US Airborne M1942 Jacket

An excellent reproduction American M1942 Airborne jacket, finished in olive drab.

The Airborne units were the first in the United States Army to receive a bespoke uniform – the M1942. These practical uniforms met the needs of paratroopers who had to jump into enemy territory under combat conditions. The M1942 was first issued to paratroopers taking part in Operation Torch, the invasion of Oran in North Africa.

The M42 jacket has four angled pockets fastened with pop studs, a knife pocket near the throat closed with a zipper, and a belt for around the waist. The elbows are reinforced with patches, as are the seams of the pockets, which strengthened weaknesses identified in jumps prior to D-Day. The patch on the upper left arm belongs to the 82^nd Airborne Division, the ‘All Americans’, who would have worn this uniform during the D-Day and Operation Market Garden jumps.

The M42 uniform was gradually replaced with the M43 after D-Day, though many veterans chose to keep their M1942 uniforms as a status symbol, to distinguish them from other soldiers.

These are superb M1942 reproductions jackets, complete with reinforced patches that were added prior to D-Day, that are accurate and perfect for re-enacting.