Jacket, Field, OD
(M41 or Parsons Jacket or M-1941)

Jacket, Field, OD worn by Corporal Charles H. Johnson of the 783rd Military Police Battalion, as he waves on a Red Ball Express motor convoy rushing priority materiel to the forward areas, near Alencon, France, 5 September 1944.

The Field Jacket of 1941: Jacket, Field, OD (Parson's Jacket)

The M-1941 Field jacket, also called Parson's jacket after its designer Major General J.K. Parsons, was not designated as "M-1941" at the time. The M-1943 model was the first to be named by its year of adoption and the model of 1941 was simply known as the "Jacket, Field, OD" or "the OD Field Jacket".

Its construction was khaki cotton/poplin with an olive flannel lining. The over all style was like a civilian windbreaker in the Army color. It had a Talon zipper, covered by a buttoned fly up the front. The collar and wrists had button tabs as did the waist. Two large vertical pleats behind the shoulders make it easy to fit. The "first pattern M41" had pocket buttons and lacked the pleats and shoulder epaulettes of the "second pattern M41" which was the standard production model.

The M-1941 was widely worn during World War II, even to the end when the M-1943 Field Jacket was the standard issue. It was found to be too light for severe cold conditions, too hot for summer, and did not have good cargo pockets, factors that eventually led to the M-1943 design.

Jacket, Field, OD worn by soldiers shipping out, World War II.

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