1950s-1990s cold weather uniform - garrison

[pawtwo]

Hello.

 

I'd really like to see photos of soldiers wearig OG108 wool uniform consisting of wool shirt and wool trousers. I didn't found a lot of photos of this type of uniform but I really like it. These items were also used as mid layer in M51 and M65 cold dry/cold wet ensembles but I'd like to see these wool shirt and trousers worn alone as outer garments.

 

If anybody has any photos please share

 

These uniforms were in AR670-1 till 2005 so it would be nice to get as newest photo as possible. I assume that after about 1985 these weren't in use that much.

 

Best regards

Paul

[Martinjmpr]

Hello.

 

I'd really like to see photos of soldiers wearig OG108 wool uniform consisting of wool shirt and wool trousers. I didn't found a lot of photos of this type of uniform but I really like it. These items were also used as mid layer in M51 and M65 cold dry/cold wet ensembles but I'd like to see these wool shirt and trousers worn alone as outer garments.

 

If anybody has any photos please share

 

These uniforms were in AR670-1 till 2005 so it would be nice to get as newest photo as possible. I assume that after about 1985 these weren't in use that much.

 

Best regards

Paul

 

I can tell you that I never saw them being worn in garrison after I re-entered active duty in 1986. Even in Germany, as cold as it got there, we were never authorized to wear the wool shirt and trousers, although they were issued to us for field use. FWIW I never saw anyone wear them in the field either.

 

The only part of the M1951 ensemble I ever saw anyone wear in the field was the parka and maybe field pants, although working at DIvision HQ I never saw either.

[pawtwo]

Probably that's the reason why it's hard to get photos of them. These items are very warm, heavy and difficult for cleaning (rather dry celaning only). For sure these uniforms were used in 50s-70s. I saw only few pictures. One quite clear was MP in Alaska in 70s wearing shirt and trousers.

 

Last photos of wool shirt in use that I found was during Exercise Brim Frost in Alaska in1987. Soldiers worn these along with OG107 nylon/cotton cold weather trouser shells, trigger finger mittens and black/white VB boots.

 

I said that after 1985 they weren't used because AR670-1 stated that all OG utility uniforms won't be worn after 1985. So probably no one needed to use them as everybody worn BDU's.

 

I have one shirt and two pairs of trousers. Shirt is 1981 and trousers are 1952 and 1976. Well, if these items were still produced they should have been used somehow somewhere Winters in Poland are quite the same as in Germany. I also don't see any reason to use these wool items as I never felt any need to use them. There were other, more comfortable items at the time to make you warm. If you were issued these uniforms and you didin't use them at all that's probably reason why here in europe we can still find them in mint condition. Unissued or even patched but without any signs of wear.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Winters in Poland are quite the same as in Germany. I also don't see any reason to use these wool items as I never felt any need to use them. There were other, more comfortable items at the time to make you warm. If you were issued these uniforms and you didin't use them at all that's probably reason why here in europe we can still find them in mint condition. Unissued or even patched but without any signs of wear.

 

 

I think that's a good guess. Probably sat in a warehouse in Germany somewhere for decades until the Cold War ended and then when the facility was being closed down they auctioned them off locally rather than ship them back to the US.

 

During the Cold War we were preparing for a WWII style conflict against the Soviet Union so Germany was full of huge warehouses stockpiled with military gear that they thought would be needed in the event of a general mobilization.

 

Thank God we never had to fight that war, it would have been awful!

 

But your finds are a nice historical reminder of the way things were many years ago.

 

BTW the part of Germany I was in actually had fairly mild winters. I was in Northern Bavaria, a small city called Ansbach, with the 1st Armored Division Headquarters. This was about 35km (20 miles) West of Nuremberg (Nuernberg.)

[gwb123]

I was in Baumholder in 1980 to 1983, which had some wicked cold winters.

 

I don't remember these uniforms being worn in garrison, simply because they were so bulky. They really hindered things like maintenance work.

 

Having said that, anyone working in a cold maintenance shop or warehouse probably supplemented their duty uniform with long underwear or other layers of protection under their uniform.

[patches]

In Fort Wainwright Alaska (winters 1981-82 1982 I left there in December 82, and no doubt earlier) we did indeed wear them in Garrison, Shirt only however, as their wool pants were no longer issued, not issued probably since the 60s? Regular fatique pants were wore with mountain boots with usually the white wool mountain socks, black leather gloves with wool inserts,

and depending on how cold it might of been on any given day, soft cap or the blue wool balaclava.

 

Now this was for wear outside, so long johns were of course worn, either the GI or Civilian thermals, I choose the latter.

 

Now for field wear, we naturally wore a few of different items with shirt, IE M51 Field Pants, Parkas and Trigger mittens, VB Boots.black leather gloves with wool inserts.

[Martinjmpr]

In the Colorado NG in 1983 - 86 I was issued the wool pants and shirt. The shirt I remember because it was very thick and it had the black and gold "US ARMY" name tape (not the subdued name tape that we wore on our BDUs) over the left pocket. There was nothing over the right pocket. I think we were issued one set of wools, but it may have been two. All I can say is that the same ones I was issued I turned in 3 years later when I processed out of that unit, as we never, ever wore them.

 

As far as the VB (Vapor Barrier) boots, as I recall there were two kinds: Black "mickey mouse boots" and white "bunny boots." We were issued both in Colorado.

[atb]

In Fort Wainwright Alaska (winters 1981-82 1982 I left there in December 82, and no doubt earlier) we did indeed wear them in Garrison, Shirt only however, as their wool pants were no longer issued, not issued probably since the 60s? Regular fatique pants were wore with mountain boots with usually the white wool mountain socks, black leather gloves with wool inserts,

and depending on how cold it might of been on any given day, soft cap or the blue wool balaclava.

 

Now this was for wear outside, so long johns were of course worn, either the GI or Civilian thermals, I choose the latter.

 

Now for field wear, we naturally wore a few of different items with shirt, IE M51 Field Pants, Parkas and Trigger mittens, VB Boots.black leather gloves with wool inserts.

Exactly.

 

I was in Alaska t Ft. Wainwright in 1972-73. I wore on a daily basis when in garrison in winter- Combat, mountain or the white vapor barrier ("bunny") boots; heavily starched cotton sateen fatigue trousers; pressed olive green (OG) wool shirt; M1951 pile cap (yes, that is what I was issued in 1972). Depending on the temperature, underneath I had wool "long-john" underwear and an olive drab wool field sweater. Other items- Field coat (aka "field jacket") with liner, parka with liner and wolf fur ruffed hood, black gloves with liners or sometimes Arctic mittens when cold enough.

 

I kept my wool shirts with sewn-on subdued "U.S. ARMY" and name tapes and the US Army Alaska SSI, aka the "teddy bear." Rank was pin-on subdued collar insignia for SP5. The pile cap had a subdued rank pin and some guys added a DUI or, if qualified, jump wings. I also still have my M1951 pile cap (when I left Alaska, they did not want that one back).

 

I vaguely remember the wool OG trousers were available, but not often worn. We did have the OG trousers and shirts in Basic Training at Ft. Ft. Dix, NJ in Jan 1970.

[pawtwo]

Thanks! Now I have some better knowledge about my items. I always wanted wool shirt and trousers just because they were listed as a part of cold wet/cold dry clothing systems and I just wanted to test how these work.

 

Well I still doesn't have proper underwear form the era but If I try to wear just shirt and trousers - they are really hot.

 

On Friday I got 1953 made wool trousers - at least in my size MR. Unissued with little dirt on inside whitish linings from storage or used a little. For sure never washed, waist tabs unused, suspender hooks never used. No wear from belt, no stains from shoe polish. No typical wear signs. So probably new but with some signs od 60 years of shelf life In fact they didn't looked like something I would like to put on or even put into my closet just like that with old dirt/dust. I thougt that I have nothing to loose. I threw them into washing machine, washed on wool cycle in cold water, air dried... and nothing bad happened. Now they look like they should and are in serviceable condition. For sure they need a little pressing because they lost factory made creases. After washing they smelled a bit, like an old natural wool smells.

[patches]

Thanks! Now I have some better knowledge about my items. I always wanted wool shirt and trousers just because they were listed as a part of cold wet/cold dry clothing systems and I just wanted to test how these work.

 

Well I still doesn't have proper underwear form the era but If I try to wear just shirt and trousers - they are really hot.

 

On Friday I got 1953 made wool trousers - at least in my size MR. Unissued with little dirt on inside whitish linings from storage or used a little. For sure never washed, waist tabs unused, suspender hooks never used. No wear from belt, no stains from shoe polish. No typical wear signs. So probably new but with some signs od 60 years of shelf life In fact they didn't looked like something I would like to put on or even put into my closet just like that with old dirt/dust. I thougt that I have nothing to loose. I threw them into washing machine, washed on wool cycle in cold water, air dried... and nothing bad happened. Now they look like they should and are in serviceable condition. For sure they need a little pressing because they lost factory made creases. After washing they smelled a bit, like an old natural wool smells.

Good for you.

[patches]

In the Colorado NG in 1983 - 86 I was issued the wool pants and shirt. The shirt I remember because it was very thick and it had the black and gold "US ARMY" name tape (not the subdued name tape that we wore on our BDUs) over the left pocket. There was nothing over the right pocket. I think we were issued one set of wools, but it may have been two. All I can say is that the same ones I was issued I turned in 3 years later when I processed out of that unit, as we never, ever wore them.

 

As far as the VB (Vapor Barrier) boots, as I recall there were two kinds: Black "mickey mouse boots" and white "bunny boots." We were issued both in Colorado.

That's interesting, in early May 1982 when we finely got the BDU,s up there in Alaska, we of course had to buy them at clothing sales, we marched over there one company at a time during a two day period. When we went, while lolling about while the other guys were getting them, I strolled around the place checking out things, and seen the rack for the OG shirts, all of them had the long since obsolete Yellow on Black rayon woven U.S. ARMY tapes sewn to them.

 

I mentioned this in a few topics earlier on, in that I wish I knew back then about the nomenclature stamps or tags in items, and that I would of love to see the dates of these shirts, no doubt I would of found dates in them (maybe the whole lot with one batch date) from the late 50s no later than 1967.

[bummer]

I was stationed at Ft Richardson from 85-88 and we only wore them in the field. We had our name tags, U.S.Army , brigade or division patch and rank. I was with the 3rd Armor in Germany and we had to turn in all of our field pants and wool shirts in I believe 1984 . We had the black vapor barrier boots that we never wore and come to think of it Germany was the only place I ever wore my field jacket to the field .

[GUDMAR1975]

Photos I don't have but I do recall Army MPs wearing the wool shirt and trou while standing post at the Washington Blvd entrance to Fort Myer, Virginia during the winter in the late 1980's.

 

I was in the Marine Corps and did extensive cold weather training in California, Wisconsin, Norway, northern Japan and even a couple of trips to Greenland.

 

We used the M1951 gear in the 1970s and 80s until replaced by the first generation ECWCS. We got the wool shirts ( no US Army tags of course ) , field trou complete with liners and cargo pockets with tie down straps and the rest.

 

We were never issued the wool field trousers of the cold wet uniform though. Some of the gear was clearly from the 1950s.

 

It was all turned back in to the Special Training Allowance Pool when we returned to temperate climes.

 

Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

 

 

[patches]

Found a few Garrison fotos for you pawtwo.

 

First, a young private soldier somewhere in a CONUS post in the mid 50s, I think 9th Inf Div Ft Carson Colorado. Of note, looks like he was issued a OD 3 web waist belt, by then since the late 40s the standard was the dark OD 7 web waist belt.

[patches]

And these Drill Sergeants at Ft Bragg in 1969 are wearing them, here I guess it was a Uniform of the Day only for DS's as the Trainees are not wearing them, and doubtful that they, the trainees, were even issued them at this late 1969 date.

 

[patches]

Last two.

 

[32sbct]

I entered the Pa. Army National Guard in 1985. Cold weather clothing was all organizational issue. All of our cold weather gear was new old stock clothing from the Korean war era. Everything was dated 1952-1954. Almost everything (OG 108 shirt, OG 108 trousers, OG 107 M51/M65 field pants, etc.) was in as new condition. We rarely wore any part of this uniform except the M51 field pants when we went to the field in very cold weather. As stated earlier, all of these items were still authorized for wear as late as the 2005 version of AR 670-1. Interestingly, I never saw anything official saying these items were no longer authorized for wear. However there was a big gap in updates to AR 670-1 and I believe the next version was 2014. There was also a BDU version of the M65 field pants. I was issued a pair around 1987. Most of those I have seen are 1985 dated. These came out around the same time that the Gore-tex Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System was starting to be issued which is why most of the older OG 108 clothing quickly became obsolete in the late 80's.

[pawtwo]

Thanks for photos!

[patches]

Here's another 60s example of the set being worn. The entire 2nd Armored Division on Review, Fort Hood Texas October 1966.

 

 

The General is Lieutenant General Thomas W. Dunn, Fourth Army commander, with Lieutenant General Ralph E. Haines III Corps commander trailing directly behind. 4th Army and the 3rd Corps being the 2nd Armd Div's direct higher commands

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_W._Dunn

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_E._Haines_Jr.

[patches]

And Here it is again, this time in South Korea early 1970, an unknown 8th Army Troop Unit,s Honor Guard.

 

 

[pawtwo]

Cool, thanks!

[seanmc1114]

Here a re a couple of Major Roger Donlon, the first Medal of Honor recipient of the Vietnam War, from 1967 while he was commander of the Advanced Combat Training Academy in South Korea

[seanmc1114]

Major General John R. Pugh, CO of the 3rd Armored Division in Germany, reviewing troops with President Kennedy - June 1963. His may be privately purchased since they have epaullettes and the pockets are different than the ones worn by Major Donlon.

[seanmc1114]

These come from a 1967 Fort Dix basic training yearbook

[seanmc1114]

Soldiers of the 1st Battalion 72nd Armor in South Korea around 1979 wearing a combination of uniforms including the wool shirt.