Evolution of American Army Uniforms | Animated History

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rest of the world during the first years of their existence the american military was not formally organized until prussian officer friedrich von steuben disciplined them into a true fighting force at valley forge where americans began habitually wearing uniforms these newly professionalized soldiers marched to victories at saratoga kings mountain and ultimately yorktown although continental militiamen were used extensively for the entirety of the war unlike their musketeer counterparts morgan's rifleman who functioned as a light infantry force carried a true rifle the grooved barrels of which allowed the musket ball to spin for far greater accuracy uniforms of this period maintained a predominantly blue color palette although some details of the uniform convinced a prussian influence particularly the cuffs and collar officers continued to have edged weapons at their side a popular piece for ranked individuals of most armies around the world the pommels of american sabres were styled after eagles heads further cementing the bald eagle as a symbol of american identity american forces were able to stand their ground and hold the line during the siege of fort texas although the blue color was still prominent there was a noticeable change in headwear soldiers began to wear a type of visor cap in contrast to the taller and somewhat less fashionable shackle style hats union troops also known as federals were outfitted in dark blue tunics and cappy hats borrowed from the french design while this was the standard uniform for the union some regiments opted for entirely different uniforms when the confederate states seceded from the union the cs army opted for a more gray and earthy tone the confederate soldier for a good part of the early war period had to make do with older less effective muskets jewavs were a class of light infantry regiments that were linked primarily with the french army units serving in north africa during the time in the u.s it was a man by the name of elmer e ellsworth who before the war ran a drill company called the jewel of cadets who practiced in the manner of their french namesakes such units were raised on both sides of the war such as the union's 11th new york infantry the new york fire joavs as the united states began its expansionist phase the army continued to modernize and adapt to the changing battlefield while previously introduced for far out western territories the montana peaked design hat was adopted by the army as a service cover the army at this time also developed a tropical lightweight uniform for its campaigns in east asia when the united states entered the great war they had adapted much of the appearance of their british counterparts the steel brody helmet often nicknamed a doughboy helmet and khaki or olive drab battle dress the american expeditionary force fought its way to victory on the western front the united states saw its ground forces make their debut in operation torch fighting alongside the british in north africa against the ferocious german africa corps ultimately driving the nazis back to the italian mainland taking note of the effectiveness of the german falsehood paratroopers the us developed their own airborne troops who contributed greatly to victory in europe from the night landings prior to d-day to the invasion of germany american airborne infantry were crucial to the allies victory rangers were elite light infantry forces organized in company size formations rangers famously scaled puente du hawk on d-day to eliminate artillery pieces which the germans had evacuated just prior but they also won fame in italy at the anzio beachhead prior to operation shingle by the time of the battle of the bulge airborne units had fought through most of german-occupied europe and now held their own during the siege of bastogne from december 1944 to january of 1945 the battle hardened screaming eagles of the 101st defended the city against determined german attacks united states marines under the u.s navy formed the bulk of the ground forces in the pacific theater they carried out the lightning fast island hopping campaign across imperial japanese territory with marines planting these stars and stripes on mount suribachi during the capture of iwo jima becoming an iconic image of the second world war the army air forces was responsible for most of the aerial combat during the war widely recognized by their hap arnold wing's insignia and their famous winged propeller on their uniforms the army air forces were ultimately responsible for the two atomic weapons unleashed on nagasaki and hiroshima swiftly if not controversially ending the war in the pacific following the second world war they would be split from the army to become the united states air force following the end of the second world war the united states infantrymen remained relatively unchanged in gear and appearance though now they were a battle-hardened force experienced on all sides of the globe by this time the us military as a whole had been desegregated by executive order 9981 of president truman during the vietnam war u.s ground forces fought not only the north vietnamese and their guerrilla warfare tactics they fought against the tropical conditions of vietnam itself [Music] uniforms would wear and tear until they disintegrated off of a soldier's body a torn up uniform came to be a mark of experience and veterans when the war ended many found themselves struggling to readjust to civilian life once they returned home vietnam veterans remain the largest population of military vets to this day in 1990 the iraqi army marched into kuwait this was met with both economic sanctions by united nations members and the largest coalition of allied nations since the second world war live news broadcasts displayed u.s forces clad in camouflage uniforms attuned to the desert environment during operation desert shield and operation desert storm in the following year when kosovo declared independence in 1999 serbian forces were sent in to reconquer the breakaway republic and began a campaign of ethnic cleansing nato forces intervened and ended the 78-day conflict u.s forces were equipped with new body armor derived from earlier flak vests during the vietnam war the tragic attacks on september 11 2001 saw the american troops march into the middle east to begin the international campaign known as the global war on terror to adjust to the desert environment troops were issued an improved desert camouflage uniform and equipment that assisted them in this new battlefield dominated by urban combat in time the us army saw fit to consolidate their camouflage patterns rather than having two separate ones it was decided to attempt a universal pattern this pattern became the face of the american soldier for over a decade until the army then realized how ineffective this pattern was the modern soldier now wears proper battle dress as the fight against terrorism continues in the middle east army infantrymen primarily train at fort benning georgia dubbed the home of the infantry as of 2019 the us army introduced a new service uniform that harked back to the days of the second world war and korea a modern iteration of the pinks and greens the uniform that the greatest generation made famous during the 1940s and 1950s in arlington national cemetery soldiers of the 3rd infantry regiment dubbed the old guard stand sentinel at the tomb of the unknown soldier these sentinels remain as guardians 24 hours a day 7 days a week 365 days a year since april 1948 their duty is to guard and honor those who died in combat but whose identities remain unknown [Music] [Music] you

Channel: The Armchair Historian

Views: 920,390

Rating: 4.9248991 out of 5

Keywords: American uniforms, american soldiers, the evolution of american uniforms, american army uniforms, history of uniforms, american camouflage, camouflage patterns, service uniform, greens and pinks, operational camouflage pattern, army combat uniform

Id: 4piK2OfRhR4

Length: 10min 45sec (645 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 04 2021