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Pre war USAAf dress jacket


nomadr
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Hello,

I'm looking for some info on this new pick up from a local antique shop. I know from a another forum (Wehrmacht-Awards.com Militaria Forum) member that It's a M1937 Army Air Corps jacket. Any more info on it, or period photos I can link it to? Came with everything shown. Patches in the pocket. I placed them where the stitch marks are. DI's and badge are original to the jacket.

 

Bob

post-68859-1326511623.jpg

post-68859-1326511803.jpg

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Hello,

I'm looking for some info on this new pick up from a local antique shop. I know from a another forum (Wehrmacht-Awards.com Militaria Forum) member that It's a M1937 Army Air Corps jacket. Any more info on it, or period photos I can link it to? Came with everything shown. Patches in the pocket. I placed them where the stitch marks are. DI's and badge are original to the jacket.

 

Bob

 

I dunno fellas but this looks like it would be in realty a Infantryman coat, the light blue piping, chevrons. I have no idea that something like this was worn in 45.

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I dunno fellas but this looks like it would be in realty a Infantryman coat, the light blue piping, chevrons. I have no idea that something like this was worn in 45.

 

No, look closer...it's AAF piping, not light blue for infantry. I saw this on the WAF and I don't have anything further to add. This is an extremely rare uniform and there simply isn't much out there about them...hopefully someone smarter than me with the more esoteric uniforms can add more...

 

I think it's gorgeous, personally. If I still collected AAF, I'd be dying to have it in my collection!

 

Dave

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No, look closer...it's AAF piping, not light blue for infantry. I saw this on the WAF and I don't have anything further to add. This is an extremely rare uniform and there simply isn't much out there about them...hopefully someone smarter than me with the more esoteric uniforms can add more...

 

I think it's gorgeous, personally. If I still collected AAF, I'd be dying to have it in my collection!

 

Dave

 

Thanks Dave,Yes, I see it now, it's like the piping on the overseas caps, very hard to tell with this distance, very unusal, I will then take it the Aiguillette ( If this is what its actually called ), is also the intwined Air Corps colours, the colour of the ranks is odd, I see edgeing around them, does any one know if this would be the AC Branch piping as well or plain white or maybe Orange that faded here on this example ? how bout regs in wearing these pre war EM blue uniforms while the war was in process, or even after the war was over ?

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My take on this jacket is that it is a rare and highly desireable pre-WWII dress uniform for the Army Air Forces. As I look at the 3rd AF SSI and the specialty triangle, I think that the insignia has been added to the jacket after it ceased to be worn. It is POSSIBLE that the jacket was worn immediately AFTER WWII (hence the WWII Victory ribbon), but I doubt it was worn in this configuration during the war.

 

This uniform would have really made me drool if it had a pinwheel patch on the shoulder!

 

Allan

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carbinephalen

Not to hijack this tread but you should really post the officer's version SJ! I've never even seen one of these before! Does anybody have an era photo of a veteran wearing one?

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Not to hijack this tread but you should really post the officer's version SJ! I've never even seen one of these before! Does anybody have an era photo of a veteran wearing one?

 

I think I might have added it a couple years ago?! It's the dark blue jacket with snap-on bullion front > back shoulder-boards to a major with USAAF branch colour velvet backing. A dark blue visor with USAAF coloured silk band and light blue pants with USAAF colour stripes down the leg seams. Awesome quality! You can see the visor in the attached pic.

 

post-8022-1326553726.jpg

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I have been frustrated in how hard it is to find orders or regs on the M1936 enlisted dress blues. Apparently theses uniforms were so rarely prescribed that they didn't warrant much official attention. Some seem to have worn collar disk insignia as on the service uniform, while others wore officer-style collar and lapel devices, continuing the pattern used on the M1902 dress blue coat. From National Geographic 1945:

 

post-3982-1317600677.jpg

 

I'd agree that the specialist insignia and SSI were probably personal additions after authorized wear of the blues was suspended. (Edit: Just re-read the OP and see the patches aren't sewn on) Army officialdom has never been crazy about SSI on dress uniforms. It is great to see such a uniform with two-color trim and dress breast cords, and AAC stuff is always a little extra interesting. A real find, thanks for posting!

 

 

Justin B.

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I'd agree that the specialist insignia and SSI were probably personal additions after authorized wear of the blues was suspended. (Edit: Just re-read the OP and see the patches aren't sewn on) Army officialdom has never been crazy about SSI on dress uniforms. It is great to see such a uniform with two-color trim and dress breast cords, and AAC stuff is always a little extra interesting. A real find, thanks for posting!

Justin B.

 

I read that they were placed where they had appear to have been previously sewn. Perhaps the insignia had been sewn to the uniform and then removed after the wearer realized that the insignia should not have been added. I would definitely NOT sew the patches back on if it were my uniform.

 

Allan

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I read that they were placed where they had appear to have been previously sewn. Perhaps the insignia had been sewn to the uniform and then removed after the wearer realized that the insignia should not have been added. I would definitely NOT sew the patches back on if it were my uniform.

 

Allan

 

 

Yeah, now that you mention it, I'm betting the patches were originally on another uniform and added at some later point...maybe a kid going to a halloween party or something. The jacket should be unpatched like the one in the photo above - or at best, have the AAC pinwheel on it. (And yes, Allan, that would look KILLER with a pinwheel!) From the photo though, it appears there are eyelets for the collar disks on the collar, vice the officer type devices...another regulation from somewhere that's probably in one document somewhere in the National Archives (if at all!)

 

This is an extraordinarily rare uniform, FAR rarer than the officer counterparts (as pictured in "More Silver Wings..." - that one used to be mine, BTW) Like I said originally, if I were still an AAF collector, I'd be throwing money to get it in my collection!

 

Dave

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Cobrahistorian

Beautiful uniform, and certainly a rare bird. I've never seen "Cords & Waffles" in AAF colors! Certainly handled my share of Infantry and Artillery ones, but I didn't even know that AAF ones existed. The branch color chevrons are just awesome too!

 

Jon

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Yeah, now that you mention it, I'm betting the patches were originally on another uniform and added at some later point...maybe a kid going to a halloween party or something. The jacket should be unpatched like the one in the photo above - or at best, have the AAC pinwheel on it. (And yes, Allan, that would look KILLER with a pinwheel!) From the photo though, it appears there are eyelets for the collar disks on the collar, vice the officer type devices...another regulation from somewhere that's probably in one document somewhere in the National Archives (if at all!)

 

This is an extraordinarily rare uniform, FAR rarer than the officer counterparts (as pictured in "More Silver Wings..." - that one used to be mine, BTW) Like I said originally, if I were still an AAF collector, I'd be throwing money to get it in my collection!

 

Dave

 

I agree with Allan and Dave here, it has allways been my understanding that shoulder patches where unautherized on the pre war EM and Officers Dress blues. I,ve seen at least 4 photos taken in the 30s in each case no shoulder patches are worn.

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I have been frustrated in how hard it is to find orders or regs on the M1936 enlisted dress blues. Apparently theses uniforms were so rarely prescribed that they didn't warrant much official attention. Some seem to have worn collar disk insignia as on the service uniform, while others wore officer-style collar and lapel devices, continuing the pattern used on the M1902 dress blue coat. From National Geographic 1945:

 

post-3982-1317600677.jpg

 

I'd agree that the specialist insignia and SSI were probably personal additions after authorized wear of the blues was suspended. (Edit: Just re-read the OP and see the patches aren't sewn on) Army officialdom has never been crazy about SSI on dress uniforms. It is great to see such a uniform with two-color trim and dress breast cords, and AAC stuff is always a little extra interesting. A real find, thanks for posting!

Justin B.

 

I would say the wearing of Officers badges on the M1936 Dress blues by Enlistedmen was a source of iritation to the Officers themselves. :lol: but where not this style ( Officers ) worn on the older choker collar Dress blues by Enlistedmen, the one the M1936 replaced, there a photo in Stantons U.S Army Uniforms of WWII, A book I need to buy again as I no longer have it, can some one else look and see ?

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there are many photos on Stanton's guide but not of EM with 1936 version ;)

only officers

 

bluedressvarie.th.jpg

avvocatobluedress.th.jpg

pattern1937eaidegeneral.th.jpg

messdressaidepresident.th.jpg

 

If I can recall there is a Photo of I think a EM of Cavalry where the old Choker collar type, here there was no collar discs worn If I can recall.

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I would say the wearing of Officers badges on the M1936 Dress blues by Enlistedmen was a source of iritation to the Officers themselves. :lol: but where not this style ( Officers ) worn on the older choker collar Dress blues by Enlistedmen, the one the M1936 replaced, there a photo in Stantons U.S Army Uniforms of WWII, A book I need to buy again as I no longer have it, can some one else look and see ?

 

Yes as I said above I believe that some were interpreting the insignia for the M1936 blues as a continuation of the M1902, which used double sets of officer-like collar devices. Other photos (and the uniform above) show the more familiar (to us) disk brass, however, and official word is hard to come by!

 

The Stanton book does have a photo of a cavalry NCO wearing the high-collar blues, which were optional wear inter-war:

post-3982-1326577498.jpg

 

I hate to sound like a throwback, but I feel like the army really lost something cool when it eliminated the BoS colors from the enlisted blues in the '50s.

 

 

 

Justin B.

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Yes as I said above I believe that some were interpreting the insignia for the M1936 blues as a continuation of the M1902, which used double sets of officer-like collar devices. Other photos (and the uniform above) show the more familiar (to us) disk brass, however, and official word is hard to come by!

 

The Stanton book does have a photo of a cavalry NCO wearing the high-collar blues, which were optional wear inter-war:

post-3982-1326577498.jpg

 

I hate to sound like a throwback, but I feel like the army really lost something cool when it eliminated the BoS colors from the enlisted blues in the '50s.

Justin B.

 

These are my thoughts exactly, wanted verification on the lack of collar discs on the Soldier I remembered seeing in Stanton's book. thanks for putting up photo.

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  • 7 years later...
mysteriousoozlefinch

OsVECgf.png

6th Infantry Division again on men showing off enlisted dress blues in 1937. From the Saint Louis Globe-Democrat via the St. Louis Mercantile Library. As patches noted to me, and I believe was noted in this thread, SSI were unauthorized for blues. Under magnification the Staff Sergeant appears to have QM discs; the Corporal and Private have Infantry discs.

https://dl.mospace.umsystem.edu/umsl/islandora/object/umsl%3A247362

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  • 3 weeks later...
OD-Blue-Top

Thank you for posting this photo. I always enjoy seeing new photos documenting the wear of these uniforms. I have a 1902 uniform like those in the photo. Mine is artillery branch with First Sergeant chevrons, four service stripes, artillery collar disk and DUI's worn like in the photo. Mine does not have the shoulder patch. This is the only post war photo that I have seen that pictures the collar disk and unit crest worn in the same configuration that matches the uniform in my collection.

 

Thanks again for posting this picture, it made my day! James

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OD-Blue-Top

I thought I would post a photo of my post war 1902 dress uniform. post-5916-0-63224300-1563570692.jpg

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OD-Blue-Top,

 

I appreciate your posting this uniform here as it is a gorgeous example of the 1902 pattern dress uniform. I think that you would be so much better off starting a new thread with it and adding photos of the insignia etc. rather than throwing this in at the end of an older thread. While appreciated, I think your example is somewhat wasted here. Please start another thread with this uniform.

 

Allan

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