WWII wool Mustard field trousers

[Fernando]

Just one question to our re-enactors friends: Dress Wool mustard trousers are diferent from the wool mustard field trousers? I seen wearing wool mustard trousers on field. Are they the same?, During the landing on Normandie they worn two kinds, wool and cotton ones. Tanks.

[37thguy]

Wool only came in two types that I know of, the regular wool and what they called FLANNEL. Have seen this in shirts but I have never seen Flannel trousers. My guess is the COTTON you are reading about was actually the HBT's.

 

Just one man's opinion.

[doyler]

They are the same.Replaced by the M43 field trouser later in the war but still worn till the end of the war by various units.

 

RD

[mjerickson]

M-37 wool trowsers were standart through the war, in both cases with the HBTs and the M-43s they were to go over the wool trowsers. This may not have been the case in the PTO, but the vast majority of combat troops in the ETO wore their wools for the duration of the war. There was however a later pattern of a darker color than mustard that was commonly worn with the Class A service tunic and during occupation the Ike Jacket.

[mpguy80/08]

The M1937 Serge Wool trousers were worn as a Class A (Dress uniform) trouser AND as a combat uniform trouser with the M37 wool shirt and M1941 Field Jacket. There are lots of artwork style references that show the M37 wool trousers as a darker brown, but the M37 trousers were, to the best of my knowledge always a mustard color. In combat, when soiled, or wet, the trousers might take on a different darker shade. Even when the M1943 uniform was issued, it was meant to be worn OVER the M1937 wool uniform (shirt and trousers). This was the same for the HBT uniform as well as the M1941 and M1942 Airborne jump uniforms. They were all made and intended to be worn over the wools.

 

Hope this helps...

 

Wayne

[General Apathy]

Just one question to our re-enactors friends: Dress Wool mustard trousers are different from the wool mustard field trousers? I seen wearing wool mustard trousers on field. Are they the same?, During the landing on Normandie they worn two kinds, wool and cotton ones. Tanks.

 

Hi Fernando, yes there were two different types of wool trousers, the wool 'light shade ' M-1937 trousers and the wool ' field ' serge. ( Light shade often referred to as mustards )

However as the field serge trousers were a post D-Day issue you would not be wrong if you wore the light shade M-37 wool trousers for both combat and for dress. The light shade M-37 were worn with the enlisted four pocket tunic, a darker shade was worn with the Ike.

 

A darker shade of trouser wool dress trousers was designed in 1943 to be worn with the new style short ' Ike ' jacket and is the matching shade of material as the Ike, these were worn mostly as dress uniform in the occupation period. They were were the same weight and smooth finish as the standard M-37 wool trousers.

 

The wool field serge trousers are a darker shade of material, also a heavier grade of material, the inside has a fluffed rather than a smooth surface, the white pocket material is also a heavier grade ( thicker) than the M-37 pockets, also at the ankle there is often a button and tab to adjust the ankle for wear inside the two buckle combat boot. They were designed and issued for the winter 44 combat use, however, how many were actually made and reached forward units is uncertain. Due to the slightly darker shade these can be seen in use in combat alongside the standard M-37 trousers. From memory as I don't have my examples to hand the M-37 were around 18 ounce and the field serge 24 ounce, the weights are often shown on the white date labels on the pockets

 

So for D-day either wool M-37 trousers or herringbone twill trousers are the normal wear, unless you were a paratrooper, a tanker, possibly beach engineers, or navy unit

 

Cheers ( Lewis )

[hawkdriver]

Just visited with an old infantry soldier yesterday that came ashore with the 89th division in January 1945, went home May 1946 and he wore the 1937 trousers the entire time with double buckle boots and the 1944 field pack, 43 field jacket.

[mjerickson]

Im not sure when they came in but the darker shade others have talked about as post D-day to be worn with the Ike also had flaps on the rear pockets and suspender buttons. I have an orginal pair dated 47 that go with a 43 dated class A and as was typical the pants are just a shade darker. And to reiterate as others have said, the wool shirt and trowsers were the standard uniform the other forms of utility, field or fatuge uniforms were all intended to go over them.

 

Mike

[Fernando]

Thanks a lot you guys, this is one of the things makes me feel confidence on the forum, the community´s kindness. Just is a place where you can speak and share about our military and historical passions. Oh!, by the way, diferences betwen trousers are all ready clare to me, Tanks again.