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!
The main zipper is the classic Crown zip, and both of the knife pocket zips are Serval. All poppers and studs work perfectly.
Condition
This is in amazing condition. As mentioned above, all zips, studs etc all work great. The cotton colour is still very strong. There is absolutely no damage at all. The belt was missing when I got the jacket.
Size
- No tag, but like would have been a 36
- Fits a modern small
- Pit to pit 19.5
- Shoulder to shoulder 17.3"
- Shoulder to cuff 24"
- Collar to hem 30"