Chevrons and Diamonds

Baseball Bats for the Armed Forces

VetCollector
1–2 minutes

Documenting service-related baseball equipment is a slow and tedious process. While there were several makers who manufactured bats for the armed forces, this list is predominated by the most prolific company, Hillerich & Bradsby located in Louisville, Kentucky. In lieu of production data sourced from the manufacturers, this list is being assembled through observation and as thorough documentation as possible.

Wartime Hillerich & Bradsby baseball bats made for the U.S. Navy. All bats shown are retail models with player-signature endorsements. Player endorsements are, from the left: Jimmie Foxx, Melvin Ott, Charlie Keller, Joe DiMaggio, Joe Cronin, Stan Musial, Bob Doerr, and Ted Williams (Chevrons and Diamonds Collection).

The following are the models/types of bats that were made for use in the armed forces during World War II:

Baseball bats made for the U.S. Army and paid for through recreation equipment fund-raising events including service team exhibition baseball games. All bats shown were made by Hillerich & Bradsby including Safe Hit, Leader and signature models. Player endorsements include, from the top: Melvin Ott, Ducky Medwick, Johnny Mize, Jimmie Foxx, Hank Greenberg, and Lou Gehrig (Chevrons and Diamonds Collection).