M1941 FIELD JACKET

This waist length jacket, a slight modification of the pattern 1938 field jacket, was the main field jacket of the American army until the M1943 field jacket's introduction in the fall of that year. The M1943 field jacket, though a superior garment, never fully replaced the earlier jacket which stayed in service throughout the war.

Color varies from very light green to khaki. The shell is tightly woven fine cotton poplin. It is lined with light weight OD wool cloth with a soft nap. The jacket closes with a zipper and buttons, the later being 1/2" diameter reddish brown plastic. It has two button tabs at the waist and the cuffs for adjusting the fit to seal out the wind. There is a deep gusset at each shoulder to allow freedom of movement. It has two unflapped internally hung slash pockets, one above each hip. The sizing is stamped in black on a white tag sewn to lining just below the collar. There is a white quartermaster tag sewn into the right pocket which has sizing and contract information. The cotton fabric did not hold up well to the rigors of combat and these jackets are usually worn out at the cuffs and collar. If the jacket sleeves are too long the cuffs can be easily hemmed back. Repair of the collar is a more difficult sewing task. Some have turned the collars over while others have scrounged for matching fabric at second hand stores and replaced the damaged area completely.

There are numerous reproductions of this jacket on the market. Some are good and others are not. Be especially careful of color. It is advisable to go out and examine several originals so you can get an idea of the range of hues. There are some reproduction jackets out there that are almost a day-glow green! Don't buy them! Keep in mind that the quality of reproductions tend to vary over time. Today's good source may be tomorrow's purveyor of farb garb. Make sure you have a return option.

There is U.S. Navy jacket of the WWII period that is the same cut as the Army pattern of 1941 but the Navy version is dark OD and usually has "U.S.N" ink stamped on the left breast. The Navy buttons are green as well as larger. Don't mistakenly buy these jackets.