WWII Ike jackets?

[Badluck Brody]

Were the Ike Jackets late war??

did the ladies wear Ikes?? If so, with slacks right?

Thanks

 

[Badluck Brody]

Women's options for WWII impressions...US?? RAF??

OK ladies and gents... I'm doing my homework looking for options for WWII impressions for the ladies in our group.

Of coarse we can do the home front and also French/ Dutch partisan...

Since US WAC uniforms are so expensive, what would ladies wear in the British Army or AF???

Thanks again!

 

[MrBern]

the labels in the jackets are M1944 Wool Field Jacket, so they are late war.

you could take a look at this thread for some basic info & a couple pix of female ike jkts.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=15580

 

[KilroyCD]

OK ladies and gents... I'm doing my homework looking for options for WWII impressions for the ladies in our group.
Of coarse we can do the home front and also French/ Dutch partisan...
Since US WAC uniforms are so expensive, what would ladies wear in the British Army or AF???
Thanks again!

The British uniforms, whether they are RAF of British Army, will also be expensive options. I'm not sure where to suggest you look for women's uniforms yet, as I haven't researched them.
American Red Cross is an impression I'm seeing more and more women doing, but I don't know how muchh the uniforms would cost. The woman's uniforms I've seen for those working overseas are very much like women's RAF uniforms.
The Homefront is a valid option, but not at all venues (such as tacticals). If you're interested in talking more about Homefront, pm me as I'm the CO of a Homefront living history group (Kilroy's Homefront Commandos). I wouldn't want to clutter up the thread with a lot of back-and-forth chit chat about it.
Cheers,
-KilroyCD

 

[archbury918]

Some of this may be remedial for the group,but the Ike jacket was nicknamed as such because of Gen. Eisenhower's fondness for them.

The U.S. Army adopted much of what the British had learned from having three years experience over the Yanks.
This included comfort , practicality, and material shortages. The air corp found that waist length jackets were better in the cockpits.
Of course if the Supreme Allied Commander was wearing them, why not everyone else.

The 8th and 9th AF crews took to shortening their blouses in '42.
By the time of the invasion in '44, the War Dept revised all issued uniforms to troops to wearing Ike jackets. That's why you see the '44 mfg tags. My father was issued the 4 pocket blouse while in the U.S., but after landing in France, was issued an Ike (not that he had much oppourtunity to wear it!).

Because of the relative lessor number of female personnel, there are far fewer womens uniforms. And yes, they were worn with slacks.

Mike

 

[Cobden]

It is possible to do a passable WRNS (Women's Royal Naval Service) impression using converted 1980's items and even US bits. The tunic needs the buttons changing and the collar altered (from peak to notch lapels) and perhaps redying (I can't remember which way round it is, but either modern are black and WWII are blue, or vice versa) - a US navy donald duck with the cap tally changed makes a passable wrens cap, although original is a slightly different shape. White shirts and collars are available easily enough, as are black lisle stockings.

There will still be differences (the serge is different - modern are diagonal, WWII are hairy), and original would of course be better, however, it is doable on the cheap more easily and better then some impressions

 

[MrBern]

Im sorry to see the Eisenhower.edu website no longer has the link to its extensive history on the Ike jacket.

The site detailed that GeneralEisenhower had observed that GIs generally allowed their appearance to degrade into that of an unruly mob. He tried to tidy them up w/ an American version of the Brit BattleDress jkt. The QuarterMaster sent prototypes to the General who disliked them & got his own tailor for alterations to the final version.
The boys liked them so much, they often refused to wear them in the field just to save them for strutting around the bars. Some couldnt wait to be issued an official 'ike' jkt & so went to tailors to have 4pocket tunics cut-down to size.

IMHO, the nicest ikes are those cutdown from early war 4pocket bi-swing tunics. Preferable the officer models in dark OD elastique.

 

[MrBern]

QM

Incidentally
here's a helpful website for knowing what gear should be had.

http://www.qmfound.com/clothing_issue_ww2.htm
World War II Inductee Clothing Issue
From the collection of the Quartermaster Museum, memorandum indicating clothing issued to new soldiers at Camp Lee, VA in 1943