Army & Navy: Into Battle Dress

The U.S. flags painted on the side of merchantmen in World War II haven't been much help to U.S. shipping lately—in fact, have served as convenient bull's-eyes for Nazi subs in unrestricted warfare.

This week all U.S. merchant ships will go into grey battle dress. Besides the flags, all other identifying marks will be removed, from name plate on bow to home port on stern.

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