US field jacket - help needed

R

Robert

New member
I acquired this US jacked which may be WWI era or later. Can you give me any hints in the type/date?

The material is a kind of stiff felt. The insignia on the collar button seem to indicate US navy. There also was a metal plate in the pocket with the name James Bishop and a number - maybe a dog tag.

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Robert,

It seems you have a very nice M1912 Army Service wool tunic. The collar tab with the eagle signifies the Quartermaster Corp. The other collar tab signifies U.S. National Army.

It looks like he has 2 stripes on the left sleeve indicating 12 months of service.

Finally you have a nice WW1 Dogtag.

John
 
Robert,

Yes that uniform was the standard issue uniform for the U.S. Army from approximately 1912 to the 1920's.

It was worn by all US Army troops (and some US Marines) in WW1 along with the M1917 and M1918.


John
 
Again, thanks for the help. It is interesting that a pre-war model is not simply phased out but rather remains in production parallel to the later models.
 
Hey Robert,
The M1912 was not really what you could call a pre war pattern, any more than the British P'08 webbing would be considered pre war. Even the P'08 gear was produced at the same time as the P'14, P'15 and the P'16 gear was being produced. At the beginning of the war, the M1912 tunic was the standard, but as it became appearent that more soldiers would have to be clothed and new patterns were used that smplifyed the construction. On closer examination, I believe that your tunic is a M1917 rather than a M1912, the main difference is the earlier has a better quality of fabric (slightly tanner colour) and has a double row of stitching about 3 inches above the end of the slieve. The M1918 tunic was made even sympler, in that the exterior ;pockets were replacet with interior pockets.
This is a nice example with the dog tag to go with it.
Best wihses
Gus
 
Gustaf, the jacket I described has only a single stitching about 1" from the sleeve. But I have a second jacket from the same source which has stiched bands about 3" up the sleeve.

The overall quality is also much better. I did not show it because it is almost identical in design, allthough the material is thiner and pliable. It also has a striped liner in the sleeves. This jacket has collar buttons "US" and crossed rifles with the letter "E" (the company letter, I suppose).

Both pieces seem to comply with your description with the first being an M1917 and the second being an M1912. Was there any system about when the simple "US" and when then"USNA" collar buttons were used?

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I know the thread is a month old but I would like to say that the last US tunic shown with the 1/2 inch stripes on the lower sleeves is an officers jacket that has enlisted collar tabs added to it. With the crossed rifles and US reversed as to how they should be worn. While many enlisted men privately purchased officers tunics to use they removed the 1/2 inch horizontal officers stripes from the sleeves. The chevrons on the lower left sleeve indicate service time, when in gold they are for overseas service. In silver, service states side.
The first tunic shown is a model 1918 with patch pockets. There was a second model 1918 with hidden pockets similar to the British made tunic with hidden pockets that had a broad arrow marking on the lining of the jacket used by American troops. The model 1912 had 2 horizontal lines sewn approximately 4 inches up from the cuff. The model 1917 had no horizontal sewn seam on the cuff.
Hope this is of some help.
Steve
 
Hey Steve,
Good catch on the second tunic, it is indeed and officer's tunic, I would be surprised if an enlisted man would have worn this tunic with out removing the officer's braid from the cuff.
Gus
 
Robert said:
Thanks for taking the time to help ID these!
Click to expand...
Your welcome sir.
I know a little about WWI US, nothing in depth. I just stacked up 75 or 80 uniforms during the 70's and 80's when they were common at estate sales and auctions, most with shoulder patches.
Steve
 
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