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Show jff UNIFORMS TO ! UNDERGO CHANGES Special Overseas Board Recommends Alterations in Clothing. AFFECTS ALL CLASSES Present Color of Materials to Remain, but Designs Are Modified. Radical changes in the uniform of both officers and men of the United States army have been f orked out by a special board at headquarters of the American expeditionary forces In France and are to be submitted soon to the war department rfproval. -JfSThis announcement, just received from overseas, is of special Interest to every man in the military service for no subject, sub-ject, probably, receives so much attention and discussion among military men as the relative merits and demerits of the present uniform. The proposed changes do not alter the color of the present cloth nor do they eliminate the "choker" collar, but In other details some wide differences are planned. If the recommendations of the board In France are approved by the war department depart-ment the new uniforms will be in accordance accord-ance with the following description given by the last issue of the Army and Navy Journal: Some Material Changes. Brass buttons wherever bronze ones are now used. This change is considered necessary because of the growing difficulty diffi-culty "in obtaining bronze in the quantity needed for the army. Patches of colored cloth sewn on the collars of all blouses and overcoats to show branch of service. Embroidered regimental regimen-tal numerals placed on the patches of color. Black visored caps for officers and enlisted en-listed men.- The officers' cap will be similar in lines to the present one, but the crown will be higher at the front and lower at the back. A broad colored stripe of color will show the branch of service. Gold stripes paralleling the service stripe will show rank a single stripe for a Bee-end Bee-end lieutenant, two for a first lieutenant, three for a captain, four for a major, '- gold ones with a silver stripe in the re tar for a lieutenant colonel. Fivefold stripes for a colonel. Higher ranks will have other distinctive markings. A gold eagle will be mounted over the visor on all officers' caps, much in the position oi the ornament on the present cap. The enlisted man's cap will have a black visor and black band, with a single stripe of color at the top of band to show branch of service. It also will have an ornament in position corresponding- to the one on the officer's cap. I Blouses Are Longer. Sc officers blouse, to be worn with Wfarn Browne belt, will be longer than at j present and very roomy below the waist, which will be form fitting with an ln-I ln-I seamed belt. The coat skirt will have a ! long vent at the rear. The flaring effect JLyill be pronounced all around. The breast ftykets will have pleats. The lower J Pbjts will be cut in, only the flap mark-tag mark-tag ff"i?re 'he pocket Is, and they will have an Inside-bellows effect, giving great 'ai-ryintr room but preserving an unruf-, unruf-, Hed coat front. The present sleeve braid will become a sort of cuff, having; an nngle with piping in color of branch of service. The great coat for officers will have a . convertible collar, to be worn either roll down or buttoned up under the chin, with the new color patches on each side. It will be double-breasted arid have two rows of large, composition buttons. The blouse for enlisted men will he longer than at present, and cut so that there will be no gap at the bottom when it is buttoned. It also will have color Patches. Pocket seams will not show on the outside,1 only the flaps marking the popitlon of the pockets. The lower pockets will lie bellowed inside, as In the officer's hlouse, to give a maximum carrying capacity ca-pacity without bulging -the coat front. Other Alterations. The enlisted man's overcoat will be single-breasted, with one row of brass . buttons, the pockets at the sides running at an angle. The collar" will be similar ti the collar of an ordinary raincoat, and fit closely at the neck. It also will bear thfl color patches. In addition to the question of general uniform changes, the board may recommend recom-mend changes in officers' insignia, chevrons chev-rons for non-commissioned officers and service chevrons. Samples of the new ifn-com missioned officers' chevrons - are radically different from those now worn. They are much larger and wider and curved to a point. On the coat sleeve they !ook like the markings of a coast line on a map, the edges of each stripe being black. It is also proposed that service f nevrons be much smaller and of dark or olive gray cord-like material. Also that they be on the upper instead of the lower naif of the left sleeve. |