U.S. Army Men's Coats

Olive Drab Mackinaw Coat

(Olive Drab Shade 7 Variant)

Olive Drab Mackinaw Coat Spec 252A front viewOlive Drab Mackinaw Coat Spec 252A Side ViewOlive Drab Mackinaw Coat Spec 252A Back View

Specification PQD 252A Dated 19 April 1943

Stock No. 55-C-33100 - 55-C-33190

Allowances & Purchases
ORGANIZATION, UNITS, SPECIALISTS, & STATUSES ZONE OF INTERIOR
THEATER OF OPERATIONS
Temperate Zone
(winter clothing)
Temperate Zone
(summer-winter clothing)
Tropical Zone Arctic Zone
Signal Corps & Mechanics Enlisted Men: Mandatory allowance, 1 coat. Enlisted Men: Mandatory allowance, 1 coat. Enlisted Men: Mandatory allowance, 1 coat.    
Engineers, & Shop Battalions Enlisted Men: Mandatory allowance, 1 coat. Enlisted Men: Mandatory allowance, 1 coat. Enlisted Men: Mandatory allowance, 1 coat.   Enlisted Men: Mandatory allowance, 1 coat.
HQ & HQ service companies, Engineer forestry companies & battalions, Hospital ship compliments & platoons   Enlisted Men: 1 coat issued in lieu of melton wool overcoat when authorized. Enlisted Men: 1 coat issued in lieu of melton wool overcoat when authorized.   Enlisted Men: 1 coat issued in lieu of melton wool overcoat when authorized.
Honorable discharge & inactive duty statuses Enlisted Men: 1 coat could be permanently retained if required for warmth.        
Key Visual IDPrimary MaterialsFastenersColorLabeling
This version of the mackinaw coat was changed to a lapel collar from a shawl type and the color was darkened olive drab shade 7.Outer: 7 ounce cotton poplin.

Liner: 26 oz. blanket wool.

Yoke and sleeve lining: Silesia.
This coat had 14 buttons: 8 x double breasted front closure, 1 x 2 cuff tab hold downs, 1 x 2 cuff adjustments, 1 x throat tab hold down, and 1 x collar to engage the throat tab.Outer: Olive Drab Shade 7.The quartermaster label was located on the inside of the right pocket or on the outside of the right pocket facing the liner. Occasionally examples didn't have the label.

Sizing was indicated on a small cotton tag attached at the inside neck seam.
TreatmentsApprox. Contract RunPreceded ByReplaced ByCompanion Garments
Outer: Fabric treated with an approved durable water repellent compound; these included DuPont Zelan, Dolanize, Dri-Dux, or Warcopel (Norane).February 13, 1945 to
March 10, 1945
(OD 7 version).
Olive Drab Mackinaw Coat, Spec. PQD 252 dated 27 August 1942.M-1943 Field Jacket, Spec. PQD 370E dated 13 January 1945.None.
Details
(hover for expanded view)
Collar DetailCollar Detail
In the spring of 1943 the collar of the mackinaw was changed from a shawl type to a convertible and notched lapel type. In the keeping with the mackinaw style, the collar was large and generous; and offered maximum protection when secured with the throat closure tab (pictured).
QM Label DetailQM Label Detail
By 1945 stocks of light shade poplin material were used up and the mackinaw was produced using darker olive drab shade 7 material. When this occured there was no change in the nomenclature or stock number because the coat did not have to be matched with any other specific uniform component, like, for example, herringbone twill garments did.
Main Closure Button DetailMain Closure Button Detail
The mackinaw was styled with a double breasted front, closed with eight large plastic buttons. This type of closure provided added warmth by providing a closer fit and a greater area of overlapping material down the front.
Lining detail.Lining detail.
The lining consisted of heavy blanket wool for warmth with silesia covering the sleeves and yoke for ease in and out of the coat.
Notes

The mackinaw's third incarnation of the WWII era (specification 252A) saw it undergo significant changes that would mark its final appearance. Like the evolution of most Army clothing of the time, the mackinaw lost some of its venerable style for the sake of improved field utility. The collar was changed to a convertible notched lapel style from the familiar shawl type, which had been present since the coat's adoption in the early 20's. Another feature that was eliminated, also part of the original design, was the all-around waist belt. With these major design changes and a new color beginning in 1945, the mackinaw ended the war with a very different look from which it began.

The decision to drop the belt was based on field reports complaining that it interfered with the use of the web (equipment) belt. Before the belt was dropped, strong objections were raised to its removal. The adjustable all-around belt, it was argued, was too important to remove because it allowed a soldier to control his body temperature by regulating air flow underneath the coat. The belted design also made sizing the coat a more flexible affair during issue.

By the spring of 1945, mackinaws were being constructed with exterior fabric in the new darker olive drab 7 color. Two years previously it had been decided to use the darker shade of green in cotton field garments because it offered better camouflage properties. For items already in the table of equipment, changeover to the new color occurred only after stocks of old material ran out. For the mackinaw this didn't occur until 1945. An abundance of older material remained on hand largely due to an absence of production from the fall of 1943 until the spring of 1945. This was so because during this period priority was given to the procurement of M-1943 field uniform components. Because the mackinaw wasn't part of a uniform system that required a color match with another item, the nomenclature and stock number tariffs were not changed when production of the olive drab 7 coats began.
(point here for color illustration)Two mackinaws are overlaid to show the contrasting colors of the early light shade of olive drab (left) and the darker olive drab shade 7 (right). It wasn't until 1945 that the mackinaw specification 252A was produced in the darker shade. Note the honorable discharge lozenge on the right breast of the dark coat.
Two mackinaws are overlaid to show the contrasting colors of the early light shade of olive drab (left) and the darker olive drab shade 7 (right). It wasn't until 1945 that the mackinaw specification 252A was produced in the darker shade. Note the honorable discharge lozenge on the right breast of the dark coat.

Later versions of the mackinaw coat, despite utilizing a heavier weight poplin exterior, suffered from some of the same wear characteristics as the Olive Drab Field Jacket. In particular, the coat's cuff area showed wear and fraying after moderate use. The collar area suffered too, but less so due to the thicker liner and heavier clothes typically worn underneath, which helped position the coat away from the body.

Period photos from the European theater of operations suggest use of the mackinaw was wide-spread. Group photos typically show soldiers wearing a hodgepodge of uniform components, including mackinaws. Contrary to published uniform regulations, mackinaws seem to have found their way into the hands of all types of troops. Real-world distribution of the mackinaw was a function of weather conditions as well as shortages of warm clothing experienced in the ETO during the winter of 44-45. Mackinaws were used to fill in the gaps caused by shortages of olive drab and M-1943 field jackets, as well as melton wool overcoats.
(point here for period photo)Members of the 26th Infantry Division campaigning in Luxembourg during December 1944.  The soldier on the left wears the M-1943 field jacket while his partner wears the late style mackinaw coat.
Members of the 26th Infantry Division campaigning in Luxembourg during December 1944. The soldier on the left wears the M-1943 field jacket while his partner wears the late style mackinaw coat.

Discussions to cease production of the mackinaw commenced in 1945. With the adoption of the functionally superior M-1943 field jacket, the opportunity arose to eliminate the mackinaw from the tables of equipment. However, it was decided that the mackinaw should not be eliminated because production numbers of the new field jacket would not be able to fulfill requirements. Therefore, the mackinaw continued to be produced into 1945, and in such quantity that it remained in inventory throughout the war and beyond. It was not declared limited standard until September 1945. Surviving Mackinaws can often be seen bearing the honorable discharge emblem on the right breast. This is as a result of regulations stipulating that a warm coat like the mackinaw or wool overcoat could be retained by honorably discharged troops.