WWII 1943 US ARMY Officer Jacket - When the United States entered World War Two much of the military was unprepared for combat. The unforms and equipment employed was very antiquated, most of it dated back to World War one. The US Army dress uniform was an exception. It had seen some improvement when compared to its much cruder descendant. Both types of uniforms were made of wool. However, the one used in WWII was more refined. US ARMY OFFICER RANK As long as you are in the army you will be looking at insignia. Every soldier wears them to show his grade. Even the buttons on the uniform and the device on your service cap are forms of insignia. All types are symbols. This section discusses insignia of grade. The soldiers of the continental army in our revolutionary war showed their grade differently than was done during WWII. General Washington ordered sergeants to sew a stripe of bright red cloth on their shoulders, and corporals green stripes. Beginning on 1780, the generals displayed stars on shoulder pieces known as epaulets. The colonel's eagle dates back to 1832, and the oakleaves that Lieutenat Colonels and majors wear were first used in 1836. The photo on the left shows the placement of the rank of Captain on an epaulet. Branch insignia does not go as far back as grade insignia because in the old days the Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery and other branches had different kinds of uniforms. The oldest branch insignia in the army is the "Shell and flame" of ordinance which came into existance in 1832. The insignia for infantry used during WWII dates back to 1875. The following table illustrates the insignia of grade for officers used during WWII. Flight Officer Warrant Officer Junior Grade Chief Warrant Officer Second Lieutenant (Gold) First Lieutenant (Silver) Captain Major (Gold) Lieutenant Colonel (Silver) Colonel Brigadier General Placement of overseas stripes, service stripes, leadership stripe and meritorious unit citation on the sleeve. Also shown here is the placement of the "Honorable discharge" patch. Right side of the chest. MISCELLANEOUS PATCHES Honorable Discharge Was awarded to United States military service members who were discharged under honorable conditions during World War II. Overseas Stripes Each stripe indicates six months of service in a combat zone. Service Stripes Each stripe indicates three years of service. Meritorious Unit Citation Displays exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service, heroic deeds, or valorous actions. Placement of Unit patches on left shoulder of the uniform. DISTANCE A: 1 Inch DISTANCE B: 1/2 to 1 Inch Shoulder tabs are centered between unit patach and shoulder seam. If no patch, 1 inch below shoulder seam. Unit patch 1/2 to 1 inch below shoulder seam and centered. UNIT PATCHES - GENERAL COMMANDS There were three General Commands controlling the United States armed forces during WWII. Each was an autonomus component of the entire operation. One was in charge of air warfare. The other was in charge of all ground forces. The last one encompassed six technical units. Army Air Forces Active: 1941 - 9/18/1947 WWII Theater: All Obtain Army Ground Force Active: 1942 - 1948 WWII Theater: All Obtain Services of Supply Active: 1942 - 1946 WWII theater: All Obtain UNIT PATCHES - THE FOUR ARMIES The United States armed forces were divided into four different armies. They were labeled First army, Second army, Third army and Fourth army. First Army Active: 1918 - 1919 1932 - Present WWII Theater: West Europe, Normandy. Obtain Second Army Active: 1918 - 1919 1933 - 1966 1983 - 1995 2014 - Present WWII Theater: USA Obtain Third Army Active: 1918 - 1919 1932 - 1974 1982 - Present WWII Theater: Europe Obtain Fourth Army Active: 1932 - 1971 WWII Theater: USA Obtain UNIT PATCHES - ARMY CORPS The structure of a field corps in the United States Army is not permanent; many of the units that it commands are allocated to it as needed on an ad hoc basis. On the battlefield, the corps is the highest level of the forces that is concerned with actually fighting and winning the war. Higher levels of command are concerned with administration rather than operations, at least under current doctrine. The corps provides operational direction for the forces under its command. 1st Corps Active: 1918 - Present WWII theater: South Pacific Obtain 2nd Corps Active: 1 Aug 1940 - 10 Oct 1945 WWII Theater: Europe and Africa Obtain 3rd Corps Active: 1918 - 1919 1927 - 1946 1951 - 1959 1961 - Present WWII theater: USA Obtain 4th Corps Active: 1918 - 1919 1939 - 1945 1958 - 1968 WWII Theater: Europe Obtain 5th Corps Active: 1918 - 1919 1922 - 1924 1940 - 2013 WWII theater: Europe Obtain 6th Corps Active: 1918 - 1919 1940 - 1946 1946 - 1950 1951 - 1953 1957 - 1962 WWII Theater: Europe Obtain 7th Corps Active: 1918 - 1919 1921 - 1946 1950 - 1992 WWII Theater : Europe, Normandy, Ardenes Obtain 8th Corps Active: 1918 - 1919 1940 - 1945 WWII Theater: Europe, Normandy, Ardenes Obtain 9th Corps Active: 1940 - 1994 WWII Theater: Pacific Obtain 11th Corps Active: 1942 - 1945 Theater: Pacific Obtain UNIT PATCHES - DIVISIONS After the civil war, patches were discontinued, but they appeared again during World War I, this time to stay. One of the big problems that commanders were facing at the time was the ability to reassemble their troops after a battle. The British came upon the idea of sewing a piece of colored cloth on the back of the jacket, just below the neck. The idea was foe all the men wearing the same colored cloth to assemble under the nearest officer who wore a like piece. It was the American doughboy, however, who first wore a shoulder patch. This happened more or less by accident. In the summer of 1918 the 81st (Wildcat) Division sewed a picture of a wildcat on their shoulder sleeves when going through Hoboken on teh way to France. In France, General Pershing heard of this and ordered all the patches to be taken off. Later he changes his mind and not only allowed the Wildcats to keep their shoulder patches but required everyone to wear something similar. 1st Division 2nd Division 3rd Division 4th Division 5th Division 6th Division 7th Division 8th Division 9th Division 26th Division 27th Division 28th Division 29th Division 30th Division 31st Division 32nd Division 33rd Division 34th Division 35th Division 36th Division 37th Division 38th Division 39th Division 40th Division 41st Division 43rd Division 44th Division 45th Division 76th Division 77th Division 78th Division 79th Division 80th Division 81st Division 82nd Division 83rd Division 84th Division 85th Division 86th Division 87th Division 88th Division 89th Division 90th Division 91st Division 92nd Division 93rd Division 94th Division 96th Division 97th Division 98th Division 99th Division 100th Division 102nd Division 103rd Division 104th Division Hawaiian Divisions This page is a recognition and identification guide for WWII US military uniforms. Multiple detailed photos of a specific sample are provided. Descriptions point out clearly defined points that should be noted. One of the most commonly asked questions is "How much is my WWII US uniform worth?". A price guide is included here to address this question. The value of the uniforms is reviewed over a period of several years. A trend can be observed. The present worth of the American military uniforms in the collector's market is illustrated. This service is provided free of charge to the visitor/enthusiast courtesy of MilitaryItems.com, a company dedicated to the preservation of military history and to providing quality military antiques and collectibles to museums, institutions and the general public. WANT TO LEARN MORE? Uniform Buttons Military Tags of the US WWII US Uniform Materials Purchasing a WWII US military Uniform Perspective View

Placement of collar insignia on the lapel of the tunic. Draw an imaginary line along the lapel. The insignia must be centered to the line. The distance between the insignia and lapel split shall be 5/8 of an inch.

Also known as branch insignia. It is used to determine the unit to which the soldier belongs. While not as old as the rank/grade insignia because in the old days the infantry, cavalry, artillery and other branches had different kinds of uniforms. The oldest branh insignia in the army is the "shell and flame" of ordenance which came into existance in 1832. The present insignia for infantry dates back to 1875. Before that its insignia was a horn and bugle, which represented the horn used by light infantrymen for signalling, as the whistle is used in WWII.

For a while in 1875, the miniature rifles worn were the model used at the time, but models kept changing, and in 1924 the army adopted for the infantry insignia the Flintlock musket first issued to American troops. The crossed canons of the artillery was adopted in 1836, and the crossed sabers, insignia of the old cavalry, in 1851.

US Collar Insignia Indicates that the soldier belongs to the United States armed forces. As a general rule it was always placed on the right side lapel.	Army Air Corps	Corps of Engineers	Field Artillery	Coastal Artillery
Cavalry	Infantry	Signal Corps	Armored Force	Ordenance Department
Chemical Warfare Service	QuarterMaster Corps	Transportation Corps	Medical Corps	Adjutant General's Assistant
Inspector General's Department	Judge Advocate General's Department	Military Police	WAACS	Christian Chaplain
Jewish Chaplain	General Staff	Finance Department	National Guard Bureau	Aid to General
Aid to Liutenant General	Aid to Major General	Aid to Brigadier General	Army Band

Expert Badge To earn the qualificatin for pistol at the Combat Pistol Qualification Course, one must have a combined hit count of 26 out of 30.	Sharpshooter Badge To earn the qualificatin for pistol at the Combat Pistol Qualification Course, one must have a combined hit count of 21 out of 30.	Marksman Badge To earn the qualificatin for pistol at the Combat Pistol Qualification Course, one must have a combined hit count of 16 out of 30.	Combat Infantry Badge The badge is awarded to infantrymen and Special Forces soldiers in the rank of Colonel and below, who personally fought in active ground combat while assigned as members of either an infantry, ranger or Special Forces unit, of brigade size or smaller, any time after 6 December 1941.	Medal Ribbons The medal ribbons were worn, instead of the medal itself, because they took less space and avoided noise made by medals hitting each other. The ribbons are displayed in order of importance. From right to left.
Presidential Unit Citation is awarded to units of the United States Armed Forces, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after 7 December 1941.

This US uniform is currently being reproduced. It is becoming more difficult to be able to tell the fake ones from the real ones because the quality of the reproductions is improving. The collector must become familiarized with the construction style and materials employed in the manufacturing of this headgear. Attention to the details is critical in order to be able to determine the authenticity of the collectible.