Chapter 43: New Military Uniforms (Continued)

Zhu Mingxia nodded slightly, it was unclear whether it was in agreement or admiration.

Hong Huangnan continued, “This uniform was previously known as the Type 31 Northern Region Army Field Force Winter Uniform. The overall feedback from the Shandong detachment during its use was quite good. The new winter uniform not only has better insulation but also good waterproof and moisture-proof performance. The Shandong detachment marched, fought, and camped in the field continuously in severe cold of over ten degrees below zero without any serious frostbite casualties, which fully demonstrates its success.”

The “Type 31 Northern Region Army Field Force Winter Uniform” was displayed on a mannequin. It was a double-breasted short trench coat made of high-quality thick British wool, with a high collar and a waterproof hood, paired with woolen breeches and deerskin boots.

Although the feedback from the Shandong detachment was good, this garment was designed as an overcoat or trench coat. In actual use, the troops basically still wore it over their Type 1 uniforms. It could not simply be used directly as a winter service uniform.

“…Considering that our army’s winter operations span a wide range, from the two Guangdong provinces where the temperature is basically above zero, to Liaodong where it can reach over twenty degrees below zero, the design of the new military uniform must take into account the overall situation, so a completely new design was made this time.”

The Type 5 military uniform referenced a variety of 19th-20th century uniforms. The final decision was to design only one type of service uniform. The service uniform was divided into spring/autumn and summer versions, with an overcoat issued in winter.

The army’s spring/autumn service uniform used a light woolen fabric, colored gray-blue with red piping. The uniform was a single-breasted, stand-up collar style. The tunic continued the traditional layout of two pockets for soldiers and four for officers. Officers and NCOs had shoulder boards and collar tabs, while soldiers only had collar tabs. The different branches of the army were distinguished by the color of their collar tabs. In addition to the collar tab colors, officers and NCOs also had different branch insignia on their shoulder boards.

For field troops, both officers and soldiers had the Arabic numeral of their affiliated battalion embroidered on the left collar tab. A shield-shaped armband of the affiliated unit or branch was worn on the upper left sleeve. Below the elbows, from the forearm to the cuff, meritorious service stripes could be worn according to the individual’s achievements and awards.

The sleeves themselves were also a key decorative element. According to different units and branches, Hong Huangnan planned to adorn them with sleeve braids, cuffs, and decorative buttons of different colors and shapes.

For both officers and soldiers, the lower garment was breeches, decorated with red trouser stripes, for ease of wear and movement. Senior officers were issued long boots, while others were issued standard short boots or military shoes, which had to be worn with one-piece canvas leggings.

Because wool is not easy to clean, linen or cotton coveralls were also issued to be worn over the woolen breeches. When the weather turned warm but it was not yet time to change uniforms, the coveralls could also be worn directly.

Two different styles of military caps were adopted. One was the traditional peaked cap, but the band was significantly narrowed, and the top was no longer upturned, reverting to the traditional style of the early 20th century. The army used a red cap band. This cap was only used for parades and garrison duty. For combat and training, a German-style mountain cap was used, which was convenient for wearing a steel helmet or sun helmet. The cap badge was a metal-stamped Morning Star emblem.

The combat cap was modified according to the head shape of East Asians. If conditions permitted, decorative cords of different colors could be hung on the cap band, or pom-poms or feathers could be inserted.

“Regarding the wearing of decorative cords, pom-poms, and feathers, there are no specific regulations yet. I am currently trying my best to collect and organize information in this area. The general idea is that besides being used to distinguish different branches and regiments, they can also be used as a symbol of honor. Everyone, please pay attention to the buttons on this tunic.”

Hong Huangnan pointed to the spring/autumn uniform tunic on the mannequin and explained.

“At first glance, the metal buttons on the tunic look the same, but if we want to subdivide them, they can be arranged in different ways, such as single-button rows, groups of three buttons, or groups of five buttons, to distinguish different units. The British… um, the various regiments under the Royal Guard Brigade of the Song-Australian government are distinguished in this way…”

“What are the buttons made of?”

“Currently, they are turned from hardwood. For formal production, we are considering using stamped alloy buttons.”

“Have we become so wealthy?” Xi Yazhou frowned and commented. “The Planning and Development Institute…”

“Stamped metal buttons are much more durable. Besides, after the uniform is worn out, the buttons can be recycled. The problem is not too big.”

“That’s good. That’s good.”

Hong Huangnan continued to introduce that when the spring/autumn uniform was worn in winter, a woolen overcoat, cotton cap, cotton vest, gloves, and thermal socks would be issued according to the climate of the service area. For officers and soldiers going to severely cold areas such as Liaodong, a special “high-altitude cold uniform” would be issued.

The summer uniform was roughly the same as the spring/autumn uniform, with the difference being that the tunic was changed to a small suit lapel style. The fabric was linen or hemp. Their breathability is better than cotton, and they absorb and release water quickly, which is very suitable for summer use. Linen and hemp fabrics are crisper than cotton, making them more imposing for military uniforms.

“If we consider the future expansion of the army, the cost of woolen uniforms is too high. The spring/autumn uniform can also be made of linen or hemp fabric. Compared to cotton, linen fabric is warmer in winter and cooler in summer. The disadvantage is that linen is more easily torn than cotton.”

“That alone is not acceptable,” Zhu Mingxia frowned. “Soldiers have to train and do labor. How can they use something that is easily torn? Besides, your hat has so many odds and ends, and there are so many stripes on the sleeves. They are all easily damaged during training and work—this way, the soldiers will spend too much time on mending.”

“That’s why we call it a service uniform,” Hong Huangnan said, confident about this issue. “Actually, you can understand this service uniform as a simple dress uniform for showing off military posture in major events or military operations. For daily training and work, the soldiers will continue to wear the current Type 1 cotton uniform.”

“The Soviet army’s walking-out dress, right?”

“Yes!” Hong Huangnan nodded repeatedly, not forgetting to flatter him. “Chief of Staff Xi is truly knowledgeable and professional! We considered that the Type 1 uniform has been equipped for many years, we have a large inventory, and it would be a pity to waste the patterns for the Type 1 uniform accumulated in the clothing factory. So we plan to change the cotton Type 1 uniform into a training uniform for the Type 5 uniform. It will be worn for daily training and labor. The service uniform will only be worn when going out, for parades, collective activities, and combat.”

“Won’t linen be too thin?” Xi Yazhou asked. His impression of linen was the light, cool, fine Dutch linen imported in large quantities by the foreign trade company for making shirts.

“The characteristic of linen fabric is that it can be made very soft, or it can be made thick and stiff. The gorgeous and crisp military uniforms of the Napoleonic era were actually often made of linen or hemp.”

“I have a question. Why is gray-blue used as the uniform color for the army?” Zhu Mingxia asked.

“Currently, the dye colors that can be used on a large scale industrially are, one, indigo. But this conflicts with the blue and white theme of the navy uniform. Two, black. Black has already been designated as the uniform color for the police. So we suggest using indigo to dye it a lighter blue-gray to distinguish it from the navy,” said a naturalized citizen cadre from the textile printing and dyeing department. “In addition, we can also use bright red, but the cost of cochineal dye is much higher, and the dyeing effect of other colors on linen fabric, besides indigo, is not very good.”

“So, in fact, the service uniform that will eventually be equipped to the troops in bulk is the linen blue-gray uniform, right?”

“I can only say that it is no problem for our current main branches such as infantry, artillery, and cavalry to be fully equipped with woolen uniforms. It’s hard to say if the scale expands further,” Hong Huangnan said. “Although the import price of coarse wool is not high, the cost is still higher than cotton.”

“Is the price of imported linen cheaper?”

“Actually, it’s more expensive than cotton. But I’ve already mentioned the advantages of linen. It’s a cheap, but relatively crisp fabric.”

Xi Yazhou carefully examined the Type 5 army infantry private’s uniform on the mannequin. From a visual perspective, it was already quite gorgeous. Even the belt was white. He leaned closer to see what material this white belt was made of. Hong Huangnan seemed to know what he was thinking and said, “It’s not dyed. It’s made by directly bleaching canvas.”

Xi Yazhou nodded. Although it was not as gorgeous and imposing as he had imagined, it was still quite good.

“There’s a little Easter egg here,” Hong Huangnan said, clapping his hands mysteriously. Two soldiers walked in carrying a mannequin. The color of the uniform on it immediately brightened everyone’s eyes.

“Lobsterback,” Hong Huangnan said.

The mannequin that appeared before Xi Yazhou and the others was wearing a standard Type 5 army uniform, but the color of the uniform was bright red, while the breeches remained blue-gray. The cap was a black and white “bishop’s hat,” decorated with a gorgeous brass nameplate and decorative cords.

“The average height of our soldiers is only 1.60 meters. With this hat, they will be 1.80 meters tall,” Hong Huangnan said jokingly. “I plan to equip the grenadier companies with it.”

Xi Yazhou and Zhu Mingxia both knew that the grenadier companies of each battalion were elite soldiers selected to be over 1.70 meters tall. Paired with this hat and the bright red uniform, the visual impact would be unprecedented.

“Why not use a bearskin hat?” Xi Yazhou let out a soft breath. “Hainan has bears. Even if the number is not enough, we can buy them from Huang Taiji.”

“On the one hand, it’s a matter of cost. On the other hand, the bearskin hat has always been a symbol of the guards. I don’t think any of our troops now deserve the title of the Old Guard,” Hong Huangnan said. “Let the war tell us which battalions are worthy of this hat.”