Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled “America’s WWII Battle Against Winter” and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/us-army-cold-weather-gear-world-war-ii/.
America’s WWII Battle Against Winter
- Thread starter Mike H.
- Start date
Warrior9(Ret)
Custom
When I was assigned to the Berlin Brigade in the early 80s we were still being issued WW2 / Korean War era Winter uniform clothing. Pile caps, wool field pants and shirts, field pants with liners, parkas with liner and fur lined hood, wool “Jeep” sweaters, wool scarves, wool underwear (base layer), heavy weight wool socks and “Micky Mouse” insulated boots.Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled “America’s WWII Battle Against Winter” and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/us-army-cold-weather-gear-world-war-ii/.
It worked but once you got cold you stayed cold. Ah Yes, The life of a ground pounding knuckle dragging Grunt
Sld1959
Ronin
Oh yeah this brings back memories. Used a lot of old WWII surplus , cold and otherwise, gear when I was young especially for boy scout winter activities and hunting. Tents, sleeping bags, boots, hats, gloves, coats, longjohn and for hunting the big thing was WWII Marine Corps camouflage pattern, hats, pants and shirts. .
It was all used a lot my dad and my uncle, my boyscout leader, used to get this nice surplus gear catalog, sure wish I could remember the name of the company. But darn nesr everything we used outdoors came out of it.
God I remember hours spent poring thru that catalog.
It was all used a lot my dad and my uncle, my boyscout leader, used to get this nice surplus gear catalog, sure wish I could remember the name of the company. But darn nesr everything we used outdoors came out of it.
God I remember hours spent poring thru that catalog.
lkjohnson17
Operator
My father was part of the First Infantry Division (Big Reg One) from 1942 to 1945. One of the few things he talked about in his wartime experience was how cold it was at the Battle of the Bulge. He said that every morning each man was given his steel helmet full of hot water to clean up with, and that before one could get shaved, the water was cold and would freeze as soon as it hit the ground. He marveled at the young Belgium civilians that wore only heavy sweaters while the soldiers wore so many clothes they could hardly bend their arms.
Warrior9(Ret)
Custom
Yep. My friends and I used to play Army all the time. We got a lot of gear from our relatives.
I got an inert WW2 “Pineapple” training grenade from my uncle. I took it to school for “Show and Tell”. I didn’t know my elementary school teacher was a Korean War veteran.
He freaked out when I took the grenade out of the paper bag I had it in. He carefully removed the fuse from the main body, put everything back in the bag, then marched me and my grenade to the Principal’s Office.
I got grounded for a month and wasn’t allowed to play Army anymore. I had all my stuff taken away.
My uncle thought it was funny. So did my dad. My Mom….. Not so much
The Night Rider
Professional
I arrived in Germany in 1988 and I had the same issue. We weren't allowed to ever wear the Parka or the Mickey Mouse boots.When I was assigned to the Berlin Brigade in the early 80s we were still being issued WW2 / Korean War era Winter uniform clothing. Pile caps, wool field pants and shirts, field pants with liners, parkas with liner and fur lined hood, wool “Jeep” sweaters, wool scarves, wool underwear (base layer), heavy weight wool socks and “Micky Mouse” insulated boots.
It worked but once you got cold you stayed cold. Ah Yes, The life of a ground pounding knuckle dragging Grunt
I was in Germany when the Gortex Matterhorns became available. I bought a pair but they didn't work for me.
I got a pair of the Summer Matterhorns at Fort Carson and I loved them
Warrior9(Ret)
Custom
I PCS’ed from Fort Lewis, WA ( 9th Infantry Division) to the 3rd Armored Division in Germany (Ray Barracks) in the late 80s.
I did some trading with a Supply Sergeant buddy and he got me 2 brand new pairs of insulated Danner “Go Devil” boots.
My feet were happy when we went to Graf or Hohenfels for training
The Night Rider
Professional
I'm pretty sure I've talked about The Winter That Never Ended before.
It started snowing and mid September of 2019. We got at least an inch of snow (and a couple of good blizzards) every month until June of 2020.
I think the last of the snow was melted by July. July and August were more like late spring than Summer and it started snowing again in late August and it snowed every month until February and the snow was still on the ground in mid March of 2021.
I also spent two winters in Germany mostly in the Field.
Nobody gets to tell me I don't know about cold.
It started snowing and mid September of 2019. We got at least an inch of snow (and a couple of good blizzards) every month until June of 2020.
I think the last of the snow was melted by July. July and August were more like late spring than Summer and it started snowing again in late August and it snowed every month until February and the snow was still on the ground in mid March of 2021.
I also spent two winters in Germany mostly in the Field.
Nobody gets to tell me I don't know about cold.
Warrior9(Ret)
Custom
Yes Sir. Bosnia manning a checkpoint up in those mountains was probably the coldest I’ve ever been
The Night Rider
Professional
I went on a backpacking trip pretty close to treeline in February one year. I think it was around 20 below Fahrenheit.
That's probably the coldest I've ever been.
The Night Rider
Professional
I enlisted in February 1988, I left the Army in February 2003.
My initial issue was the wool Winter socks, the wool long johns, the M65 Field Jacket and the field jacket liner.
The Winter parka, the wool Jeep Sweater (which wasn't bad but extremely maintenance intensive), the Mickey Mouse boots the rubberized wet weather suit and wet weather boots and the wool scarf and Pile Cap were all TA-50. I turned them in every time I PCS'd and drew "new" from CIF every time I got to a new duty station.
I think the Matterhorn gortex boots and Gortex started being available in 1989 or early 1990. I don't think I was issued the Gortex Jacket until I got to Fort Carson.
IME both the Matterhorns and the Gortex Weather Jacket kinda sucked.
I first got the Polypropylene long johns at Fort Carson I wasn't particularly impressed with them either
The only USGI cold weather gear I ever got that I really liked was the ECWCS black fleece and the Waffle Tops.
My initial issue was the wool Winter socks, the wool long johns, the M65 Field Jacket and the field jacket liner.
The Winter parka, the wool Jeep Sweater (which wasn't bad but extremely maintenance intensive), the Mickey Mouse boots the rubberized wet weather suit and wet weather boots and the wool scarf and Pile Cap were all TA-50. I turned them in every time I PCS'd and drew "new" from CIF every time I got to a new duty station.
I think the Matterhorn gortex boots and Gortex started being available in 1989 or early 1990. I don't think I was issued the Gortex Jacket until I got to Fort Carson.
IME both the Matterhorns and the Gortex Weather Jacket kinda sucked.
I first got the Polypropylene long johns at Fort Carson I wasn't particularly impressed with them either
The only USGI cold weather gear I ever got that I really liked was the ECWCS black fleece and the Waffle Tops.
The Night Rider
Professional
Is it just me or does the guy in the OGs have that M1 Carbine pointed right at the other guys head?
KillerFord1977
SAINT
He is side step of and separate to the other soldier based on his foot in his lower back
Cedric
Custom
The sad thing is it took until the 80s until any serious work was done on cold weather gear. I will say though, I found the wool shirt and the field trousers with long johns and sweaters work very well in Northern Bavaria in the winter. Hands and feet were a different issue and the wool socks with standard combat boot didn't cut it, and the wool insert leather gloves were soaked through in about 15 minutes. The worst piece of gear IMO in the 70s was the VN era rain jacket which once the temperature went below 40 became stiff as a board and was frozen in the shape you folded it in your pack. In the 80s Gortex with the liner worked well I thought, but not every trooper had them. I liked the polypro a lot.
Still have a pair.
Still have a pair.
The Night Rider
Professional
I was SP Artillery in Germany. They issued us Nomex overalls and Gloves. Those Nomex gloves worked great with the leather gloves
The Night Rider
Professional
FWIW Gortex doesn't work.
What he's talking about in this video exactly mirrors my experience with the Army Gortex rain jacket.
What he's talking about in this video exactly mirrors my experience with the Army Gortex rain jacket.
rcurtner
Professional
I was in 1/68 armor 8th Infantry Division, Baumholder, Germany 1965-67. During my first winter in M-60 tanks caught myself thinking how bad the guys had it in the Shermans and other armor in this bitter cold. Of course we had heaters that were pretty good when they worked. We all bitched about the weather but the grunts had it so much worse. Have tremendous respect for the soldiers who fought in the European theatre as well as the heat in the Pacific theatre.Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled “America’s WWII Battle Against Winter” and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/us-army-cold-weather-gear-world-war-ii/.
Warrior9(Ret)
Custom
When I was stationed in Germany with the 3rd Armored Division I took a new OD Wet Weather jacket and poncho liner to the German clothing alternation shop and he insulated the jacket, including the hood, with the poncho liner. I loved the jacket. Kept me warm even in Graf or Hohenfels during the winter
Warrior9(Ret)
Custom
The new ECWCS has 7 layers to it now. It actually works well and is easily packed into the new modular rucksacks.
The Night Rider
Professional
Disclaimer: Eastern Colorado is, depending on who you ask, either a High Plains Desert or a Sub-Airid climate.
Since 2020 I think I've actually needed a raincoat three times and never longer than a couple of hours.
In between the old OD green army wet weather top (which sucked almost as bad as the Gore-Tex) and the Gore-Tex coat the Army came out with something called the ORC rain suit.
It was basically the Gore-Tex jacket without the Gore-Tex. I assume that there were pants that went with it but I never saw any. It wasn't in the Army inventory very long. The Army started to issue the Gore-Tex before the ORC made it to general issue.
I have seen a bunch of the Air Force version of it and apparently it was part of their issue until just a few years ago.
The ORC was designed so you could button in the nylon Field Jacket liner just like you could with the M65 Field Jacket.
Personally I wouldn't put a field jacket liner in it because there are better options.
I've already posted my video about how Gore-Tex doesn't work.
The thing about that I like about the ORC is that I can open the pit zips up all the way and instead of zipping it up I can button it closed so I have plenty of ventilation.
I've owned it for probably 2 years and actually had to use it once. It did keep me dry from the rain and I didn't sweat my ass off.