The buttons could be easily removed for laundering which, due to denim overalls being workwear, was more frequent than for serge battledress. 90,000 sets of denim overalls were issued to the Local Defence Volunteers (later the Home Guard) as their main uniform, in the weeks following their establishment in May 1940. Three months later, supplies of overalls were so depleted that the standard serge Battledress began to be issued to the Home Guard instead and in December, it was announced that Battledress would fully replace Home Guard overalls as soon as supplies were available. Battledress trousers known as Trousers, Parachutist were issued to some parachute troops, though the majority still wore standard Battledress around the time of the Normandy landings. Supply increased as the war progressed but even by May 1945, standard Battledress trousers were still common in Airborne divisions. Trousers, Parachutist had two pleated pockets in the rear for shell dressings, an enlarged map pocket lined with chamois leather and an integral pocket for the F.S. knife in the seam of the right leg. They were for 'combat' use only and as such, were not used for parades or going on leave. Battledress in shades of RAF blue and navy blue were also produced for the Royal Air Force (and Commonwealth flying services) and Royal Navy/Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve (and Commonwealth naval services). During the Second World War, Britain's Civil Defence Service (for example, ARP wardens, rescue and ambulance crews) were issued dark blue battledress, and this battledress scheme continued with the Civil Defence Corps set up in 1949. German U-Boat crews were also commonly issued with British Army Denim battledress (with German insignia added). Large stockpiles had been captured by the Germans after the fall of France in 1940. Post war After the Second World War, individual Commonwealth nations developed their Battledress uniform into both a parade and a field uniform. In Britain, Battledress of all types, but mostly unissued surplus suits of 1949 Pattern BD, were utilised as prisoners' uniforms in HM Prisons from the mid-1960s onwards as the armed forces made the large-scale switch to the more modern cotton/sateen Combat Dress. British Pattern 1949: Several changes to Battledress were adopted by the British Army after the Second World War, with broad lapels added to the Battle Dress Blouse, giving it an open-collar design similar to Canadian 1949 Pattern. Other ranks, as well as officers, now wore