WWII USN N-1 deck jacket buttons

[YP13]

Hi guys,

 

I need your help with a clarification on the buttons on the WWII USN N-1 deck jacket.

 

I just purchased a WWII USN N-1 deck jacket in khaki color with brown plastic buttons. Since I have another khaki color with olive drab plastic buttons, I was wondering if both buttons colors were available when the Navy issued an updated khaki color version of the N-1 in 1943 (the first N-1 deck jacket was blue color) or if the jackets, originally, only had brown buttons, later being replaced with olive drab ones. What are your thoughts?

 

Thanks in advance!

Antonio

 

Below are pictures of the deck jacket and buttons.

 

 

[schk]

Unlike more standardized jackets like the M43 field jacket, WW2 deck jackets have a wide variety of subtle shade differences between the buttons.   

 

They are typically the more olive drab/greyish green colors.  The brown ones you show last look more like M43 field jacket buttons.

[YP13]

Thanks for your reply.

 

Yes, I agree, but I'm also fairly certain they were also used on USN deck jackets. Various posts in the "Naval & Sea Service Uniform" confirm that these jackets could also have brown buttons. It would be interesting to know if this information on button colors can be found in any US Navy regulations or specific books. 

 

 

[JohnK83882]

Those sewing kits you always see are all consumer items. I guess the idea was loved ones would send them to you. Maybe they were in the PX. But the buttons they included in the kits were almost certainly consumer makes following, to some degree, the specification of common army issue buttons. Colors may not match. 

[YP13]

Thanks John for your help.

 

In the meantime, I've added another post in the "Naval & Sea Service Uniforms" section and received valuable information:

 

In the 1940s, when manufacturers were awarded a contract, each could run out of available buttons before using those required by Navy specifications. Furthermore, when a jacket was taken in for repair because some buttons had gone missing, if the jacket had green buttons and there were only brown ones, they would use those and only the missing ones were replaced.

[JohnK83882]

It could be that the companies that were filling government contracts were also putting out sewing kits so the buttons would be identical. And since so few sew through buttons have ANY maker marks, nobody's gonna get too funny about authenticity of the buttons. So long as they look like the issue / regulation ones and are Bakelite, I think we're good.

 

There are WW1 pea coat buttons with makers marks.