The war went on for years and seasons changed. This meant that camouflage had to be adjusted to cover different seasons. In the winter, when a lot of Central Europe was covered in snow, white was the chosen colour for the army’s gear. The US Army was no different. So here we will explore some WW2 American winter gear currently for sale across our partner websites.
WW2 American Cold Weather Boots
Also called mukluks, these boots were excellent for extreme cold temperatures and even snow. The last thing you wanted after all, were frostbitten and frozen feet! The leather sole and canvas upper material were very good at keeping the cold at bay. With the added bonus of felt inserts (which this seller includes with the item) they kept the soldiers’ feet warm and dry, especially when worn with thick, wool socks.
The US army tested the mukluks amongst a myriad of other winter gear during an expedition to Mount McKinley in Alaska. The expedition lasted 10 weeks but was ultimately a success!
This 1942-dated pair of cold weather boots is a size small and is available from The Collector’s Guild for $85.
WW2 American Winter Mitten Covers
Sticking with The Collector’s Guild and protecting your extremities; they also have a lovely pair of US winter mitten covers in white camouflage colour. They’d fit on top of soldiers’ normal gloves, and were adjustable with the use of strings at the cuff so they would stay on securely. The snap button flap was very useful for when the men actually required use of their hands, as they could just quickly open the popper without having to take the whole mitten cover off.
This 1942-dated pair is available for $38. Both this and the aforementioned winter boots would be excellent to complete a winter mannequin display and you could even combine shipping costs by purchasing from the same seller.
WW2 American Winter Overtrousers
One great way to stay warm is to layer your clothing. This goes for pants as well. So soldiers in extreme cold climates would have worn thick wool shorts/drawers, then their standard-issue trousers, followed by these nicely camouflaged white overtrousers. They were perfect in the snowy, freezing mountain areas for example.
This item is available for £185 from CS Militaria in the UK. It’s a size small and complete with the drawstring at the waist.
Winter Gloves Bundle
Sometimes the temperature wasn’t low enough to warrant wearing the mitten covers, but soldiers still would have needed warmer gear for the winter compared to their summer uniform. Therefore, every soldier would have been issued a pair of wool gloves/mittens to keep their hands warm during the colder months.
They basically look like an oddly-shaped mitten, due to having what is called a ‘trigger finger’. Of course in standard mittens, finger movement is restricted and dexterity isn’t great. And when finding yourself in the face of the enemy, you don’t exactly have enough time to take your mittens off and fire your gun! So in order to solve this issue, army mittens were modified to include an extra section for the index – or trigger – finger.
This bundle includes 10 pairs of US army wool mittens, all unissued. At 250€ that works out at 25€ a pair. Available from IMCS Militaria in Holland.
WW2 American Winter Drawers
Earlier when talking about the overtrousers, I mentioned thick, wool underwear. Here is one example currently for sale by 1944 Supply for 30€. They were the base and starting point of every soldier’s winter clothing. Then all the other layers followed. This example has a 1942 date and is in great condition. It is also complete with its drawstring at the waist and buttons at the front.
Interested in American items? CLICK HERE!
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