U.S. Army M1943 uniform

By 1941, soldiers wore an olive drab wool flannel shirt and wool serge trousers in winter and a cotton khaki shirt and trousers in summer, both worn with ankle-high russet brown leather service shoes and light OD canvas leggings.

Armored units still used wool riding breeches and wore high-lacing boots in some cases, and paratroopers were forced to use a general-issue HBT coverall with no real suitable footwear.

The combat wool, khaki, and paratrooper trousers all did not have adequate locking stitches in the crotch resulting in frequent tears at that stress point.

Paratrooper uniforms also often tore at the knees and elbows; they were often reinforced with canvas patches added by soldiers.

The herringbone twill fatigue uniform was also changed to OD7, with the trousers redesigned to have two large cargo pockets on the side.

To replace the separate canvas leggings, new M-1943 Combat Service Boots included an integrated leather cuff that was fastened by two buckles.

The uniform was designed to be warm in winter by use of separate liners for the jackets and trousers, both made of faux fur "pile".

The uniform was tested in Italy in 1943 by the 45th Infantry Division and the 3rd Infantry Division but some GIs (including Bill Mauldin) claim that non-combatant officers and enlisted personnel would use their position in the rear to get the new uniform, delaying the ultimate field testing in Italy for some time longer.