M1941 Field Jacket

Last updated
A reenactor wears a modern-day reproduction of the famed field jacket. M1941 Army Field Jacket.jpg
A reenactor wears a modern-day reproduction of the famed field jacket.

The Jacket, Field, O.D. (also unofficially known as O.D. Cotton Field Jacket, Parsons Jacket, or M1941) is a field jacket that was used by US Army soldiers, most famously during the beginning of World War II. In 1941 it started to be phased in as a replacement for the wool four-pocket service coat of World War I, but around 1943 it was replaced in turn by the improved M1943 model. Owing to wide adoption, the M1941 is usually recognized as a symbol of the World War II American G.I. The jacket was made in a light shade of olive drab called O.D. number 2.

Contents

First field jacket

Through World War I, soldiers in the United States Army wore a comfortable loose-fitting wool four pocket field garment. By the outbreak of World War II, it had changed to a tight-fitting version suitable only for garrison wear. [1] This followed the general pattern adopted by most major armies of the world during the post-WWI period, but proved to be rather impractical. [1] At the end of the 1930s, the Army moved to adopt a new outer garment that was intended to be more utilitarian and provide better protection in combat. The army's first attempts included adding a pleated "bi-swing" back to the service coat, a change adopted with the M1939 Service Coat, but that proved to be still unsuited for field wear and was relegated to garrison use.

The first field jacket was based on a civilian jacket suggested by Major General James K. Parsons, for whom it was unofficially named. [2] Unlike the service coat, the material for the jacket was more wind and water resistant. A further reason for adopting a field jacket made of a different material was that shortages of wool were expected. [3] The jacket could be worn with both winter (OD wool) and summer (khaki chino) uniforms as well as fatigue uniforms. The Olive Drab Cotton Field Jacket was standardized and adopted in June 1940 for use by all members of the US Army for wear with both the winter and summer service uniforms. Jackets of similar design were later also adopted by the Navy and Marine Corps.

Design

The jacket was modeled after a civilian windbreaker design, and was constructed of an olive drab shade 2 cotton poplin outer shell with a dark olive drab blanket wool flannel lining, with shell color on new jackets was a pale pea-green color, but faded fairly quickly with heavy use and sun exposure to the more common beige-green. The jacket had a front zipper front closure with a buttoned storm flap. The jacket also had buttons at the collar for closing the lapels to warm the neck region, as well as buttoned adjusting tabs on each side of the waist and at the cuffs to seal in body heat, and buttoned shoulder epaulets. There were two front slash pockets and a notched lapel collar. Earlier models of the jacket (M-38 Parsons jacket) do not have the shoulder epaulets, but the two front slash pockets had buttoned pocket flaps and a thinner half-belt back seam.

World War II

When the US entered the war in 1941, the O.D. cotton field jacket was the standard outer garment for all army personnel, except those that had other specialist clothing (Paratroopers wore the parachutist's coat and trousers, tank crews wore the tanker's jacket, various types of parkas were worn in cold weather, etc.). As a result, the field jacket could be seen worn in every theater of war and by nearly every type of soldier, making it a rather ubiquitous symbol of the World War II American G.I.

Throughout the course of the war, the O.D. cotton field jacket proved to be an inadequate outer garment. The jacket's thin lining provided poor insulation during cold weather and the light cotton shell provided little protection from wet weather and wind. In addition, the lighter shade of OD 3 faded quickly and resulted in a beige color, thus compromising the effect of camouflage which troops in the field found out the hard way, and often turned their jackets inside out because the wool lining was a darker shade of O.D. and did not gleam in the sunlight like the poplin shell did.

The O.D. cotton field jacket was officially replaced with the adoption of the M1943 uniform ensemble as the standard, which included the much improved M1943 field jacket. The O.D. cotton field jacket was redesignated limited standard and issued until supplies were exhausted. Photographic evidence shows that soldiers continued to wear the older jacket all the way through the end of the war, due to supply shortages and squabbling between the Quartermaster Corps and field commanders, who all had their own ideas of what the troops should "look like". The jackets even showed up in limited use during the Korean War.

Arctic field jacket

The arctic field jacket is a lesser known variant of the standard M1941 field jacket. Its main differences were that it was made with a more water resistant fabric and had buckles for tightening around the wrists and waist instead of buttons.

See also

United States Army uniforms in World War II

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parka</span> Fur-lined cold weather overgarment

A parka or anorak is a type of coat with a hood, often lined with fur or faux fur. This kind of garment is a staple of Inuit clothing, traditionally made from caribou or seal skin, for hunting and kayaking in the frigid Arctic. Some Inuit anoraks require regular coating with fish oil to retain their water resistance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safari jacket</span> Hip-length, belted jacket with two sets of patch pockets and a notched collar

A safari jacket or bush jacket also known as a “shacket” is a garment originally designed for the purpose of going on safari in the African bush. When paired with trousers or shorts, it becomes a safari suit. A safari jacket is commonly a lightweight cotton drill or lighter poplin jacket, traditionally khaki in color, with a self-belt, epaulets, four or more expandable bellows pockets and often with cartridge loops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trench coat</span> Belted waterproof coat

A trench coat is a variety of coat made of waterproof heavy-duty fabric, originally developed for British Army officers before the First World War, and becoming popular while used in the trenches, hence the name trench coat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabardine</span> Tough, tightly woven fabric used to make suits, trousers and some other garments

Gabardine is a durable twill worsted wool, a tightly woven fabric originally waterproof and used to make suits, overcoats, trousers, uniforms, windbreakers, outerwear and other garments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Combat uniform</span> Military uniform

A combat uniform, also called field uniform, battledress or military fatigues, is a casual type of uniform used by military, police, fire and other public uniformed services for everyday fieldwork and combat duty purposes, as opposed to dress uniforms worn in functions and parades. It generally consists of a jacket, trousers and shirt or T-shirt, all cut to be looser and more comfortable than more formal uniforms. Design may depend on regiment or service branch, e.g. army, navy, air force, marines, etc. In the army branches, fabrics tend to come in camouflage, disruptive pattern or else green, brown or khaki monochrome, in order to approximate the background and make the soldier less visible in nature. In Western dress codes, field uniform is considered equivalent to civilian casual wear. As such, field uniform is considered less formal than service dress uniform, generally aimed at office or staff use, as well as mess dress uniform, and full dress uniform.

Clothing terminology comprises the names of individual garments and classes of garments, as well as the specialized vocabularies of the trades that have designed, manufactured, marketed and sold clothing over hundreds of years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Army M1943 uniform</span>

The U.S. Army's M1943 uniform was a combat uniform manufactured in windproof cotton sateen cloth introduced in 1943 to replace a variety of other specialist uniforms and some inadequate garments, like the M1941 Field Jacket. It was used through the remainder of World War II and into the Korean War with modifications before being replaced by the OG-107 uniform beginning in 1952.

The United States Army in World War II used a variety of standard and non-standard dress and battle uniforms, which often changed depending upon the theater of war, climatic environment, and supply exigencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Battledress</span> Combat and dress uniform of British and Commonwealth armed forces during WWII and early Cold War

Battledress (BD), later named the No. 5 Uniform, was the combat uniform worn by British Commonwealth and Imperial forces through the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eisenhower jacket</span> Type of waist-length jacket

The Eisenhower jacket or "Ike" jacket, officially known as the Jacket, Field, Wool, Olive Drab, is a type of waist-length jacket developed for the U.S. Army during the later stages of World War II and named after Dwight D. Eisenhower. Intended to be worn on its own or as an insulating layer beneath the M-1943 Field Jacket and over the standard wool flannel shirt and wool sweater, it featured a pleated back, adjustable waist band, fly-front buttons, bellows chest pockets, slash side pockets, and shoulder straps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Army Service Uniform</span> Military uniform worn by United States Army personnel

The Army Service Uniform (ASU) is a military uniform for wear by United States Army personnel in garrison posts and at most public functions where the Army Combat Uniform is inappropriate. As of 2021, the Army has two service uniforms for use by its personnel. The Army Green Service Uniform, announced in 2018 and authorized in 2020, is used primarily for daily use in situations where civilians wear business attire, such as office settings or official meetings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uniforms of the United States Marine Corps</span> US military uniform

The United States Marine Corps (USMC) prescribes several types of military uniform to distinguish its service members from other armed services, depending on the situation.

The telogreika or vatnik is a variety of Russian warm cotton wool-padded jacket. When worn with valenki and an ushanka, the wearer can comfortably remain warm in sub-zero temperatures for long periods. It was also a part of the winter uniform first issued by the Red Army during World War II. Telogreikas continued to be issued until the late 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeep cap</span>

The jeep cap, sometimes referred to as the jeep hat, originally the US Army issued Cap, Wool, Knit, M1941 is a knit cap with a short visor made mostly from knitted yarn, originally wool, but now typically acrylic. Also sometimes referred to as a "skull cap" due to its popularity with skateboarders, or a "Radar cap" due to the cap being made famous by the character Radar O'Reilly from the hit US TV sitcom M*A*S*H.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uniforms of the United States Air Force</span> Standardized military uniforms worn by airmen of the United States Air Force

The uniforms of the United States Air Force are the standardized military uniforms worn by airmen of the United States Air Force to distinguish themselves from the other services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrol cap</span> Soft cap worn by military personnel in the field

A patrol hat, also known as a field cap, is a soft kepi constructed similarly to a baseball cap, with a stiff, rounded visor but featuring a flat top, worn by military personnel of some countries in the field when a combat helmet is not required.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uniforms of the German Army (1935–1945)</span> German Army uniforms

The following is a general overview of the Heer main uniforms, used by the German Army prior to and during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OG-107</span> Discontinued work utility uniform used by the United States Armed Forces

The OG-107 was the basic work utility uniform (fatigues) of all branches of the United States Armed Forces from 1952 until its discontinuation in 1989. The designation came from the U.S. Army's coloring code "Olive Green 107", which was the shade of dark green used on the original cotton version of the uniform. The OG-107 was superseded by the Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) throughout the 1980s, and was also used by several other countries, including ones that received military aid from the United States.

The military uniforms of the Union Army in the American Civil War were widely varied and, due to limitations on supply of wool and other materials, based on availability and cost of materials. The ideal uniform was prescribed as a dark blue coat with lighter pants, with a black hat. Officer's ranks were denoted with increasing levels of golden decoration. Specific jobs, companies, and units had markedly different styles at times, often following European customs such as that of the Zouaves. Officers uniforms tended to be highly customized and would stray from Army standard. Ironically, several main pieces of gear had been created by order of the U.S. War Secretary Jefferson Davis before the war; he later became Confederate President.

Each branch of the Confederate States armed forces had its own service dress and fatigue uniforms and regulations regarding them during the American Civil War, which lasted from April 12, 1861, until May 1865.

References

  1. 1 2 The Army Dressed Up Archived 2008-04-17 at the Wayback Machine , 1952, Dr. Stephen J. Kennedy, The Quartermaster Review, January/February 1952, Army Clothing History page, Army Quartermaster Foundation, Inc. Website, accessed 4-9-08.
  2. militarytour.com
  3. Hwang, Tiffany US Army Field Jacket Development in Response to Material Shortages and the Exigencies of World War II in Momentum Vol 1 Issue 1 Article 3 18 April 2012