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My theory--Japanese made 1948-1951+ WWII style chevrons


Captainofthe7th
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Captainofthe7th

I've mentioned a couple of times that I have seen these chevrons on many Korean War uniforms. Today I finally received a loose pair taken off of a jacket. They are white rayon or silk on BLACK twill of a coarser weave and thinner material. Not dark blue (almost black) like the WWII style chevrons. They're also a bit smaller overall. I do not think these are US made and the look and feel of them is very Japanese. As far as I can tell, they were used only during the Korean War and I see them mostly on earlier uniforms, 1950 or 1951. I believe they were a substitute for the silly 1948 pattern chevrons.

 

They also usually appear with theater made patches, of course with some exceptions.

 

Tell me what you think…I'm glad to finally have a pair to look at off of a jacket. This particular pair is an off-white silk thread on the black twill base.

 

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post-5589-0-69537700-1400688955.jpg

post-5589-0-06748700-1400688960.jpg

 

Some examples I have on uniforms--note that they all exhibit some private purchase insignia and they all lack the National Defense Service medal, indicating that they predate 1954. At least two have double collar brass, which was eliminated in 1951.

 

post-5589-0-53766400-1400688964.jpg

Corporal is the bright white on black, Sergeant First Class is like those I received today, off-white on black. Note both have bullion 3d ID patches.

 

post-5589-0-73166400-1400688970.jpg

Center three chevrons are of this style. I don't think I have any of these three uniforms anymore.

 

post-5589-0-89652900-1400688975.jpg

Another Sergeant First Class.

 

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Note the lucite ribbons and bullion O/S bars, but common cut edge SSI.

 

post-5589-0-08660000-1400688985.jpg

This is the off-white type. Note the cut edge 7th ID patch with white chain stiching added.

 

The last:

post-5589-0-00494900-1400688994.jpg

 

Rob

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this is pretty in depth rob, im going to have to reread this once or twice and make some comparisons, but I do appreciate your effort in this and I would like to know more as you figure this out. nice work

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The museum has a number of these. The most obvious thing to me is that the reverse is the opposite of the front, i.e., the stripes are dark and the background is light. If these can be definitively shown to be post-WWII then I can recommend that they be de-accessed from the collection. Deaccession is good because it means they can be made available to someone who can use them instead of just sitting in a box in the archives.

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This is a very good and timely discussion. I purchased several chevrons recently that, after reading this thread, may have been made in Japan. I have chevrons in three distinct color patterns and all seem to fit your description. I knew they were different than the standard Army issue woven rayon chevrons but could not pin down where they were made. Here are some photos. I may have to add each photo separately.

post-60620-0-75383100-1383833046.jpg

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Captainofthe7th

Thank you hardstripe!!! Those are spot on. I'm glad you were able to post the white on black. I have not seen the khaki variation before, that's stellar. Thank you so much for posting.

 

I should mention that in my first post the single chevron is the WWII style.

 

Grant, maybe post some photos of the chevrons you're talking about. I'm wondering if they might actually be the WWII style? We'll see.

 

Rob

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Captainofthe7th

can you post a pic of the woven rayon WW2 chevron vs. these?

 

-Brian

 

Hey Brian--

 

The single chevron in the first post is the WWII woven rayon chevron.

 

Rob

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craig_pickrall

What is the width of the chevrons being discussed? I know the standard Army chevrons are 3" and the blue / gold chevrons are 2". The standard USMC chevron is 3 1/2".

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Hey Brian--

 

The single chevron in the first post is the WWII woven rayon chevron.

 

Rob

Rob...

thanks for clarifying. Looking at it on my computer I can easily see the difference.

I was viewing it on my phone before, and they difference was a lot harder to see.

 

-Brian

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Captainofthe7th

Thanks, I thought they were about 2 1/2" from the photos.

 

Of course! In reality, the difference in width is marginal, but when compared side by side like this, it looks greater than it truly is. I think the human eye exaggerates it. Regardless, the difference is definitely there.

 

Rob

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This is an excellent thread and I am learning a lot about some of the chevrons in my collection. Let me see if I can add more mud to this topic. Maybe then the view might be clearer. I have added a ruler to the images so everyone can see the approximate sizes.

 

I have several other "sets" of woven chevrons made in other than the US. First up is a set made circa 1942 in Australia for Army troops fighting in the Pacific.

 

post-60620-0-77501000-1383953349.jpg

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This next set is made in Germany. They have a white felt-like backing to stiffen them. Here are scans of fronts and backs.

post-60620-0-12545500-1383953852.jpg

post-60620-0-07408600-1383953877.jpg

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And the last set is a pair of US-Made woven chevrons in Khaki with a pair of Japanese-made for comparison.

 

I hope I have not hogged this thread. I find the variations that I have managed to pull together very interesting. I have pretty much all Army chevrons from WW2 to date and have branched out into collecting those foreign and theater made examples to further my collection. Some would say I am the crazy chevron guy - hence the name "Hardstripe".

 

I am looking for additional ranks in these sets, other than the ones I have posted.

post-60620-0-76566700-1383954148.jpg

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Captainofthe7th

Thanks a lot hardstripe! You're not hogging, I'm actually really glad you posted these. Here's some more of mine. I forgot I also have a set of Sgt on an HBT jacket.

 

post-5589-0-41890500-1400689231.jpg

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The off white rayon or silk thread:

post-5589-0-21391000-1400689245.jpg

 

 

A comparison--each side is a theater made example of bright white on black twill. The top chevron is a WWII woven style, white on blue, and the bottom a WWII white sewn on blue twill.

 

post-5589-0-60297200-1400689249.jpg

 

Rob

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Rob,

 

Nice to see these on a uniform. Many times I pick something up and am not sure they are actually US Army. I could really use the higher ranks. I am planning an article for the ASMIC Trading Post covering non-US made chevrons. Mind if I use some of your pics?

 

BTW where is the museum. I would like to visit.

 

Thanks

 

Hardstripe

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Yesterday I pulled a few from the archives. This one looks very similar to the one on the right in post #1, which is US made woven. Note the reverse colors are opposite from the front.

 

post-133376-0-83933700-1384368014.jpgpost-133376-0-60361300-1384368029.jpg

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