OG-107 Uniform
The OG-107 was the basic work and combat utility uniform (fatigues) of all branches of the United States Armed Forces from 1952 until its discontinuation in 1989. The designation came from the U.S. Army's coloring code "Olive Green 107", which was the shade of dark green used on the original cotton version of the uniform. The OG-107 was superseded by the Battle Dress Uniform throughout the 1980s, and was also used by several other countries, including ones that received military aid from the United States. All versions of the OG-107 shared several basic design features. They were made out of an 8.5 ounce cotton sateen. The shirt consisted of a button front and two simple patch pockets on the upper chest that closed by means of a buttoned flap. It could be tucked in or worn outside the trousers depending on the preference of the local commander. The trousers were straight leg pants intended to be bloused (tucked in) into boot tops with two simple patch pockets in the front with slash openings and two simple patch pockets on the back with a button flap. If sufficiently hot and humid, especially in hot climates like in Vietnam, troops could be permitted to roll up the sleeves and unblouse the trousers.
Variants
Basic designs
There were three basic models or "patterns" for the cotton sateen OG-107 Utility Uniform:
Type I (1952–1963)
The first "Type I" model was introduced in 1952 and remained virtually unchanged through its 10-year production run. The shirt featured a sleeve with no true cuff or buttons; it was simply a straight sleeve with a simple hem at the cuff. The shirt's two chest pockets and the trousers rear two pockets had a rectangular pocket flap that buttoned. The buttons were a "dished" style and most of the 1950s production were a dark brown color while the majority of the 1960s production were dark green. The trousers also had a simple adjustment tab on the waist that could be buttoned. The shirt and trousers were also sized in groups (Small, Medium, Large, etc.) This model was replaced in April 1963 when specifications came out for the second model.
Type II (1963–1964)
The "Type II" was specified for production in April 1963 and had several slight variations from the Type I. The only change of any real significance was the "clipping" of the pocket flaps on the shirt, so that they no longer appeared rectangular. As with the Type I, the shirt and trousers were also sized in groups. Due to the limited production time before the Type III was specified, these were not seen nearly as often as the Type I or III.
Type III (1964–1989)
The "Type III" is the most common model and can be split into two versions based on the time of manufacture and material.
- Cotton – This version was specified at the very end of 1964 and still used the standard 8.5 ounce cotton sateen. However, due to changes in production and distribution time, they were not common until 1966. This version maintained all of the key distinctive style features such as the pockets, but with some key differences. The two shirt chest pockets received a pointed pocket flap. The shirt also received a button cuff at the wrist. The buttons were changed to the "standard" dull plastic button as used on jungle fatigues. Another change to the trousers was the removal of the waist adjustment tab. Both the shirt and pants also adopted the "true measurement" sizing style – for example, pants were marked in waist and inseam length (32" x 34" would show pants with a 32" waist and 34" inseam) and the shirts were marked in neck size and sleeve length (16.5" x 34" would show a shirt with a 16.5" neck and a 34" sleeve length).
- Poly Cotton blend – A second version came into use in 1975 and was in production until 1989, when it was fully replaced by the woodland BDU. This model switched from using 100% cotton to a 50/50 blend of polyester and cotton. The difference in fiber material necessitated a modified color code, OG-507, but the two colors appeared identical. The poly-cotton uniforms were often referred to as "permanent press" as they did not require extensive starching, unlike the previous versions. They could be easily identified by a yellow tag in the garment.