TROUSERS, PATTERN 1937, OD, LIGHT SHADE

The basic field uniform of the American soldier in the ETO was a wool shirt and trousers of 1930s pattern. During the war years the same wool shirt and pants, cleaned and pressed and with the addition of a necktie and jacket, also constituted the dress uniform.
The trousers are always a yellowish green (described as mustard) shade of olive drab (OD). The fly buttons up with 1/2 " diameter reddish brown plastic buttons. All five pockets are inside hung. There are two back pockets without flaps. Don't buy pants with flapped back pockets as they are either officer pattern or postwar. The front pockets are set in right on the seam in the simplest possible manner. This is a major characteristic of W.W.II trousers. Don't buy pants with any other type of hip pocket. The final pocket is a small unflapped watch pocket on the front of the right hip just below the waistband. The waistband and pocket lining is made of white cotton twill. Most W.W.II era trousers you encounter will be have a flap sewn inside the fly that buttons across the front with one button before you button the fly up normally. This feature is intended to protect the wearer from vessicant gasses (blistering agents like mustard gas). Sometimes the gas flap was removed and some trousers, mostly pre-W.W.II, never had it.

If the quartermaster label hasn't been ripped out, it will be found sewn onto the back of the right side hip picket lining. Size information is always stamped on this tag but is sometimes ink stamped on the inside of the waistband too. Try the pants on before you buy because they have had 50 years to shrink! Never pass up a large size, 36" waist and up, as they are the most difficult to find.

Mothing lowers the value of trousers significantly but you may want to consider buying a damaged pair if it is cheap enough. Combat is tough on clothing and a few holes or tears in you uniform is a nice authentic touch. In fact, your field uniform should always be as dirty and wrinkled as possible. We never wash ours so they maintain an authentic lived in look. After the reenactment you fold it on the seems and roll it up so it doesn't look well creased when you put in on for the next event a few months later. You must buy another shirt and pants for use on dress occasions.