20 DEC 1906     official introduction of ONE Dog Tag

06 JULY 1916    official introduction of SECOND Dog Tag, i.e a full pair is now available

TAG, IDENTIFICATION, M-1940 - Stock No. 74-T-60  official stock list number + nomenclature, adopted 1940

Official stock list number + nomenclature, length 40" (distance between 2 Dog Tags 1 ½"in) – in 1942, the first tag is to be suspended on a necklace 25" in length, while the second tag is to be fixed to a separate necklace extension not further than 2 ½" under the first one - first models were in cotton, plastic, nylon, rayon, the official metal necklace was only introduced in 1943 (with hooks & catches) the bead type (initially sold at Post eXchanges) quickly became popular and gradually replaced the 1943 issue, it was made out of 2 lengths of stainless steel, of approximately respectively 28" and 6" in length, easy and practical for general use 2" x 1 1/8".

DOG TAG 2' X 1-1/8"        official dimensions, with notch at left (to position tag on the embossing machine) small outer rim, and hole (diameter 1/8") for necklace.

1st type Dec. 1940 – Nov. 1941

first line                                  first name of soldier, second initial, surname                CLARENCE R JONES

second line                             army serial number + blood type (space17)                  37337566                   O

third line                                 name next of kin                                                        FRED JONES

fourth line                               address, number, street, next of kin                             2843 FEDERAL BL

fifth line                                  address, city, state                                                    DENVER COLO

2nd type Nov. 1941-July 1943

first line                                  first name of soldier, second initial, surname                CLARENCE R JONES

second line                             army serial number (8 first spaces)                             37337566     T42 43    O

                                             tetanus immunization (spaces 10 > 12)                       FRED JONES

                                             tetanus toxoid (spaces 14 > 15)                                 2843 FEDERAL BL

third line                                 name next of kin                                                       DENVER COLO           P

fourth line                               address, number, street, next of kin

fifth line                                  address, city, state + religion (space 18)

3rd type JULY 1943-March 1944

first line                                   first name of soldier, second initial, surname               CLARENCE R JONES

second line                             army serial number, tetanus immunization                   37337566    T42  43   O

                                              tetanus toxoid, blood type

fifth line                                   religion                                                                                                      P

4th type March 1944-April 1946

first line                                   surname, first name, second initial                              JONES CLARENCE R

                                                                                                                              37337566     T42  43     O

 

                                                                                                                                                                          P

 

SERIAL NUMBERS

Regular Army (1940) start with digit 1, followed by a second digit (indicating Corps Area/Service Cd) (there were 9 Corps Area for military administrative purposes, and 4 Army Areas for strategical military purposes) 14130598

National Guard (1940) start with digits 20, followed by a third digit (indicating Corps Area/Service Cd) 20417243

Draftees (1940) start with digit 3, followed by a second digit (indicating Corps Area/Service Cd) 31130734 (these were draftees called up by the Selective Training & Service Act)

Warrant Officers (1942) start with prefix W, followed or not by hyphen + series of 7 digits, starting with 21 W-2118310

Flight Officers (1942) start with prefix T, followed by a series of digits T-6367

Army Specialist Corps (1942) start with prefix S, followed by a series of digits  S-1038451

Army Nurse Corps (1921) start with prefix N, followed by a series of 6 digits (box of 700,000) N-782136

Hospital Dietitian + Physical Therapist (1942) HD start with prefix R, while PT start with prefix M, followed by a series of digits R.....    M........

Contract Surgeon (1941) start with prefix CS, followed by a series of digits  CS......

WAC (1943) start with prefix L (officer), L-918042, A (soldier) A-205333 and V (W.O.) V-704827, followed by a series of 6 digits, of which the first indicated the Service Cd

All serial numbers start with digit 1, while the second digit indicates Corps Area or Service Command .

The War Department allotted a sequence of 100,000 numbers to each "Department", and a series of 1,000,000 numbers to each "Corps" or "Service Command" .

All serial numbers start with digits 20, while the third digit indicates Corps Area or Service Command . The War Department allotted following ranges .

All serial numbers start with digit 3, followed by the second digit indicating Corps Area or Service Command . The War Department allotted following ranges .

First digit of all serial numbers already indicates the specific Service Command . The War Department allotted following ranges .

Remark 3: towards the end of 1967, the Army announced its intention to drop the use of Army Serial Numbers ! Between 1967 and 1969, before switching to Social Security Numbers, most Identification Tags had both indications, i.e. ASN + SSAN ! Finally ASNs were dropped June 30, 1969, and as such the new data (on Dog Tags) looked as follows: 1st line = SURNAME, 2nd line = FIRST NAME + INITIAL, 3rd line = SOCIAL SECURITY ACCOUNT NUMBER, 4th line = BLOOD TYPE + RHESUS FACTOR, 5th line = RELIGION .

Remark 4: about brass Dog Tags; in December 1940, the Army had to make a choice between brass or monel – they chose the latter (stronger alloy with brass & nickel content) because nickel was on the list of critical items. Brass was used as a substitute standard in mid 1941, but by the end of 1942 due to a large growth of the US Armed Forces, there was a shortage of both brass and monel, and now also brass was on the shortage list of critical items; so the Army had to look again for another solution, by end March of 1942, stainless steel became the substitute material. Although steel was also on the critical list, it was somehow still available in fairly larger numbers (as compared to some other raw materials) for other applications, like Dog Tags! Because of the continuous evolution in war industry, material shortages of different metals and/or metal alloys appeared on several occasions, whereby the Army still issued smaller lots of steel and monel Identification Tags (quantities still available in some depots), this variety in production only stopped end 1943 – early 1944, when production reverted only to stainless steel!  (let’s not forget that by May 1945, the Army numbered over 8 million men and women).

Remark 5: the A.R.C. (American Red Cross) through its millions of volunteers provided comfort and aid to members of the Armed Forces and their families, they served in ZI hospitals suffering from severe shortages of medical staff, produced emergency supplies for war victims, collected blood, money, scrap, and ran Victory gardens, they further maintained training programs in home nutrition, first aid and water safety. Overseas, American Red Cross workers served as Field Directors providing compassionate and moral support for the troops they accompanied, while women mostly operated Clubs & Canteens and traveling Clubmobiles (‘Donut Girls’), they acted as social workers and arranged for recreational programs. As nurses they were actively attached to Military Hospitals, Hospital Ships, and Hospital Trains! Although wearing different uniforms and insignia, A.R.C. personnel did however wear regular Army Dog Tags! I have not been able to find out whether specific numbers (or boxes) were allotted to the A.R.C., but what I do know is that they used for the second line, prefix ARC, such as ARC 28774 (preceded by first name, second initial, surname + tetanus immunization  + blood type + religion).     

Important: in order to enable collectors to trace the origin of some ASN embossed on dog Tags, or encountered on documents, you’ll find herewith the listing of Army and Corps (later called Service Commands) areas as in use during WWII:

First Army Area

Second Army Area

Third Army Area

Fourth Army Area

There were also 4 other Departments (US overseas possessions): Hawaii, Panama Canal Zone, Puerto Rico and the Philippines (prior to their seizure by Japan)

Example: Clarence R. JONES 37337566 can be identified as being a draftee (digit 3) originating from Seventh Corps Area (digit 7), while his folks lived in Colorado (Eighth Corps Area)

NOTES: The Quartermaster Corps is charged with the storage and issue of Identification Tags and embossing machines for use therewith – the Medical Department is charged with the storage and issue of machines for transcribing entries from Identification Tags - machines for transcribing data from Identification Tags, complete with instruction books, will be issued to such personnel of the Medical Department, as may be designated by The Surgeon general (Circular N°151, 3 December 1940) above was necessary, since the Medical Department was responsible for registration of vaccine inoculation and blood type.

Embossing Machines: "Graphotype" hand-operated embossing machine, Army Stock N° 54-M-29055, "Graphotype" hand-operated embossing machine, Army Stock N° 54-M-29055-50, "Graphotype" motor-operated embossing machine, Army Stock N° 54-M-29065, and "Adressograph" pistol-type imprinting machine, Model 70, Medical Department Item #99387

Selective Service Act: Act passed by Congress September 14, 1940, authorizing registration for military service in the Armed Forces of the U.S., of all men in the United States between the ages of 21 and 35 inclusive . It was later extended to include men between 20 and 44; and for non-military service, men aged 18 and 19 and men between 45 and 65 inclusive.

War Department Pamphlet 21-13, Army Life, 10 August 1944 states A soldier always wears his Identification Tags. These are considered part of the uniform.  Officers may ask you to show that you are wearing them at any time on or off the Post.

Army Regulation 600-40, Section III, 31 March 1944 further indicates … Identification Tags will be worn by each member of the Army at all times and may be removed temporarily ONLY as the necessities of personal hygiene may require; one Tag to be suspended from the neck underneath the clothing by a 25-inch noncorrosive, nontoxic, and heat-resistant material looped to form a necklace, and the second Tag fastened to the necklace below the first Tag by a 2 ½-inch extension of material similar to the necklace.

The Tags, embossed as provided in AR 600-35, Section VI, will be issued to each member of the Army as soon as practicable after entry into service … (War Department Circular N° 262, December 19, 1941, stipulated … one Tag to be suspended from the neck underneath the clothing by a cord or tape 40 inches in length passed through the small hole in the Tag, the second Tag to be fastened about 2 ½ inches above the first one on the same cord or tape, both securely held in place by knots).

Field Manual 10-63, Graves Registration,  states that one of the two Identification Tags, worn as prescribed in Army Regulations will be attached to the remains when interred.  This includes any and all interments in the Theater of Operations – the first battlefield interment, as well as the interment into a temporary cemetery for subsequent, final disposition. The duplicate (i.e. second) Tag will be removed at time of interment and attached securely to the grave marker about 2 inches from the top.

Note: that in battlefield burials, when Identification Tags are missing, identification should be made by members of the organization of the deceased.  Positive identification obtained should be made of record and a copy of same placed in a canteen, bottle or other container, and buried with the body … if one Tag is missing, the remaining Tag will be buried with the body and the grave marker, marked with the name, grade and Army serial number, until a substitute Tag is made … in case there is no Tag at all (both are missing), all available identifying data should be recorded on two slips of paper, each placed in a separate bottle or in the most practical container available, and buried six inches below the surface of the ground, centered at the head of the grade (this information is later reproduced on a metal label by means of an embossing machine, and attached to the marker by personnel of the Graves Registration Service).