The High Neck Sweater, introduced in 1942, ultimately replaced two older sweaters; the turtle neck and V-neck models. An extended stand-up collar, and button-up front, allowed it to posses the necessary versatility to supplant multiple sweater types. Buttoned up, it provided protection and warmth well above the neck line, or in less severe weather could be unbuttoned to regulate body temperature. The collar could also be folded back to a more relaxed position if desired.

Designated type 1, the first high neck sweaters were produced under specification PQD 111B, dated 11 April 1942. Other sweaters produced under the 111B specification included a V-neck style, designated type 2, and a sleeveless design, designated type 3. At this time the turtle-neck sweater, a type issued to cold-climate troops, became limited standard and contracts ceased to be issued. By late 1942 procurement of the V-neck sweater was also terminated. This was due to the fact that the high neck sweater was proving to be a successful design, and the Army was seeking to reduce the large number of clothing items in the table of equipment with more universal types.

In the fall of 1942 the Army began work on a universal winter combat uniform built on the layering principle. The high neck sweater was among the items drafted to be tested as part of the designated M-1943 experimental combat outfit. After testing was completed in 1943, the high neck sweater was to occupy a key place within the layering system of the new field uniform that was eventually adopted. In the layering scheme, the high neck sweater was worn over the coat-style wool shirt, and under the pile field jacket, or wool field jacket.

During wartime production, there was little fundamental change in the high neck sweater. In early 1944 the high neck sweater was standardized along with other items originally developed as part of the then M-1943 experimental combat outfit. When this occurred, the sizing of the sweater was changed from a system of specific fitted sizes to a simplified small, medium, large, extra-large arrangement (specification PQD 111E, dated 8 February 1944). Later, after stocks of older material were used up, the color of the sweater was changed to the darker olive drab shade 33 (specification PQD 111F dated 1 January 1945), which was the color that had previously been adopted for the new woolen field uniform's jacket and trousers.

Availability of materials and manufacturer's production techniques accounted for some visual differences worth noting. It was common practice to draw up specifications such that production requirements could be met despite differences in a contractor's plant equipment and manufacturing techniques. These dynamics resulted in two common variations in the sweater's appearance.

One variation was manufactured using a plain jersey knit that alternated into a heavy ribbed knit when forming the cuffs and waistband. The other, a more complex design, used a ribbed knit pattern on the body and sleeves, which produced distinctive vertical ribs. A horizontal patterned weave was used to form a yoke at the top of the sweater and horizontal bands just above the cuffs and waistband. Then, the cuffs and waistband returned to a fine vertical rib knit. (Point for view of different knit patterns)
Pictured: A close-up of the two most common knit patterns used to make the high neck sweater. On top is the rib type and underneath is the jersey knit type.. Yet another variation occurred when some sweaters were constructed in their entirety with an extremely fine yarn and weave pattern that gave them a much smoother, pattern-less appearance. Many styles of buttons with varying colors appeared on the sweater. The two most common types were a two hole button also used on undergarments, and a four hole button similar to those found on shirts, except slightly larger in size. An opaque four hole button similar to the type found on officer's clothing was also used. These types of manufacturer and material variances occurred throughout the sweater's wartime production history.

The high neck sweater was made up of a few simple component parts. The neck piece consisted of a stand up collar attached to a V-shaped unit that formed the front opening, which in turn was attached to the sweater body. The two regular style sleeves were attached to either side of the sweater body. This arrangement allowed a manufacturer to produce any of the three sweater types mentioned above, e.g. either the V-neck, or high neck collar units could be fitted to the body, or the sleeves could be left off to produce the sleeveless model.

Though the Army Quartermaster was developing shrink resistant treatments and application methods for knit woolens during the war, progress did not reach the point of practical application to any items heavier than socks until the post war period. As development continued after the war, the high neck sweater would eventually be produced with shrink resistant wool. The sweater changed very little in appearance since its inception and continued being produced through the end of the twentieth century. Because the sweater maintained such a consistent appearance for an extended time, collectors are likely to encounter examples misidentified as WWII era pieces. Some of these misidentified pieces will have been produced in the late twentieth century. Collectors should also be aware of later sweaters that have had their modern buttons replaced with WWII types so that they can be used for re-enacting. Familiarity with the feel of untreated, natural woolen products, period colors, labeling conventions, and button types will aid the collector in identifying WWII era sweaters in the absence of an intact quartermaster label.