U.S. Navy 1943: white covers with khakis?

[Fletch]

Here's a picture from the National Museum of Naval Aviation (thanks to Lounger Steve for the link) that seems to show 1943 vintage brownshoes wearing their dress white cap covers with khaki uniforms.

"U.S. Navy flight instructor Lieutenant Walter A. Haas briefs flight students on the layout of the cockpit of an F2A-3 Buffalo at Naval Air Station (NAS) Miami, Florida, April 1943. F2As finished their U.S. Navy service as advanced trainers for future fighter pilots."

Now, I know the khakis were worn by submariners from the early 30s and by fliers shortly afterwards. (The rest of the Navy didn't get them until '41.) But I'd assumed there was always a dress cover to match. Were they intended to be worn only with "cutter" caps at first? (Or perhaps the khaki cover was not a required item?)

 

[Jay]

Baffling. I didn't think the service mixed colors like that.

 

[Fletch]

Another possibility. The Lieutenant's cover looks as tho it could be either white or khaki. Maybe the white cover was a flight school thing to distinguish student pilots from full-fledged?

I'm surprised they wore these hats on the flightline at all - Navy pilots weren't allowed to remove the grommet rings and "crush" them with headsets.

 

[Fletch]

By gum, I may be right

Here's the same pic at the Naval Historical Center site. Their caption says:

"Lieutenant Walter A. Haas, USNR
Instructing flight students from the cockpit of a Brewster F2A "Buffalo" fighter, at Naval Air Station, Miami, Florida, 9 April 1943. The F2A was then in use as a training aircraft.
Lieutenant Haas had recently returned from the war zone.
Note that the students are wearing white cap covers and khaki shirts."