More Uniform info

[Woodard]

I stumbeled across a good portion of the 1st Marine Divisions "Periodic Intelligence Reports" while searching an archive for info on 11th Marines (see the Marine Corps section for a link to the archive). Anyway, I found this stuff in Periodic Intel Report 206 (May 16, 1951). It differs somewhat from Chinese sources, but it's worth posting. It seems to focus on officer uniforms (In the hopes Marines will be able to distinguish them for capture or sniping purposes).

[foxholetom]

Interesting stuff, especially about the undershirts (imo).

[Woodard]

I think a lot of that stuff is just "Open source" info on the Chinese Army that applies more to the mainland than Korea. For example, troops in China all wore peaked caps (In the Chinese section there are some "official" pics of the type 50 uniforms), but I've never seen or heard of them being worn in Korea. Same with the Red star on the caps, taking that off was part of the whole "People's Volunteers" versus "PLA Chinese Army that could drag the mainland into the war" thing.

[pop401k]

One photo of a Chinese prisoner...sitting with cap on crooked, has him wearing a "Henley"? type undershirt... no collar, 3-4 buttons down the front...you can see it through his open collar.

[Woodard]

I have a feeling that underwear was pretty much a matter of whatever you could get. In the new movie about the Chinese Civil war "Assembly" several guys are wearing what appear to be bath towels as scarfs.

[Woodard]

A little scrap of info courtesy of 1st Marines, Dated Nov29, 1950. I really want to find more of these "Periodic intelligence reports", I've found tons of info just in the small percentage of ones I have from 1st Marine Division. I think all the divisions did them, then Far East Command had a larger one.

[zb30]

Ha ha ha, beef jerkey!!!

[Woodard]

A report from a Marine Sgt. captured and released in DEC of 1950.