This article is about Underwear, Socks and undershirts for an enlisted man in the US Army
5 Undershirts, Cotton
5 Drawers, Cotton
3 Pr. Socks, Wool, Light
5 Pr. Socks, Cotton, Tan
from: QM Found
Undershirts
A lot of people believe that the undershirts worn during WW2 by enlisted-men were of the "wife-beater" type. Again, that is wrong is based on a neglect of research. Which seems to be a re-occurring theme in this hobby.
There were two types. A hot weather undershirt and a cold weather undershirt.
The hot weather shirt came in two types, believe it or not. There was the wife-beater type and a typical T-shirt type.
Don't believe me? Check out this picture:
Interesting: wife-beaters and regular T-shirts. Note also the white colored socks
Another "Reenactorism" is the belief that untucked shirts with some GIs in uniform and some in T-shirts or A-shirts (wife-beater types) is farby and innaccurate. Again, this is based on neglect of research.
Take note the GI with a wife-beater in this "posed" picture.
As for the untucked shirts. The appearance of a solider all depends on his immediate commander. In the Pacific Theater of Operations, there are many pictures of Army units fighting without shirts on, or shirts that have been untucked. You also had the function of the solider as well, as guarding against heat-exhaustion was more important than the appearance.
So clearly, basing an agrument on untucked and a "sloppy" apperence is some what pseudo at best.
Now, that is in the Pacific, but it also happened in Italy, with the 88th Infantry Division as well.
The above picture (found on page 52) is from the Bludevils in Italy by John P. Delaney. Printed in Nashville by The Battery Press, 1988.
So it is quite possible to combine t-shirts, A-shirts, untucked, tucked in, and no shirts all together in the same picture while still maintaining historic authenticity.
