I was just kind of curious as to why the insignias on the box of the Tamiya US Combat Group are on a blue base. The following is a partial scan of the box.



I'm not an expert so I bow to the expertise here. What's up with the blue background?

I think it is just a poor printing that makes it come out looking blue. No US rank insignia has a blue background like that. WWII rank insignia was as you see below, OD Green and black.

Old US Army insignia used to be on a blue background. I remember my stepfather's OD green field jacket had a medium blue Spec 4 shield with yellow/gold eagle. He graduated high school in 1952 and served a 3 yr draft enlistment shortly after that.

According to this site, http://usmilitary.about.com/od/army/l/blstripehistory.htm, the background color changed to Army Green in 1955.

Thanks all! The link was very good.

The question that remains is why the insignias that Gino showed are the ones usually modelled?

Thanks again!

I believe the blue background was for dress/garrison uniforms and the ones I showed are the more common field uniform insignia. I could be wrong though, wouldn't be the first time.

Old "pickle suit" fatigues days were quite colorful in the pre-Vietnam War days. His jacket was the regular field jacket I was also issued in ROTC in 1982. The blue SP4 shield and black/gold US Army tapes and white name tape stood out. Real gaudy.

But they went so well with that "Bell hop / Pillbox cap" and the "heavily starched fatiques", and "spit shined boots". :-) :-)

I have no direct knowledge on the background colors, but I love the dress uniform theory.

Wasn't something like?
Blue = Infantry
Red = Artillery
Gold (yellow?) = Cavalry

Yup, still is that way on the lapels of the Mess Dress uniform as well. That's me with the snazzy looking matching red bow tie and cumberbun, at a St Barbara's Day Ball a couple years ago.



Man, I look good!!! :-) :-)

That's an interesting idea. The "branch" colors go back quite some time, and as far back as my memory goes, they have only been used on the Army Dress Blue and Mess Dress Blue uniforms, which are for more formal occasions. They are background colors for officer ranks, and on the hat bands and sleeve trim (as well as the lapels on officer Mess Dress uniform, but I don't believe they are used at all on enlisted uniforms.

I'm pretty sure that when you go back far enough, branch colors were used on enlisted chevrons. And if I'm not mistaken the trouser stripe at one time was also the branch color, which I believe may have contributed to the use of the term "red-leg" to identify artillerymen.

As a kid, I grew up on Army Posts in the '50s and the only color I ever recall seeing was the gold chevrons with a green/OD background. I just never remember seeing any with a blue background like that shown on any uniform

The style of chevrons depicted on the original question I believe are no older than some time in the 20th century. I can't say for certain when this style first originated, but for some reason, I'm thinking it was post
WW I.

Interesting topic, and I wish my dad was still around. He'd be able to find out the answer in more detail than you'd want!

Tom

EDIT

OK, Gino, you MADE me do it. Here's my late father, and my son at my retirement Dining Out

Holey Moley.... enough gold braid flying around to bankrupt Fort Knox...... :-)
You all look good in your dress blues gentlemen.

I think the confusion comes from Tamyia printing sky blue for a back ground color, not the proper dark blue, which in reality is so dark it is almost black, so it appears as more black than blue.

My issue boot camp dress blues were really black, and remained that color through over 4 years of washings and dry cleanings, along with my blue peacoat, which is still more black than blue 40 years later. Can't post a photo of it since the ex has it, I out grew it after my discharge, but it still keeps her warm....!!! (Never any gold on this boy, nor a good conduct medal.... :-) ) My "tailor mades" were also black, even though they were called blues.

Once again you guys look really good in those blues.

Just to re-cap to make sure I am understanding things correctly. The base color to an enlisted insignia, during WW2 (up to 1955) would have been a dark blue? So dark a blue that it could be mixed up as being black?

Thanks again!

You got it. I always thought it had been black

Tom: I'm glad one of ya'll had sense to sport the Armor / Cav yellow

WOW,

In my whole life I'd only seen one Dress Mess Uniform with the waistcoat. A high school buddy of mine was a 2nd Lt in the "Truck Drivers". (no idea what their color is) Now in one day, in one thread I've seen 3!!!!

Keep it up guys!

I just wanted to point out there were three color combinations of stripes. The OD green on black background that has already been shown was one. There was also a silver chevron on black background that was most common at the beginning of WWII. There was finally a version that was khaki chinos, bronze stripes on a khaki background. The two most common were the OD green on black and silver on black.

Tom, good looking group there. Great to see the continued military tradition in a family.

Even if they aren't all Artillerymen!!

My father was in artillery, so I guess that makes me artillery also....

I'm still looking for information about the 3 inch anti-aircraft that was used on Coregidor during WW2...

Thanks, Gino. I just wish my dad's younger brother, Bill had still been alive at the time. He retired as a Colonel of Infantry, so we had all the bases covered!

One confession, although that IS the Regimental Insignia of the 2nd FA on my lapel, by the time I retired I had left my beloved FA and had branch transfered (for the second time actually) and was retired in the Engineers. (Can't you tell from the funny buttons?? :-) :-) ) At least the engineers and field artillery share the same beautiful color since they were orginally one branch. And no offense to my MP brothers, but it's a MUCH nicer color than the green I sported as an LTC.

Since the photo, my son has now left the Army Guard, and gone back into the Navy. He's currently in Med School and an Ensign on his way to becoming a Navy Doctor. If you look REALLY closely on his mess jacket, those are the silver dolphins of enlisted submarine service he earned before he joined to Guard and became a medic.

The boy just can't seem to make up his mind!!!

And for Mark's benefit, directly from AR-670-1 here are the OFFICIAL Branch Colors. I'm guessing that a "truck driver" would be Transportation Corps.

Adjutant General Dark Blue and Scarlet
Air Defense Artillery/ Field Artillery Scarlet
Armor/ Cavalry Yellow
Aviation Ultramarine Blue and Golden Orange
Branch Immaterial Teal Blue and White
Chaplains Black
Chemical Corps Cobalt Blue and Golden Yellow
Civil Affairs Purple and White
Corps of Engineers Scarlet and White
Finance Corps Silver Gray and Golden Yellow
Infantry Light Blue
Inspector General Dark Blue and Light Blue
Judge Advocate General Dark Blue and White
Military Intelligence Oriental Blue and Silver Gray
Military Police Corps Green and Yellow
Ordnance Corps Crimson and Yellow
Quartermaster Corps Buff
Signal Corps Orange and White
Special Forces Jungle Green
Transportation Corps Brick Red and Golden Yellow
Warrant Officers Brown

Medical Maroon and White

· Army Medical Specialist Corps
· Army Nurse Corps
· Dental Corps
· Medical Corps
· Medical Service Corps
· Veterinary Corps