Mid-war, (circa 1943), reed green, cotton/rayon blend construction field blouse with an HBT weave, features a vertical, six button, front closure with a single metal hook and eye positioned at the forward neckline. The field blouse has four, non-pleated front pockets with straight edged button down flaps. The breast pockets are the basic patch type while the hip pockets are the saddlebag type with expanding side panels. The side panels of the field blouse each have three, vertically aligned, stitched eyelets at the waistline for the belt support hooks. The reverse of the field blouse has a short, central, vertical, tail skirt vent and two, vertical, tapering darts. The straight cut sleeve cuffs have a small, vertical, slash to the outside seams with dual fit adjustment buttons to each. The fabric shoulder strap retaining loops and pebbled alloy buttons are intact. The field blouse has a lay down collar with the typical zig-zag reinforcement stitching to the reverse. The unlined interior of the field blouse has gray rayon reinforcement panels to each side panel and around the armpits. The interior side panels each have a vertical, reed/green, cotton/rayon strap with six stitched eyelets to each for the belt support hooks positioned at the waistline. The forward right tail skirt has a rayon field dressing pocket with a single button closure. All three collar liner buttons are intact. The front closure and exterior pocket buttons are all the removable, field-gray painted, pebbled alloy and sheet metal types secured by circular "S" rings. The shoulder strap buttons are also the field-gray painted, pebbled, alloy type but are stitched in place. The buttons all retain the large majority of their field-gray paint. The cuff, field dressing pocket and collar liner buttons are all the ersatz, pressed, natural tan, cardboard type and appear to have their original stitching. The field blouse is roughly size 40" chest. Nice field used example. HBT, (Herring Bone Twill), uniforms were originally introduced on April 1ST 1933 to be utilized as a drill uniform and save wear and tear on the service uniform and field blouse. Regulations prescribed that the drill uniform was the basic uniform to worn by all new recruits for most daily functions. Originally the drill uniforms were constructed in natural, unbleached cotton with an HBT weave that proved especially durable but impractical due to easy soiling. On February 12TH 1940 the color of the drill uniforms was altered to a more practical reed green coloration. When utilized as a drill tunic the garments were issued with no insignia with only EM/NCO sleeve rank and collar trim insignia applied to donate the wearers rank. The drill uniforms were utilized for the duration of the war with minor modifications and in early 1942 a modified drill tunic was introduced for wear as a summer combat field blouse and followed the basic modifications of the standard issue field blouse through-out the war. Officers and certain senior NCO ranks were responsible for purchasing their own uniforms and as a result were allotted a clothing allowance through the army’s Kleiderkasse, (Clothing Account), system. The Officers and certain senior NCO’s could choose to purchase their uniforms from the armed forces clothing depots or to privately purchase garments of higher quality. Although enlisted personnel were issued their uniforms from government supplies they were also permitted to purchase privately tailored uniforms although the price may have been restrictive.