MKII-H3
Mk II Helmet
US War Aid Clothing Italy, 1944: an infantryman wearing US-made battledress. This was one of the anomalies of wartime procurement: while trans-Atlantic; shipping space was at such a premium that many items of US web equipment were manufactured in the UK, at the same time US factories were producing BD and other equipment for the British Army. Production of BD began in January 1943 from specifications drawn up in autumn 1942; its issue was limited to Italy and the Mediterranean theatre. Battledress, Olive Drab, War Aid was of noticeably better fabric and a greener shade than British production. The most noticeable identifying feature is the fly front on the blouse but with exposed buttons to the unpleated pockets, Blouses had two labels on the internal right pocket, one unmistakably American giving contract and stock numbers, and the other giving typically British size ranges.