Early 1940's WWII Embroidered M-41 Field Jacket, with Talon zipper.
This is a truely one of a kind jacket, that has at some point in the past been custom embroidered for the G.I. that used to own it. Most likely during his stationing in Japan, by the same tailors that made the Sukajan souvenir jackets. The intricate detail of the embroidery is absolutely stunning. A collectors piece that will add greatly to any vintage or military collection. We can only imagine the stories this jacket has to tell, and we wish we could ask 'Vic' about it. The embroidery on the back does however tell us some things.
Sugamo Prison was a prison in Tokyo - Japan, and was taken over by the Allied occupation forces following WWII, during the occupation of Japan to house suspected war criminals as they awaited trial before the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. The Sugamo prison was operated by the United States’ Eighth Army.
The insignia on the left shoulder, is of the WWII 8th Army. The insignia on the right shoulder is of the 800th Military Police. Embroidered on the back of the jacket we see the name of 555th Military Police, and 800th Military Police Battalion from Kobe, Japan. The Military Police battalion was tasked with the dual responsibility of being part of the Army’s occupation forces while also acting as a military police presence to protect both the military forces and civilians.
Approximately 500 U.S. soldiers were stationed in Sugamo at any one time. Over the seven years of operation, from 1945 till 1952, about 2,500 would find duty overseeing the Sugamo prison and its notorious 'high -profile' occupants. Including those tried in the Tokyo and Yokohama courts.
The M-1941 O.D. Cotton Field Jacket, is a field jacket that was used by US Army soldiers, most famously during the beginning of World War II. In 1941 it started to be phased in as a replacement for the wool four-pocket service coat of World War I, but around 1943 it was replaced in turn by the improved M-1943 model. Owing to wide adoption, the M1941 is usually recognized as a symbol of the World War II American G.I. The jacket was made in a light shade of olive drab called O.D. number 2.
Tag size 36R. 100% cotton shell. Lined in wool.
Fits approx men's S and women's M
Shoulders: 47cm - 18 1/2"
Pit to pit: 53 cm - 20 3/4"
Centre back length: 66 cm - 26"
*missing one Military Police lapel pin.