Enlisted and Officer Pay Scales

[Mojave Jack]

I've been searching around, with no luck, to find the pay scales for the 1930s and 1940s for both enlisted troops and officers. Anyone know of a good source for that data?

 

[Troglodyte]

Google is your friend!

Here's a start that you could use to put together a chart for WWII base pay, and a couple of the special pays:

http://www.cv6.org/company/muster/organization.htm

http://www.usmm.org/salary.html

http://www.rinfret.com/ww2pay.html

http://www.valoratsea.com/officer.htm

That should be fun for a start! If you decide to take the half hour needed to collate it, it would be neat to see all in one place!

Trog

 

[scotrace]

"Finding Your Father's War" has an excellent chapter on the whole experience from draft to discharge, including pay scales.

 

[Guttersnipe]

WW2 Military service often meant adjustments for dependents as well.

I know in the case of my Grandfather his salary as medical service captain, and later major, was never on par with what he made as physician in civilian life.

My father and grandmother gave up the family apartment and moved in to my great-grandparents flat for the duration of his military service to cut costs.

 

[Paisley]

The military adjusted salaries for "dependents" 20 years ago when I was in, also.

fftopic:
I had a roommate who was married to a man who had a business in another city. Even though she had a year less than I did, she made more money because of her "dependent." (And a swelled head because she had a Mrs. in front of her name.)

 

[Mojave Jack]

Here's a start that you could use to put together a chart for WWII base pay, and a couple of the special pays:

http://www.cv6.org/company/muster/organization.htm

http://www.usmm.org/salary.html

http://www.rinfret.com/ww2pay.html

http://www.valoratsea.com/officer.htm

That should be fun for a start! If you decide to take the half hour needed to collate it, it would be neat to see all in one place!

Trog

Great sources, Troglodyte, thanks!

Scott, I just placed that book on hold at the library, and I see that many copies are available at Amazon, too. I'll be checking it out in just a few days, and Troglodytes info gives me a great departure point.

Thanks for the leads!

 

[Davep]

Here you go!
This is from my unit's website - it a graphic presentation we put together

 

[Guttersnipe]

Here you go Davep

 

[Mojave Jack]

Nice, thanks! Is this from about 1943?

 

[anon`]

Yes. The charts above are correct as of June 1942, but only represent base pay for the grade.

Prior to June of 1942, monthly base pay for enlisted men was as follows:
Pvt: $30
PFC: $36
Cpl: $54
Sgt: $60
S/Sgt: $72
T/Sgt: $84
1st Sgt: $84
M/Sgt: $126

The three Technician grades were authorised in January of 1942, and as far as I know were only subject to one pay scale during WWII.

As an aside, at the time of this change, 1st Sgt gained an additional arc and became a 1st grade rank. From 1920 to 1942, the insignia was "three up, two down" with the lozenge, and it was a grade 2 rank.