The M-1942 Jumpsuit.

The M-1942 Jumpsuit was a redesign of the M-1941 jumpsuit that was manufactured for use by Parachute troops of the newly formed US Airborne. The M-1941 was originally seen as suitable for the purpose, and was issued in reasonable numbers to those in the early stages of the Airborne programme. It was soon discovered however, that the M-1941 was not up to the task, and it was redesigned by the then Major William P. Yarborough, who helped to plan the first ever US parachute drop in North Africa in 1942. Yarborough also later went on to command the 2nd Battalion of the 504th PIR, 82nd Airborne Division, and the famous 509th PIB who were the first US Parachute unit to see combat.

This Jacket, owned by 101st Airborne Division historian Mark Bando, was issued to Sgt Ed 'Fat Boy' Hughes of 2d plt F/501st PIR, 101st Airborne Division. Although similar in many aspects to what would become the M-1942, it has only single snap pocket flaps and the pockets themselves do not bellow and are very limited in space. The waist-belt is sewn flat to the jacket and is fastened with a metal snap as well as a buckle as can be found on the M-1942. It is also cut slightly different, with no bellowing to the back of the jacket, and was more of a snug fit for the wearer. It also has the throat pocket, for a pocket knife, that was retained on the M-1942.

This unissued M-1942 jacket shown at right shows the huge differences in the pocket design. This was the fundamental difference and one Major Yarborough was keen to push through. A Paratrooper is required, by necessity, to carry a lot of equipment and supplies into a combat zone as they may not receive a resupply for days, and the M-1941 just did not provide the space required. This M-1942 had bellowed pockets, that lay flat when empty but bulged when full. The single snap fastener pocket flap was also changed in size and given two snaps, with 4 snaps in the underside of the flap to allow the wearer to fasten down the flap even when the pocket was at its limit in terms of space. The Waist-belt was also made completely independent of the jacket with the exception of a narrow strip holding the belt to the jacket on the rear to prevent loss.

The bellowed pockets of the new design were an essential part of what made the jacket so useful to Paratroopers. As can be seen in this picture, the pockets could be pulled free on the jacket, attached by a small section to towards the top rear of the pocket. This created as much of a pouch as a pocket and wearers could carry a magnitude of items within the pocket, including two grenades or the contents of a ration box. The flap had a 2 inch slit along the top that allowed for items to be slipped into the pocket and it was common place for this to be used to hold a spoon or a fork.

Left: The pocket flap lifted reveals how 4 snaps were fitted to the underside allowing the pocket to be fastened in two different ways depending on its contents.

Right: The secondary snaps in action to hold the bulky

contents of the jacket.

The Waist-belt on the M-1942 was attached at one point only, on the rear, and was fastened using a thick metal buckle with a small loop for the excess belt. The belt was attached to the jacket on the rear using a small strip of fabric, as shown below.

Unlike the M-1941 the M-1942 was bellowed at the back behind the shoulders and on the skirt making it more comfortable on the wearer and allowing more freedom of movement.

A Heavily worn early example featuring unfinished brass snaps. In later examples, as is the case with the one above, the snaps were parkourised or painted black to prevent reflection that could potentially give away a wearers location in a combat situation. This example shows that despite the small piece of fabric keeping the belt in place, it was easily lost or removed.

The pristine pair of M-1942 trousers below, belonging to Belgian collector Johan Willaert, still have labels marking them as a sample for other manufacturers. They show that the trousers also sported bellowed pockets with multiple snaps, and were elasticated around the ankle for a tight fit when worn inside a jump boot. These trousers were made by the Clothes Department of the Philadelphia QM Depot and are a likely match to the jacket shown on page one which is made with green thread in the same way.

The standard Jumpsuit in use in the ETO.

The jumpsuit as standard, as shown on the previous pages, was issued to troops during the training stage, and was what the first combat units of the US Airborne would wear when facing the enemy, and the first unit to do so was the 509 th Parachute Infantry Battalion, in North Africa in 1942.

Before becoming the 509th PIB, the unit was known as the 2nd Battalion of the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, and they are shown here in their standard M-1942s in England, UK, before making an arduous flight to North Africa for the very first US Airborne Combat parachute jump. Notice the trouser pockets well bellowed due to their contents, and there are hints of camouflage on some of the suits, something the 509th PIB became famous for.

This great picture shows an example of the very first modifications of an M-1942 jumpsuit by elements of the 509 th PIB. Whilst the trooper at center appears to be wearing a fairly standard M-42 jumpsuit, the man at right is wearing one that has no only been painted to create a camouflage effect, but the pockets have also been reinforced with a heavy cotton thread. The reason for the latter modification was simply because in training jumps the unit has discovered that heavy items in the pockets would simply rip themselves free because of the opening shock. This made drop zones an extremely hazardous place to be, and also meant troopers descended with the contents of their pockets having disappeared below. The cotton thread was applied in efforts to prevent this, and was in some way effective, but a genuinely effective method of preventing this was not achieved until the rigger reinforced jumpsuits were introduced to the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions prior to the invasion of Normandy.

This photo is as good as they come in terms of demonstrating the early camouflage techniques employed by the unit. It would appear, since these photos were taken before the unit had actually faced an enemy, that the lack of camouflage on the standard M-1942 was a problem discovered during training. However, the colour of the Jumpsuit is more likely to have suited the environment in which they were initially to face the enemy, North Africa and Italy, until the winter months arrived.

There is a long standing debate as to what unit the men featured in these two photos are from. Many believe it to be the 504th

Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division, whilst others believe it to be the 509th PIB. On closer examination, it would appear that the US Arm flags worn by the unit are on the wrong sleeve for the 504th PIR, but it is argued that this is because the unit was ordered to use the arm flag to cover up their 82nd SSI for security purposes in transit. Others are of the opinion that this cannot be the case since the flags are too small to completely obscure the SSI. Those who believe it to be the 509th base their evidence on the fact that for the Sicily operation the Battalion was attached to the 82nd, although not used, and was bivouacked in a similar area and trained with the Division for a brief period. Regardless, it is obvious that these men are not carrying combat loads, and are more likely preparing for a training jump since their pockets are close to empty.

The photos were taken in North Africa in the run up to operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily, in which the 82nd Airborne Division became the first complete Division to enter combat, albeit not as a whole. Here the M-1942 was really put to the test.

Above: The unit to which these men are assigned is in no doubt. They are officers of the Division HQ of the 82nd Airborne Division and include (Standing center left) Major General Matthew B. Ridgeway, the Divisional Commander. These men, although technically combatants, are unlikely to have spent much time crawling through ditches and across fields, and this is reflected in the overall good condition of their Jumpsuits.

Right: These men of the 504th PIR show why the uniform was suitable for temperatures like those experienced in Sicily. It was light to wear, was thin, and helped could the sun from burning troops whilst allowing them to remain cool. These men appear to be wearing nothing below their jumpsuits.

The 82nd Airborne Division continued to wear the suit in combat and Italy, and in training in the UK to prepare for D-Day.

With D-Day approaching, and with the jumpsuits flaws having been realised during training and in combat, every member of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions was ordered to turn in one of two Jumpsuits each man had been issued. These were taken, by riggers, to be modified with the addition of stratigically placed canvas reinforcing to help improve the durabilty of the suit in combat.

The trousers had large canvas sqaures applied to the knees to