Found these nice HBT special trousers recently. I'm looking for any information on these. Also, they are in such good condition that I'm worried they might be a repro. Thoughts?
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Found these nice HBT special trousers recently. I'm looking for any information on these. Also, they are in such good condition that I'm worried they might be a repro. Thoughts?
Bellgrade Mfg. Co., Winder, Ga. had QMC contracts for "Trousers" "Wool Field Trousers" and four contracts for "Herringbone Trousers"
Purchase Orders were often used to buy items manufactured with materials provided for a contract over the contracted quantity, or to purchase items as a supplement to an existing contract, often when a contractor is performing well i.e. producing in accordance with the contract specifications or better (low rejection rate, deliveries faster than specified, etc.)
Everything about the trousers in the image provided is consistent with standard contract (purchase order) lableing, including the size label, in practice during WWII. My opinion is the trousers are authetic.
BTW "Wool Field Trousers" was the nomenclature for the standardized trousers that were issued with the "Wool Field Jacket" (usually referred to by collector's as the "Ike jacket").
In many of the early contracts the nomenclature "Trousers" was used for at least two different trousers so it is unsure whether the trousers manufactured were the cotton summer (khakis) uniform or cotton poplin (OD) field trousers, probably the later. The later contract listings were more definitive as to the material manufactured.
On the label, above "HBT OD-7", it says "Trousers, Special" so you're probably right about them being cotton field trousers. They're definitely not wool. This is great to hear, thanks!