Hello! I have seen this Ike, but It has no tag with date inside...only this one...Do you know what era belongs to? Wartime? Postwar? Thanks a lot!

 

See this link below for an excellent guide to the Ike Jacket models. 

 

See section about:

 

Specifications PQD 437A Dated 2 June 1945 & 437B Dated 27 May 1946

 

https://www.usww2uniforms.com/437.html

 

I assume you meant no QM date label inside inner chest pocket.  As you may know hard to see, deep inside pocket lining. 

The overseas bars on left lower sleeve, the AAF, and rank style help date the period. 

Thanks a lot...that is a really usefull Page!!!...so It is the PQD 437A model...Oficial production started on july 1945, so it is a post war example...thanks a lot for your help!

Youre most welcome.

 

I didn't read yet how to tell A vs. B to be certain which, but assume you did. Cool.

 

To get technical, July 1945 was still before the end of the war in the Pacific, so depends when it was issued. 

 

If you didn't see, that link is just one page of a comprehensive ww2 uniforms website with many other key uniform components also detailed in the same way. Go to the clothing index below and see the items with live links. I wish they completed more on the list. 

 

https://www.usww2uniforms.com/armyindex.html

 

I see lots of the AAF generic patch vs. the specific numbered AFF divisions. Not sure why. Anyone know?

 

Victory Japan day....

 

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/v-j-day

 

1 hour ago, SumGruntGuy1 said:

 

I didn't read yet how to tell A vs. B to be certain which, but assume you did. 

 

Yes...In that interesting web says about PQD 437B :

"The waistband closure tab was also redesigned to be squared at the end instead of rounded"

And the waistband of my Ike is rounded, so It is 437A

2 hours ago, SumGruntGuy1 said:

 

I see lots of the AAF generic patch vs. the specific numbered AFF divisions. Not sure why. Anyone know?

 

I don't know...I have an AAF Officer jacket and has the genéric patch too (bullion on felt)

A couple of comments here- I wouldn't get too wrapped around the axle over whether the Ike that started this thread is WWII or post-war. As WWII came to an end, the army decided that all soldiers would be discharged with an Ike jacket. The woolen mills went into producing Ike jackets and trousers as quickly as they could get the sections of wool sewn together. Many of the changes to the Ike came out of production shortcuts to allow the manufacturers to churn out even more jackets every hour. These jackets were being shipped to separation centers as quickly as they were being made. The separation centers were issuing them as quickly as possible to let soldiers start their journeys home.

 

Even though the makers of Ikes were turning them out at breakneck speed, they still couldn't make enough for every soldier heading home. The army eventually decided that soldiers returning from the Pacific could separate from the army wearing four pocket blouses. Had the Ike Jacket been called a MacArthur Jacket, I'm sure there would have been a greater push to supply the PTO veterans with the waist length coat.

 

rump for questions regarding the AAF patch versus numbered patches, the AAF patch was a generic and was allowed to be worn by all soldiers assigned to the Army Air Force. Members assigned to numbered Air Forces were prescribed to wear the corresponding numbered AF patches. Typically, these were worn on the wearer's left shoulder except in the CBI because the theater Commander, "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell commanded that all services would wear the CBI shoulder patch on their left shoulder. 

 

There were still a lot of AAF troops that were working under unit commands that didn't have a separate SSI- The Air Materiel Command, Transport Command, etc. Many of these patches didn't become available until late in the war or even post war. These soldiers wore the "generic" SSI.

 

Allan

Thanks much for adding these excellent, highly detailed clarifications. Very interesting and informative!

 

You paint a very vivid picture of the suppliers meeting the demands under pressure. Quite a feat.

 

Oh! Really interesting info!!!...I know it's not the objetive of this thread...but you just said CBI always on the left arm...but I have seen some pictures with the CBI on the right arm...why?

55 minutes ago, trubia26 said:

Oh! Really interesting info!!!...I know it's not the objetive of this thread...but you just said CBI always on the left arm...but I have seen some pictures with the CBI on the right arm...why?

I'd suppose that the farther away from CBI Headquarters, the less stringent the adherence to the regulations.... 

No matter what regulations you look at. you will always find photographic evidence of exceptions.

 

Allan

Yes, you are right...I collect WWII garrison caps and always searching pictures from the era ...and always founding non oficial practices!!