One of the less well known episodes of the war and maybe one of the most interesting (particularly given recent events) was the 1939 Russian invasion of Finland, known as the Winter War. Dramatically outnumbered, the smaller country was able to repel the invaders for 2 months and inflict dramatic loses before the Soviet army changed tactics and were victorious. One of the reasons for Finland's early success was their use of light infantry specially trained and equipped with skis for fighting in extreme winter environments. The US Army watching their success, and conscious the Germans already had such a force, established their own winter fighting unit that would go on to become the elite 10th Mountain Division.
This pre-war, 1941 dated parka was part of the early equipment for the 10th. Made of two layers of 6.75oz water repellent & windproof cotton poplin and trimmed with wolf fur cuffs and collar, the parka was both warm and reversible to account for different environments. However its long length was not a hit, and often these jackets are seen having been modified to be shorter, and it was soon replaced by updated designs.
Condition
This example of estate fresh and deadstock. The white side features numerous cutter tags, still on every panel. The fur is malting a little, and there are some ears where is appear to have been either pulled out or it was never on the hide. There is some very slight discolouration from storage
Size
- Tagged a size medium
- Fits a modern medium/large
- Pit to pit 25"
- Shoulder to shoulder 22"
- Shoulder to cuff 24"
- Collar to hem 43"