1943-44 Road Gray Marines Jersey

1943-1944 U.S. Marines Jersey.

Showing the soutache and the red button over the letter on the placket.

Perhaps the most common or readily available World War II-vintage military baseball item of the past several years is this road gray, 1943-44 Marines jersey. In the past year (2017) alone, there were more than a half-dozen (in varying conditions ranging from very rough to pristine) jerseys and uniform sets listed for sale in online auctions.  A standard feature of these WWII jerseys is the non-standard button hole alignment, the result of which places a button centered in the lettering on the placket. The lone red button for this particular position matches the red coloring of the wool felt letter on which it rests when the buttons are fastened. In the spring of 2017, a home (white) version of this jersey surfaced and was added to this collection.

The accompanying trousers are constructed with the same color and weight of wool flannel and lack the trim features that are present on the jersey. Some uniform sets sold in the past few years have featured a single line of the red soutache (as is used on the jersey) extending from the belt-line to the cuff on the outside of each leg.

Uniform Features:

Jersey:

  • Buttons: The buttons are light gray-colored plastic, convex, two-hole with the exception of the (red) color-matched one, positioned over the “I” in the M A R I N E S lettering.
  • Material: The base material is heavy-weight road gray wool-flannel.
  • Soutache: A double line of thin red rayon material encircling the collar and down the placket. The closely-aligned double line soutache is positioned at the edge of the sleeve cuffs.
  • Lettering: Lightweight red athletic felt block lettering spelling out the team namein an arc across the chest, on both sides of the placket.
  • Numerals: None.
  • Sleeves: Ten-twelve inches, gusseted with embroidered armpit vent holes.
  • Other features: A sun-collar is standard for the road gray versions of the Marines jerseys.
  • Tag:  No manufacturer’s tags. There is a small white tag with red numerals indicating the size of the jersey (“38”).

Trousers:

  • Buttons: Light gray-colored plastic, convex, two-hole buttons (similar to those on the jersey).
  • Material: The base material is road gray wool-flannel.
  • Soutache: None.
  • Tags:  No manufacturer’s tags. There is a small white tag with red numerals indicating the size of the trousers (“36”).
  • Other Features: None.

  Return to Archive of Marine Corps Uniforms and Jerseys

%d bloggers like this: