How did the U.S Army come to using an olive color for their uniforms in WW2?

by Hitty40
the_howling_cow

The M1941 field jacket that was very common through most of the war was quite light in color, and soldiers often resorted to turning it inside out to expose the darker inside part for better camouflage. The M1941 field jacket, in combination with the M1937 wool shirt, also provided little protection from cold weather. The field jacket also had only two small hand pockets, resembling something like a windbreaker.

The M1937 wool shirt and trousers, M1936 suspenders, M1938 dismounted leggings, and M1928 haversack with the M1910 entrenching tool and various other pieces of equipment used pre-1943 were made of a cloth having a color known as Olive Drab no. 3. Olive Drab no. 3 wasn't really what you would consider a "green" color, but ranged from a brownish tan to a sort of mustardy khaki color depending on the dye lot.

In 1943, the M1943 uniform was developed to replace the earlier type, correcting deficiences with equipment that in some cases was WWI vintage. It was first trialed at Anzio in early 1944. Along with a jacket and trousers, it had leather two-buckle boots to replace the Type II service shoes and difficult M1938 leggings, a new haversack system to replace the M1928 which many soldiers loathed, and a newly designed shorter folding entrenching tool. The color of this uniform and the associated equipment was changed to Olive Drab no. 7, a darker olive green or drab brownish color. From what I can draw from your question, this is probably what you're asking about.

There was an interesting transitional period in early 1944 where Olive Drab no. 3 and no. 7 cloths were mixed together in the same items, especially prominent around the edges of the M1943 entrenching tool covers.

The M1943 jacket was longer than the M1941 jacket and had four large pockets. Like the trousers the jacket fitted loosely to allow layering in cold weather; however, this was in practice uncommon. Most soldiers just wore a coat over the jacket. The M1943 uniform seems to have been issued piecemeal, with different elements showing up at different times. The M1943 uniform, either as a full set or its parts, were common in Europe (and moreso in Italy) by the end of 1944; the M1943 entrenching tool was used on D-Day, with about half the troops being equipped with it. Paratroopers received whole M1943 uniform sets before Operation Market Garden to replace their beat up M1942 uniforms which in some cases had been in use in Normandy and since the invasion of Sicily. The new infantry and armored divisions that arrived at the front in 1945 were completely equipped from the start with the new uniform and haversack system.

Keep in mind that the colors of the uniforms were government specified, but due to different manufacturer procedures, dyeing, and wartime quality control measures, they could range in hue quite significantly.