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What happened to uniforms from KIA's in ww2?


Normandy1944
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Normandy1944

I have an ike jacket from a 29th soldier.

There's a name written inside.

When I searched this name on the 29th rosters, I found out that it belonged to a 19 year old private who was killed on D-day.

The rank insignia are those from a technical sergeant.

 

I was wondering if combat and dress uniforms were reissued after someone got killed.

 

Can someone help me and tell me more about this question?

I really want to know if this happened, so I could do some more research.

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I knew a GI who worked in a depot in NJ if I remember right, all he did was go thrugh deceased soldiers clothing to be reissued. You should have seen the patches he had. That is most likely where you uniform came from, or at least a place like that. I have also seen piles of uniforms and gear in pictures from near the front lines that the GI's were going through for replacement clothes.

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You have an amazing uniform coat if that is correct. I do know that personal objects were sent home if man was KIA. But as Terry points out, some uniforms were recycled. Regardless, to be killed at 19 with his whole life ahead of him should be a reminder of the ultimate sacrifice he made for us all.

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Normandy1944

Thanks for the answers.

 

When I told my dad about this uniform and the soldier who wore it, he started crying and he said that we will head to Normandy in 2014 to visit the grave from this soldier.

I am 20 years old, it touches me deeply to see that people gave their lives for our freedom.

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Enlisted soldiers were issued just about everything they could need by the Army. When they were KIA/ MIA, etc, all of those items were put back into circulation, as mentioned above. By contrast, officers were expected to purchase all of their clothing and accessories. As a result, their belongings were shipped almost in their entirety back to their next of kin. The IDPFs will back this up.

 

Kyle

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Thanks for the answers.

 

When I told my dad about this uniform and the soldier who wore it, he started crying and he said that we will head to Normandy in 2014 to visit the grave from this soldier.

I am 20 years old, it touches me deeply to see that people gave their lives for our freedom.

 

 

I agree, I have the same emotional response as well. My best to you and your family. No doubt your father sees that young man in you and it would be difficult not to become emotional as a result. You begin to realize that these are more than collectible objects, they are our link to the men who saved the world from facism.

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Don't want to be the nay-sayer here, but if this is an Ike jacket as you say, I would sure want to take a good look at the label inside the jacket. June 1944 is actually a fairly early date for US made Ike jackets, so my question would be, how would a soldier killed in Normandy have been issued an Ike jacket?

 

Sorry, but when dealing with all of the fakers out there these days, I would want to dot all of the i's and cross all of the t's.

 

To answer the original question- clothing worn by soldiers when killed were typically left on the bodies and interred with the soldier. Articles of clothing with blood, holes etc. would typically be destroyed. With enlisted dress uniforms left behind prior to combat, these could be stripped and reissued for enlisted ranks or sent to a renovation unit for field repairs, assessment and final decision as to whether or not the uniform article was serviceable, combat serviceable, or used as repair material for other articles of clothing. As dress uniforms for officers were private purchase items, these would be repatriated back to the families.

 

Allan

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I have an Ike jacket the label of which is dated JUNE 6, 1944. I have also seen others with this date. It simply means that the contract was awarded on that date. The jacket itself might not have actually been manufactured /issued for several months thereafter.

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blitzkrieg gsd

My uncle who was KIA on D Day was a em and his dress uniform was sent home to the family. I know because it's in my collection now along with his footlocker with his other things. Also out of all the pics of him and his buddy's he sent home from England no one had a Ike jacket on.

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I had a large grouping to a marine killed on Guam, and there was a letter from the Marine Corps to his mother about the same thing...she had asked for one of his uniforms, and the Marines politely told her that his personal effects would be shipped to her along with any unpaid pay and awards, but that the uniforms remained government property and would be reissued to other Marines....

 

I don't have time to find it right now, but if you look on that interweb, there's plenty of pictures of the Quartermaster graves registration details sorting through battlefield remants...helmets, field jackets, etc.....

 

 

Mark sends

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everforward

Don't want to be the nay-sayer here, but if this is an Ike jacket as you say, I would sure want to take a good look at the label inside the jacket. June 1944 is actually a fairly early date for US made Ike jackets, so my question would be, how would a soldier killed in Normandy have been issued an Ike jacket?

 

Allan

 

I'd have to agree with Allan's take on this as well. Most of those guys were in (more or less) a constant state of combat for many days past 6 June, at least up until the end of Operation Cobra (St. Lo) in mid-late July.

 

I might be wrong as well, and other 29th Collectors may wish to chime in on this thread, but I'd think that most of those guys weren't issued an Ike until very late summer-early fall 1944. I'd love to see pics of the Ike jacket if you have any, thanks in advance.

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AAF_Collection

Don't want to be the nay-sayer here, but if this is an Ike jacket as you say, I would sure want to take a good look at the label inside the jacket. June 1944 is actually a fairly early date for US made Ike jackets, so my question would be, how would a soldier killed in Normandy have been issued an Ike jacket?

 

Sorry, but when dealing with all of the fakers out there these days, I would want to dot all of the i's and cross all of the t's.

 

To answer the original question- clothing worn by soldiers when killed were typically left on the bodies and interred with the soldier. Articles of clothing with blood, holes etc. would typically be destroyed. With enlisted dress uniforms left behind prior to combat, these could be stripped and reissued for enlisted ranks or sent to a renovation unit for field repairs, assessment and final decision as to whether or not the uniform article was serviceable, combat serviceable, or used as repair material for other articles of clothing. As dress uniforms for officers were private purchase items, these would be repatriated back to the families.

 

Allan

I agree with Kyle and Allan,having looked at many IDPF's for AAF personnel who died in non-combat related aircraft accidents in the UK as a general rule Officers uniforms were returned,Enlisted were not,though I'm sure there are exceptions to this. Often the IDPF's will go into great detail in listing each and every item returned.

 

I also agree with Allan's point about it being unlikely a D-Day casualty would have had an issue Ike jacket,however he could have had an Ike cut down from a four pocket coat. Can you post pictures of the jacket?.

 

Regards,

 

Matt.

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Normandy1944

I have a class a jacket from a medic from the 29th, but that's not the one I mentioned in my first post.

 

The label says pattern 5/10/44 and dated dec 16 1944.

This label is sewn in the left pocket inside the jacket

 

I looked for stitchings from earlier patches, but I just found the stitchings from the current patches.

However, I see that there were other pinned on this jacket, before the current ribbons.

 

Could it still be that it's from the soldier I found in the rosters?

 

Pictures will follow.

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I have a class a jacket from a medic from the 29th, but that's not the one I mentioned in my first post.

 

The label says pattern 5/10/44 and dated dec 16 1944.

This label is sewn in the left pocket inside the jacket

 

I looked for stitchings from earlier patches, but I just found the stitchings from the current patches.

However, I see that there were other pinned on this jacket, before the current ribbons.

 

Could it still be that it's from the soldier I found in the rosters?

 

Pictures will follow.

 

If he was KIA on D-Day there is no way he could have been issued a jacket with a contract date in December 1944. You might have the correct name he was just not in the 29th or KIA on D-Day.

 

Ray

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Normandy1944

Assuming that the soldiers was in the 29th, I went to the 29th rosters and searched for his name.

I got only one result, so I thought that this was the one who wore it.

 

I have to recharge the batteries of my camera.

As soon as it's done, I'll make pictures and post them.

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In he ETO, salvaged/surplus uniforms and pieces of them, especially woolies, were passed on to civilian refugees. Local people would disassemble many, setting aside the various parts (sleeves, legs, pockets), then often dying them (with black or blue) and using the materials to turn out civvie-style garments. Vests, loose pajama-cut pants and quasi-jerkins were common as they were easily adjusted for size.

 

My German teacher in college (ex-Latvian Legion) had, in Berlin 1946, a three-piece suit made from an RAF uniform, lightly re-dyed with black to make it stone-grey and US capped-toe service shoes, dyed black, with cork (?!) soles.

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Hello,

 

How did you determine that the soldier whose name you found inside the jacket was a 29th division soldier? I think all you know for sure is that the jacket may have been owned by a Technical Sergeant in the 29th division. What is the name inside the jacket? A quick search of the NARA WWII database will show you how many soldier's had that name. There could be one name or there could be dozens with that name.

 

The coat's label and its dates make it very unlikely that it belonged to a D-Day casualty. Still an interesting jacket and one that you should do some further research on.

 

Semper Fi,

Bruce Linz

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