Formal dress khaki button shirt/s question.

[samson44]

I have been battling with this issue for some time. I can't seem to get a good answer on the color cooridination for the class A formal button down shirts and ties during inspections or award ceremonies.
Many times it is khaki shirts with khaki ties. But in this photo, you can see three different configurations of tie color to shirt color. Did it matter what ties you wore with which?

 

[Dixon Cannon]

Apparently not...

...and it's my understanding that with the many combinable choices, there were a lot of varying styles. (One look at George Patton confirms that!) General Officers had a lot of latitude especially. The more pictures I look at, the more combinations I see - Khaki & OD together, chocolate shirts and tan ties, OD ties on tan shirts, etc, etc.

That's why re-enacting USAAF in particular is so fun - you can practically wear anything and get away with it - even the ciggie pouch/pocket on my A2 like General Savage had whether anyone agrees or not!! lol

-dixon 'farb' cannon

 

[JimInSoCalif]

As you say, it seems that Generals could invent their own uniforms within reason - Hmm, not sure Patton's were even within reason.

I really can't speak to WW ll, but during the Korean War most of the stuff we were using was from WW ll or not changed much. When I got out in 1956, we were still eating C-rations date stamped 1944.

Anyway, during my time, enlisted personal were issued one tie khaki color to wear with either the Summer or Winter class A uniform.

Cheers, Jim.

 

[carter]

Black wool tie with 'pink' shirt, khaki tie with 'pink' shirt, black wool tie with 'chocolate' shirt. Apparently all were allowed. The only combination missing is a khaki tie with a 'chocolate' shirt.
The officer on the right has four overseas hashes on his sleeve denoting two years overseas. Since his Eisenhower jacket and trousers are darker than the other two officer's uniforms, I wonder if they are new.

 

[KilroyCD]

...The officer on the right has four overseas hashes on his sleeve denoting two years overseas. Since his Eisenhower jacket and trousers are darker than the other two officer's uniforms, I wonder if they are new.

They could be theater-made. With theater-made pieces, you are certain to have variations. By the way, the three officers are (left to right): Henry H. "Hap" Arnold, Carl "Tooey" Spaatz and James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle.
By the way, to further muddy the waters regarding shirt and tie colour combinations, here's a colour shot of "Tooey" Spaatz:

 

[samson44]

Well, I've made my eyes red by staring at the computer all night - and I found this - which explains ALOT about black vs. khaki ties, shirt colors, etc.

Click here and you can browse this book on google-books: "U.S. Army Uniforms of World War II "


http://books.google.com/books?id=Lita2OQpHDsC&pg=PA11-IA3&lpg=PA11-IA3&dq=world+war+2+regulation+belt&source=web&ots=Vhvk_5L5XA&sig=UJUy5_CtQOJB4pTrOMLw96duXcQ&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result#PPP1,M1

 

[KilroyCD]

Another good source to check is: "Silver Wings, Pinks and Greens" by Jon Maguire. http://www.amazon.com/Silver-Wings-Pinks-Greens-Uniforms/dp/0887405789
Also "More Siver Wings, Pinks and Greens" by the same author.

 

[MrBern]

Black wool tie with 'pink' shirt, khaki tie with 'pink' shirt, black wool tie with 'chocolate' shirt. Apparently all were allowed. The only combination missing is a khaki tie with a 'chocolate' shirt.
The officer on the right has four overseas hashes on his sleeve denoting two years overseas. Since his Eisenhower jacket and trousers are darker than the other two officer's uniforms, I wonder if they are new.

'Ikes' came in different shades for officers even when they werent cut-down tunics. Some officer ike jackets were identical to an enlisted man's jacket, except for the lining. So some were elastique & some were serge wool, etc.

 

[Widebrim]

Tie shades

What I don't understand is why the Army abolished the khaki tie in favor of an olive drab one in late 1942 (to set it apart from the Marine Corps?). Also, I had thought that black had been phased out at the beginning of the war due to clothing restrictions, so why does one see both khaki and black ties worn throughout the war (although I know that it takes a couple of years to transition)? I have a couple of pictures of my father wearing a black tie with his winter uniform (sans jacket) in '42, but after that all of his photographs in dress uniform show a khaki (not black or OD) tie. In addition, wasn't khaki re-introduced (along with black) after the war?