The M-1943 jacket has a outer shell with a cotton lining. The waist is adjustable with an internal drawstring. The wrists can be closed by buttons. The jacket could be closed with buttons under a fly cover, creating a smooth front. There are four reinforced cargo pockets, two at chest level and two below the waist line of the jacket. Paratroopers wore them for Market-Garden and they were widely available to Army units in the Fall of 1944, and thereafter. This was my grandfathers, who was a paratrooper. It measures about 19″ across the shoulders and about 21″ across the armpits. BUY
Velma Vintage 