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 a 'Hershey Bar' Talon zip, and both of the knife pocket zips are Serval. Rather incredibly, this is a very rare extra large size.
Condition
This is in good though used condition. The zippers all work perfectly, the jacket is in solid with one small repair to the front. There are a few corrosion issues with these early iron poppers, but i've cleaned them up as best I can. The studs are delicate in places and should be opened with some caution. The belt is a replacement that I've made from original ww2 fabric and thread to exactly the same pattern, length etc. The belows in the back had been stitched shut at some point, but I've opened them up.
Size
- Tag unreadable, but there is a faint 44R in the collar
- Fits a modern large
- Pit to pit 24"
- Shoulder to shoulder 19.5
- Waist 20.5" (measured across the belt - these fit tight across the belly)
- Shoulder to cuff 24"
- Collar to hem 29"