What can I say about this jacket, quite possibly the most iconic, and certainly one of the most sought after items of clothing from WW2. Designed in 1941 by the then Captain William P. Yarborough, Test Officer for the newly formed parachute divisions. The new jacket featured four pockets, each slanted to allow easy access when wearing all of the required parachute gear, and each pocket with both bellows and a second set of studs to allow for plenty of carrying space. The 8oz cotton twill would be very light, so light infact that following experience of use in North Africa and Italy, prior to the jump on D-Day, regiment riggers reinforced many with grey canvas around areas of wear. These jackets were only produced for a year or so between 1942-43, and would quickly be replaced by the m1943 field jacket, so examples are rare, and with the popularity of airborne/special forces collecting, one of the hardest pieces to find!
This particular jacket is of the early variety, so does not have a label, and features threaded eyelets in the armpits. Later varieties would come with metal eyelets. The main zipper is the classic Conmar bell zip, and both of the knife pocket zips are also Conmar. The original belt is still attached, and all poppers and studs work perfectly. Rather incredibly, this is a very rare larger 40L size, with the stamp still visible inside the collar.
Condition
This is in amazing condition. As mentioned above, all zips, studs etc all work great. There is some fading to the cotton, but no holes or areas of wear. The is a tiny issue with a very small repair to the top left corner of the lower left pocket (as pictured), but this is honestly practically invisible. There does appear to be some extremely light red/rust staining to the lower right skirt (again pictured) but this is hardly noticeable in direct sunlight. A truly excellent example of this rare piece.
Size
- Stamped a size 40L, fits a modern med/lrg
- Pit to pit 21"
- Shoulder to shoulder 19"
- Waist 19" (measured across the belt)
- Shoulder to cuff 24.5"
- Collar to hem 31"