M43 Field Jacket Essay

During, World War II the jacket, Field, M1943 came out. The jacket was the outer shell for field and combat garment that replaced the earlier Jacket, Field, Od also known as the M41 jacket. The Army found the M41 jacket to not be up for the task of protecting troops from cold climates. However, the M43 Field Jacket begin widespread to the Army in the summer of 1944 worn by replacement soldiers being trained stateside, and then in the European Theater of operations in the fall of 1944. Since then the uniform saw use in both the Army and the Marines at various cold climates. The M43 field jacket was helpful while fighting during the frigid Battle of the Bulge, while marching all over Germany in 1945, and also by Marines wearing them in the Pacific
just prior to the Japanese surrender. The M43 also saw use by Army GI’s and Marines during the Korean conflict in 1950 and 1951. The jacket was so successful that it was mass produced with only minor modifications. After, many other countries copied the M43 field jacket with slight variations during the late 1940s and 1950s. This uniform was specifically designed to be made from expensive densely woven windproof cotton sateen which resulted in dramatic wind –chill protection.
The jacket sizing however was designed to allow for layering other garments and sweaters under it to provide further thermal protection. The Liner, Pile was specifically designed to be worn as a separate liner for the M43 field jacket. The M-1943 Field Jacket is widely acknowledged as being the finest garment produced for the U.S. forces during the World War II time period. Innovative in design and driven by the need for a garment that could be effective for many types of specialized troops operating in various theaters across the world. The magnificent M-1943 Field Jacket was the crowning achievement of the Quartermaster Corps’ clothing development and testing programs of the World War II era. This field jacket also had a hood that you could take on and off. The hood was helpful to keep your head from getting cold. It has draw strings to tighten around your head or helmet. The jacket also has four external pockets and one interior pocket (added later on) that were favored by troops because they provided more carrying capacity, each pocket also has a flap which covers the buttons, which keeps them from getting snagged on bushes or wires which could impare the soldiers movement in an important
situation. It also has a bi-swing gusset in the back, which is a design feature incorporated into later U.S. troop jackets that provided expanded freedom of movement for the arms. The Army GI’s also had trousers that went with the field jacket, that insisted of two slash pockets on the side, two pockets on the seat, a watch slash pocket on the front left, buttons on the waist band for braces, and a button adjustable ankle.