continental US), or were to travel to a designated theater of operations (overseas). These same charts were included for officers, but were divided between what was to be issued at government expense and what the officer was required to purchase. Clothing issues were categorized by various climatic regions to ensure soldiers were dressed appropriately for the weather they were to encounter. In addition to climatic region, charts were also included for specialized occupations, such as parachute and glider troops, and also unusual environments, such as mountainous regions, jungles, etc. Alternative items were also listed should a standard item not be available for issue.

Given that the tables of equipment were published on a periodic basis they provide the researcher with a time frame in which particular models of clothing were used. They also help us understand to whom and under what circumstances various types of clothing were issued giving additional insight to the nature and purpose of their designs. At the time of publication the items listed within the T/E 21 were, in general, to be available for requisition and issue, giving a better understanding of the time frame between development, procurement, and actual use. For example, note that components of the universal combat uniform (M-1943 Field Jacket, etc.), in which procurement began at the end of July 1943, appears in this T/E 21, dated 15 Dec. 1943, as standard issue items. And that the many articles of clothing that the universal combat uniform replaced, such as the winter combat jacket, arctic field jacket, parachute jumper coat, etc., are now listed as limited standard alternatives.