Tankers Overalls

Tank crews had specially designed trousers, helmets and other clothing to facilitate their work in cramped quarters that were always too hot or too cold. The full description of the development of clothing for armored forces is found on the page titled World War II Clothing for Armored Forces.

Trousers, Combat, Winter
Trousers, Combat, Winter.
Photo courtesy of eBay seller frog5847

Today in WW II: 14 Apr 1940 British North Western Expeditionary Force begins landing in Norway to oppose German invasion. More ↓
14 Apr 1942 Destroyer USS Roper [DD-147] sinks German U-boat U-85 in the Atlantic Ocean off North Carolina, the first such sinking of the war.
14 Apr 1943 US Navy Fleet Radio Unit Pacific intercepts message NTF131755 (decrypted by Project Magic) enabling mission 4 days later to shoot down Japanese Combined Fleet Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto.
14 Apr 1945 Gen. Truscott's US Fifth Army begins ground attack in the Po Valley of Northern Italy.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.

Trousers, Combat, Winter: Tankers Overalls

Handing out tanker uniforms in Holland, 1944
Armored unit in Holland receives tanker uniforms, 1944.

Trousers, Combat, Winter detail of second pattern bib hardware
Trousers, Combat, Winter detail of second pattern bib hardware.
Photo courtesy of eBay seller frog5847

Trousers, Combat, Winter Lower Leg
Trousers, Combat, Winter -- Lower Leg.
Photo courtesy of eBay seller frog5847

"Trousers, Combat, Winter" is the correct nomenclature for the "Tanker Overalls". This is the companion to the "Tanker Jacket" or "Jacket, Combat, Winter". The trousers were made of the same 8.2 oz cotton shell and wool blanket lining as the jacket, cut in the style of bib-overalls as you can see in the top photo on the page. The first pattern had suspenders stitched to the overalls on both front and back. The second pattern had attachment hardware in front, suspender adjustment clips, plus a groin zipper for relief.

There are short zippers at the bottom of each leg to facilitate putting on or removing the trousers with the boots on, along with a two position snap closure, as in the photo just above, right.

6th Armored Tanker inspecting M-4 Sherman Tank wearing Trousers, Combat, Winter over his Tanker Jacket. 6th Armored Division landed on Utah Beach in Normandy, 18 July 1944, and fought across Europe into Germany until April 1945
6th Armored Tanker inspecting M-4 Sherman Tank wearing Trousers, Combat, Winter over his Tanker Jacket.
6th Armored Division landed on Utah Beach in Normandy, 18 July 1944, and fought across Europe into Germany until April 1945.
Photo courtesy of eBay seller jdbassjr.

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