B-Man2
Well-Known Member
Hi Guys
It’s been a slow couple of days here, so I thought about posting something a little different. Ive been interested in US Airborne history and paratrooper gear and uniforms since I first started collecting WWII stuff. Both my dad and an uncle were in the airborne during the war. The M-42 jump uniform was something that peaked my interest, as both of them wore that uniform at some point during their service and as an added attraction, my mom worked as a sewing machine operator at the Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot, sewing pockets onto M-42 and M-43 jump pants and jackets, during and after the war. If you ever looked at a WWII Army uniform you will probably see a Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot label sewn inside of that garment as the PQM was the provider of a significant number of uniforms and clothing to the US Army. So to begin, the M-1942 Airborne Jump Uniform was designed in part by William Yarborough, who would later rise to the rank of Lt General, and provided to the paratroopers prior to the actual D-Day jump into Normandy. It was issued to them either just before they left to relocate in England or just after relocating in England. The jacket was made from cotton poplin and had sharply tailored sides with a belt and 4 larger cargo pockets in which ammo and other gear could be stored to sustain the paratrooper for approximately 3 days. The 3 days was the time that the airborne troops had to operate in a combat zone behind enemy lines, until regular army troops could arrive to relieve the airborne troops. This meant that the paratroopers had to carry all of their gear to fight with during those 3 days, so large storage pockets on uniforms was a must.
To add to the ability of the paratroopers to carry extra ammo and other gear, people known as parachute riggers designed and made specialized equipment, and came up with added cargo pockets sewn to the upper sleeves of the jump jacket with re- enforced the edges of the pockets in the jackets and pants, to add extra strength to the pockets. (Note : the photos below show the reinforced pockets and elbow patched sleeves) This was done after several paratroopers related stories of ammo and other weighty objects blowing right threw the bottoms of jacket and pants pockets due to the tremendous shock of the opening of their parachutes .
One of the little known features that General Yarbrough designed into the M-42 jump jacket was a hidden compartment that only paratroopers knew about . It was located behind the center zipper seam, just below the front collar of the jacket. This pocket contained the M-2 paratrooper jump switchblade knife that was provided to troopers as a means of cutting their shroud lines in the event of getting hung up in a tree. However, there are several tales of paratroopers who were captured and taken prisoner during the early morning hours on D-Day, who had escaped capture by taking their hidden switchblade M-2 knife, that had been missed by their German guards and cutting the guards throat, taking his weapon and making their way back to friendly lines. So that’s a quick story of the M-42 secret compartment you may or may not have known about. I hope you liked it. Please feel free to add your comments to this post. Thanks for your time.
It’s been a slow couple of days here, so I thought about posting something a little different. Ive been interested in US Airborne history and paratrooper gear and uniforms since I first started collecting WWII stuff. Both my dad and an uncle were in the airborne during the war. The M-42 jump uniform was something that peaked my interest, as both of them wore that uniform at some point during their service and as an added attraction, my mom worked as a sewing machine operator at the Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot, sewing pockets onto M-42 and M-43 jump pants and jackets, during and after the war. If you ever looked at a WWII Army uniform you will probably see a Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot label sewn inside of that garment as the PQM was the provider of a significant number of uniforms and clothing to the US Army. So to begin, the M-1942 Airborne Jump Uniform was designed in part by William Yarborough, who would later rise to the rank of Lt General, and provided to the paratroopers prior to the actual D-Day jump into Normandy. It was issued to them either just before they left to relocate in England or just after relocating in England. The jacket was made from cotton poplin and had sharply tailored sides with a belt and 4 larger cargo pockets in which ammo and other gear could be stored to sustain the paratrooper for approximately 3 days. The 3 days was the time that the airborne troops had to operate in a combat zone behind enemy lines, until regular army troops could arrive to relieve the airborne troops. This meant that the paratroopers had to carry all of their gear to fight with during those 3 days, so large storage pockets on uniforms was a must.
To add to the ability of the paratroopers to carry extra ammo and other gear, people known as parachute riggers designed and made specialized equipment, and came up with added cargo pockets sewn to the upper sleeves of the jump jacket with re- enforced the edges of the pockets in the jackets and pants, to add extra strength to the pockets. (Note : the photos below show the reinforced pockets and elbow patched sleeves) This was done after several paratroopers related stories of ammo and other weighty objects blowing right threw the bottoms of jacket and pants pockets due to the tremendous shock of the opening of their parachutes .
One of the little known features that General Yarbrough designed into the M-42 jump jacket was a hidden compartment that only paratroopers knew about . It was located behind the center zipper seam, just below the front collar of the jacket. This pocket contained the M-2 paratrooper jump switchblade knife that was provided to troopers as a means of cutting their shroud lines in the event of getting hung up in a tree. However, there are several tales of paratroopers who were captured and taken prisoner during the early morning hours on D-Day, who had escaped capture by taking their hidden switchblade M-2 knife, that had been missed by their German guards and cutting the guards throat, taking his weapon and making their way back to friendly lines. So that’s a quick story of the M-42 secret compartment you may or may not have known about. I hope you liked it. Please feel free to add your comments to this post. Thanks for your time.
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