USAAC uniforms, etc

[bfrench]

Does any one know if / when the USAAC stopped wearing braces (suspenders that buttton to the trousers) instead of a belt?

I know we were still wearing them in the Canadian Army as late as 1966.

How did they fit with an A-2, etc???

 

[unclegrumpy]

There are some versions of flight pants that had suspenders or at least provisions for them, up until about the 1960's.

As far as the uniforms that were worn under flight gear...including the heavier flight pants, in both WW II and after, the wear of suspenders was optional. I am not sure exactly when the USAAF/USAF dropped wearing uniforms in favor of flight suits in combat, but it was sometime at or before the beginning of the Korean War.

 

[Hamsterbear]

Does any one know if / when the USAAC stopped wearing braces (suspenders that buttton to the trousers) instead of a belt?
quote]

I doubt 18-24 year old kids, enlisted or officer, wore suspenders.
Maybe the older guys, perhaps. Or the more "hefty" folks.....
The movie "Patton" has G.C.Scott wearing suspenders in a few scenes when not wearing a jacket....

 

[dmar836]

Many of the enlisted clothing had the buttons for such throughout the war. M-43 combat trousers and the M42 paratrooper trousers come to mind. I think some khakis had them as well. There were issued suspenders as well but I don't know if they were any part of a set uniform, i.e. garrison wear, etc.
Let me look around,
Dave

 

[unclegrumpy]

A lot of Officer's pink, green, and riding pants have the inner suspender buttons as well. It is really common to see suspenders in use with the riding pants, though they were mostly worn pre war or very early on.

I also don't think that only the old fat guys chose to wear suspenders....pants of this era can be very high waisted and very difficult to wear a belt with.

 

[dmar836]

From Stanton's book, all I have is that they were still issued with the M43 kit. I think I have a pair somewhere but by the time I find them to check a mfg date, your trousers will already be on the floor.
Dave

 

[watchmanjimg]

WW2-era trousers designed specifically for field use such as the M43 and others were intended for wear with suspenders, although in many cases the suspenders were not worn. Otherwise I'm sure that some troops wore them as a matter of preference, but historical photos and surviving uniforms suggest this wasn't terribly common.

 

[dmar836]

Stanton shows M-43 testing pics and how suspenders were much better at handling the loaded cargo pockets than a belt. I'm guessing that was the main function by then.
The M-36 suspenders for the web belt was the same thing. Most guys didn't wear them but most didn't have them loaded with more than a pistol and knife.