US Army Cavalry officer in service uniform
US Army Corporal wearing long regulation overcoat
US Army enlisted man in field uniform w. rifle slung over his shoulder
US Army enlisted man in service uniform
US Army enlisted man in summer version of both the service and field uniform
US Army enlisted man wearing newly designed field jacket, which may also be worn by officers
US Army Nurse (2nd Lieutenant) wearing long regulation officer's overcoat over her uniform
US Army officer (1st Lieutenant) in informal post uniform
US Army officer (1st Lieutenant) in regulation field uniform
US Army officer (1st Lieutenant) in regulation service uniform
US Army officer (1st Lieutenant) wearing cape over formal evening dress uniform
US Army officer (a General's Aide) wearing special formal evening dress uniform
US Army officer (a General's aide) wearing white formal uniform, appropriate for summer and tropical duty
US Army officer (a Lt. General's Aide) wearing full dress uniform
US Army officer wearing white mess jacket, appropriate for summer
Soldier wearing US Army cold weather uniform designed for both enlisted men and officers
US Army officer's regulation cape, overcoat, jackets & raincoats hanging from clothes rack
US Army officer's regulation shoes and socks
US Army officer's regulation uniform accessories, including gloves and collars
US Army officer's regulation uniform accessories, including pouches and gun holster
Various styles of US Army officer uniform shirts
Various US Army officer's medals, ribbons and insignia, including a Purple Heart and a Marksman's badge
…
Source: LIFE Archive
Thank you to LIFE Archive
Sure, the US won the war militarily, but Germany trounced them in fashion.
So… what the HELL is with the pants legs in the first picture?
I agree with icewater, if the war were decided by fashion, it would be springtime for Hitler.
The pants in the first photo are “Jodpurs” and are a type of pant worn when horseback riding.
Yes, this first picture he is wearing breeches, commonly used for cavalry, and most armies had them in the day, I think to make the ride a tad more comfortable…
Not to mention, the German uniform was designed by Hugo Boss!
It’s hard to disagree with the Germans having style, to which I would add music (I’ve never wanted a translation but as marching music it’s tough to beat Horst Wessel Song). Most of those uniforms were never seen. The formal stuff would have been big in Washington but few other places. No one but George Patton wore breeches. The “pinks and greens” were the favorite for officers. The leggings were out in favor of combat boots by early ’42. Most GI’s had more important things to worry about than how pretty they looked.
In case anyone was wondering, the last picture shows at the top the officer’s crest for the peaked cap followed by the full dress epaulettes (clearly shown in other pictures as well). Below that the two ribbons are the WWI victory medal and what appears to be the Mexican Border Service medal, although they are out of order as the Mexican Border Service should be first (it’s also possible that the print is reversed). Next are the Distinguishing Unit IDs for the 207th Coastal Artillery Regiment. These are worn on the shoulder tabs of the service uniform for officers, halfway between the button and the rank insignia. They flank a rifle marksmanship award. Below that are two miniature medals for wear on the dress uniforms, the WWI Victory medal on the left and a purple heart on the right. On the outside are, from top to bottom, 1st Lieutenant rank insignia, the “US” worn on the upper lapels of the service uniform and the corps insignia for the 207th Coastal Artillery, worn on the lower lapels of the service uniform. This is actually a pretty unlikely collection, unless it’s for a ranker that eventually obtained a commision. Obviously the WWI and Mexican medals are from 1918 and 1917, respectively, but the purple heart was not issued until 1932 (awarded retroactively to anyone wounded in WWI). As far as I know, the 207th Coastal Artillery did not serve on the Mexican border.
I forgot, at the very bottom is a cardboard holder for the cufflinks and removeable buttons for the dress shirt.
Leggings did not go out in 1942…troops were still wearing them in combat in 1944 with the service shoes and the later roughouts. The doule-buckles started appearing in 1943, but many outfits didn’t get them until much later. Checkout D-Day pics on that. And as another poster mentioned, missing here is the officer “pinks and greens”, especially with the chocolate shirt and the khaki tie…the greatest army uniform of all time…US and elsewhere, IMHO. Comfortable, too.
Note the black ties in use here. And the early version Parsons jacket, with the buttons on the pockets