1947 USAF - service cap info

[Stearmen]

I know that they were still issuing OD Ike jackets and trousers to the young Air Force recruits as late as 1958. My neighbor still has his, and it was exactly the same as issued to my Father in WWII. After he made it through boot, he then got his blues.

 

[Colonel Adam]

I know that they were still issuing OD Ike jackets and trousers to the young Air Force recruits as late as 1958. My neighbor still has his, and it was exactly the same as issued to my Father in WWII. After he made it through boot, he then got his blues.

That's very interesting. There's really a lot of confusion on this subject. No doubt the main reason is because none of us is old enough to have first-hand knowledge.
After doing some research, this is the impression I'm left with: when the Army Air Forces broke from the Army in '47 there uniforms were the same Army uniforms they wore in WWII, "with few exceptions," what ever those were--perhaps this means little more than different Air Force specific insignia. In '49 the new blue uniform was created, and there was a grace period between '49 and June of '52. Remember, the Korean War broke out in '50, so it makes sense that a lot of Airmen had to take what they could get. However, and I'm going to recheck this, I believe this grace period did not apply to officers. They were required to make the change in '49, as soon as new uniforms became available. This makes sense when you consider officers were required to buy their uniforms, as well as set an example.
Also, there seems to be some confusion between a "grace period" and a "transitional period." For those who might not be exactly sure what that difference is, it means that Airmen had a few years "grace period" to make the "transition", or to switch, from the old uniforms to the new. This does not mean they could mix and match, willy-nilly, between the two uniforms. They could not, for example, wear the new blue service cap and choose to use the old gold cap device, or opt to wear the old green cap with brown bill and chin strap with the new blue uniform and black shoes--or old green cap, new blue coat, khaki trousers, one black shoe and one brown shoe. See how absurd this can quickly become? It means they were allowed to wear the old green uniform, entirely, OR the new blue uniform, entirely. Also, this does not mean that the Air Force made uniforms using some old uniform parts mixed with some new uniform parts. In other words, they did not make new blue caps and use old, surplus brown billls; they made new blue caps with new black bills, with new silver cap devices. (By the way, service caps have "cap devices" not "badges." Servicemen wear devices, cops wear badges--if anyone cares.)
I think it would a great idea if more people talked with some old guys who actually served back in those days. Anything they can offer would be of great value. There aren't many of them left any more. Sadly, my estranged father was in Korea--one of the Frozen Chosin, and switched from Marines to Air Force after the war. He would have known all about this subject, but he too has passed.
I think I'll start a new post going into greater detail on this subject, after doing a little more research. I find it interesting, and apparently so do some others. Please look for it.
And if anyone can tell me what the actual name for the "scrambled eggs " on the bills are called, please let me know. For the life of me I can't remember. Thanks everyone!

 

[TPD166]

From the current Army uniform reg:

Service cap.
Visor and visor ornamentation. The visor is plain black leather or poromeric with a leather finish. The visor
ornamentation is as follows:
(1) General and field grade officers. The top of the visor is black cloth with two arcs of oak leaves in groups of
two, embroidered in gold bullion, synthetic metallic gold-colored yarn, or manufactured from anodized aluminum in 24-karat gold color.

And if anyone can tell me what the actual name for the "scrambled eggs " on the bills are called, please let me know. For the life of me I can't remember. Thanks everyone!

 

[TPD166]

Navy cap description from current reg:

2. Visor Ornamentation: a. Male and female flag officers' cap visors are covered with dark blue cloth, embroidered with two rows of gold oak leaves and acorns. The hat band is encircled at the top by gold braid piping approximately 1/8 inch wide.

b. For Captains and Commanders the visor/hat band ornamentation is one vice two rows of the same ornamentation as for Flag Officers.

 

[TPD166]

Air Force visor (from current AFI 36-2903, Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel):

6.2.3.1. General Officer Service Cap. The visor will have three clouds and darts on each side and the insignia will not have a circle.


6.2.3.2. Field Grade Officer Service Cap. The visor will have two clouds and darts on each side and the insignia will not have a circle.

 

[TPD166]

This came from another thread on TFL (but I can't remember which one now) - as I recall this is from Korea about 1952 or '53. Quite a mix of green and blue.

 

[Colonel Adam]

From the current Army uniform reg:

Service cap.
Visor and visor ornamentation. The visor is plain black leather or poromeric with a leather finish. The visor
ornamentation is as follows:
(1) General and field grade officers. The top of the visor is black cloth with two arcs of oak leaves in groups of
two, embroidered in gold bullion, synthetic metallic gold-colored yarn, or manufactured from anodized aluminum in 24-karat gold color.

Thanks.

 

[Colonel Adam]

From the current Army uniform reg:

Service cap.
Visor and visor ornamentation. The visor is plain black leather or poromeric with a leather finish. The visor
ornamentation is as follows:
(1) General and field grade officers. The top of the visor is black cloth with two arcs of oak leaves in groups of
two, embroidered in gold bullion, synthetic metallic gold-colored yarn, or manufactured from anodized aluminum in 24-karat gold color.

I remember ! It's called "fretting."

From the current Army uniform reg:

Service cap.
Visor and visor ornamentation. The visor is plain black leather or poromeric with a leather finish. The visor
ornamentation is as follows:
(1) General and field grade officers. The top of the visor is black cloth with two arcs of oak leaves in groups of
two, embroidered in gold bullion, synthetic metallic gold-colored yarn, or manufactured from anodized aluminum in 24-karat gold color.

 

[Colonel Adam]

Air Force visor (from current AFI 36-2903, Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel):

6.2.3.1. General Officer Service Cap. The visor will have three clouds and darts on each side and the insignia will not have a circle.


6.2.3.2. Field Grade Officer Service Cap. The visor will have two clouds and darts on each side and the insignia will not have a circle.

There are also lightning bolt in there--sparks, farts, and darts--lightning bolts, clouds, and arrows.

 

[Colonel Adam]

From the current Army uniform reg:

Service cap.
Visor and visor ornamentation. The visor is plain black leather or poromeric with a leather finish. The visor
ornamentation is as follows:
(1) General and field grade officers. The top of the visor is black cloth with two arcs of oak leaves in groups of
two, embroidered in gold bullion, synthetic metallic gold-colored yarn, or manufactured from anodized aluminum in 24-karat gold color.

I remember now. What I was looking for was what the "scrambled eggs" were actually called. It's fretting.

 

[Colonel Adam]

I agree MacArthur's "Philippine Field Marshal" hat in khaki was his idea. U.S. Army General Officers did not wear any visor or braid ornamentation on the OD/brown or khaki uniform caps until the 1950s when the modern green uniform was adopted. However, they did have "scrambled eggs" and oak leaf braid on their dress blue and dress white uniform caps starting with (at least) the 1902 design - and it appears that MacArthur took his design from the Army GO dress caps.


At some point, following the design of the Army's GO cap braid ornamentation, the USAF expanded the "farts and darts" (officially the "thundercloud and dart" design) to the cap braid for the Chief of Staff - here is GEN Hoyt Vandenberg wearing the USAF CoS cap.

That's a really great point about cap braids, which I now remember is called "fretting." I for one, don't know hardly anything about uniforms before WWII.

 

[Colonel Adam]

That's very interesting. There's really a lot of confusion on this subject. No doubt the main reason is because none of us is old enough to have first-hand knowledge.
After doing some research, this is the impression I'm left with: when the Army Air Forces broke from the Army in '47 there uniforms were the same Army uniforms they wore in WWII, "with few exceptions," what ever those were--perhaps this means little more than different Air Force specific insignia. In '49 the new blue uniform was created, and there was a grace period between '49 and June of '52. Remember, the Korean War broke out in '50, so it makes sense that a lot of Airmen had to take what they could get. However, and I'm going to recheck this, I believe this grace period did not apply to officers. They were required to make the change in '49, as soon as new uniforms became available. This makes sense when you consider officers were required to buy their uniforms, as well as set an example.
Also, there seems to be some confusion between a "grace period" and a "transitional period." For those who might not be exactly sure what that difference is, it means that Airmen had a few years "grace period" to make the "transition", or to switch, from the old uniforms to the new. This does not mean they could mix and match, willy-nilly, between the two uniforms. They could not, for example, wear the new blue service cap and choose to use the old gold cap device, or opt to wear the old green cap with brown bill and chin strap with the new blue uniform and black shoes--or old green cap, new blue coat, khaki trousers, one black shoe and one brown shoe. See how absurd this can quickly become? It means they were allowed to wear the old green uniform, entirely, OR the new blue uniform, entirely. Also, this does not mean that the Air Force made uniforms using some old uniform parts mixed with some new uniform parts. In other words, they did not make new blue caps and use old, surplus brown billls; they made new blue caps with new black bills, with new silver cap devices. (By the way, service caps have "cap devices" not "badges." Servicemen wear devices, cops wear badges--if anyone cares.)
I think it would a great idea if more people talked with some old guys who actually served back in those days. Anything they can offer would be of great value. There aren't many of them left any more. Sadly, my estranged father was in Korea--one of the Frozen Chosin, and switched from Marines to Air Force after the war. He would have known all about this subject, but he too has passed.
I think I'll start a new post going into greater detail on this subject, after doing a little more research. I find it interesting, and apparently so do some others. Please look for it.
And if anyone can tell me what the actual name for the "scrambled eggs " on the bills are called, please let me know. For the life of me I can't remember. Thanks everyone!

I just remembered, the real name for "scrambled eggs " is fretting.