M-1943 JACKETS

[Happy Hooligan]

I picked this one up on the bay last week...

two odd things about it...

one it's a size 44 long!

Two it's had a zipper attached to it at one time...

I can't quite make out the tag so if someone know a lot of info on 1943 jackets I'm all ears...

 

[dujardin]

hello,

having collecting US militaria before, it's the first time i saw this modification.
i think it's a post war modified field jacket to be close to the (if i remember well) M51 jacket (korea era). or maybe a modification (for) by a civilian
still a splendid jacket, she looks to be in excellent condition

byeeeeeeeee marcel

 

[Peter Graham]

Nice jacket. 44L, it must be huge ! The zipper mod is definately post war. It doesn't look out of place though. There were many variations of M-43, the changes being small, but important if you want to date the jacket. There used to be a French site that listed all these changes corresponding to date but it doesn't seem to exist any more. As far as I know the early M-43's had on OD3 lining, appearently to use up stocks of existing M-41 material. The later jackets had an OD7 lining and instructions printed inside the neck area. That's as much as I can remember although I've noticed that the majority of M-43's encountered on ebay seem to be 1945 dated.

 

[Pilotomutante]

Might be a field mod. made during the Korean war era. According to "U.S. Army uniforms of the Korean war" by Shelby Stanton there was a shortage of field jackets on that conflict, and before the M-1951 jacket was issued in numbers (spring of 1953), M-1943 jackets where manufactured on the hurry, mainly having inner buttoms intended to attach the pile liner (this where known as M-1950). Somewhere in between might be your jacket.

Just a guess dough...

 

[a2 fng]

Take the zip off,whack it back on Ebay and see it go for mega bucks as sizes like that are pretty rare.

Lucky sod :evil: :evil:

 

[Happy Hooligan]

I think I'm going to turn this jacket into a daily wearer but I want to add some patches back to it.

I'm pretty sure it was used from wwii through korea...

Should I put the black/gold army over the left pocket?

Also where is a good place to find unit patches that are not AAF based?

I'm been researching my grandfather who was in the Combat Engineers.... and thought I'd do up something for him.

 

[Tim P]

the US Army tape was not sanctioned until after the armistice. Of course examples of this type of jacket would be used after that time so it is feasible if not typical. I think it is important to work out which patch your grandfather used although, as an engineer,if he was attached to the air force then the SCARWAF (Special category army with air force) is a very nice patch.

 

[Happy Hooligan]

He was in the 23rd Army Corp of Engineers and moved in a few units but mostly the 381st. I've tried to find the patch but there's not much out there that I can find.

I realize it's past wwii but the jacket I'm pretty sure was used up until korea or close to it because of the zipper...

 

[Tim P]

Oh absolutely but the branch and name tape etc puts a garment past 1954 frankly as the order to add them (brought on by coalition forces such as Turkey and to a lesser extent the UK utilising US uniforms and other forces having something so similar as to cause confusion) was not made until 1953.
interestingly, name tapes appeared embroidered, often by hand, in branch colours so if you are looking to create a post armistice jacket, it would be possible to have a yellow and black US Army and a red and white name tape. Bear in mind when dating the jacket the operational life of ther 'goldenlite' rank, in navy on yellow for combat arms and yellow on navy for support.

 

[Happy Hooligan]

Thanks Tim,

I guess I'm going to have do a lot of research to get it right!

 

[Tim P]

I will help. pick a year, pick a unit and Bob's your uncle...

 

[Happy Hooligan]

I will help. pick a year, pick a unit and Bob's your uncle...

Okay...!

I'd like to represent my grandfather..

who mostly served with the 381st bn. with I believe the XV Army XXIII Corps.

He was also in the 138th towards the end and the 141st on his boat trip home

He was mostly a Capt. in the Combat Engineers and was later a Major during reconstruction of Germany.

 

[a2 fng]

If you realy want a Korean correct look as i said,put the M43 on Ebay and use the large amount of money to either buy an M50,M51.

Do you have any pics of the patches you need as i have a musette pack full of patches-mostly unidentified so may have what you are after.

Good Luck

 

[Tim P]

The M43 was the mainstay of the Korean conflict and that era. the m51 was designated from its design in 1951. they then had to be made and stocked in sufficient quantities to begin equiping people. Purportedly they did not appear until 1953.(source Shelby Stanton and others plus wads of period photos) You will be fine with it. I accept that the M50 type would have been used alongside the M43 during its descent into obsolescence but that is virtually identical but for the liner buttons.,

I suspect that a cut edge 23 corps patch and full colour rank on OG 107 or preferably paler cloth would suffice unless his service post-dates 1953 when gold and black US Army and probably a printed (or possibly embroidered) white name tape would add to the insignia. (I strongly recommend the printed name tapes offered by Trey moore of Moore militaria.)

 

[Happy Hooligan]

He actually wasn't in Korea, it's just the jacket is more in lines with Korea... It would probably be wrong to mix and match the two as the 381st was disbanded in late 1944

I can't sell the jacket as I'll NEVER find a 50, 51 or even a 43 for that matter in that size that will fit me.

I think I'll just go with the 43 as a wwii version (including the zipper) and outfit it as it might have looked in mid late 1944 when he crossed the Rhine.

The main patch I'm looking for is supposedly oval and blue and white... That's all I've been able to figure out so far.

 

[Tim P]

23rd corps is oval but not a long oval, nearly circular. the top half is blue and the bottom half is white. this is typical corps colours, (armies being red and white by and large) That makes the two
A sheaf of three arrows, the centre being vertical and the other two crossing it at right angles to each other contrast with the halved background by being white at the top where the backing is blue and vice versa that is the three

if you need an M51 in a large long to fit a 44-46 220lb let me know, I have one here.