Original Item: Only One Available. This is a great example of the "Jacket, Combat, Winter", also known as the "tankers" jacket, that has certainly been worn in the field. The interior of the jacket has a cloth tag with the name of Richard T. Henshaw Jr. The jacket comes with an equally worn set of coveralls, known as “bibs”. Worn in conjunction, this set would have offered protection from the elements as well as any moderate contact with the material.

Richard joined the military on November 20, 1942, at the age of 30. He was the commander of the 186th Field Artillery Battalion from D-Day to VE-Day, serving under V Corps. After that, he became the Division Artillery Commander of the 16th Armored Division. Colonel Henshaw landed on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, and fought until V-E Day in Czechoslovakia.

On June 6, 1944, V Corps attacked Omaha Beach in Normandy. The soldiers then broke out from the beachhead, liberated Paris and Sedan, Ardennes, and raced to the German border. After liberating Luxembourg, V Corps fought in the Battle of the Bulge, captured Leipzig, made first contact with the Red Army at Torgau, and, in the south of Czechoslovakia, liberated Plzeň by May 1945.

The Winter Combat Uniform consisted of the Winter Combat Jacket, Winter Combat Trousers, and the Winter Combat Helmet. The jacket eventually became known as the Tanker Jacket by the veterans and uniform collectors. Its intent was for use by any Army unit needing a heavy-duty cold weather winter garment. Soldiers that were assigned to tank, reconnaissance units and armored infantry units in half-tracks needed cold weather gear when fighting from armored vehicles. Eventually, other ground fighting infantry, artillery, and other units were also issued the winter combat uniform while fighting in frigid winter climates such as Bastogne. This jacket very quickly earned an affinity by military people in many of the services due to its thermal protection and ease of wearing. Many soldiers not in armored units during WWII tried to get their hands on a Tanker Jacket just because it was very stylish and comfortable, attributes that still stand today.

This hard wearing and warm jacket was the perfect replacement for the in service M1938 and M1941 jackets. When worn with its matching bibbed trousers it became the combat uniform of choice for the Armored Forces and was much in demand by all other ground forces, even AAF pilots were seen wearing this jacket!

This jacket is in very fair condition, the "gold" hued color is still strong while the cuffs, collar and waist band display heavy wear with fraying and material loss. The jacket shell and liner are in fair condition as well. This was most certainly a uniform set that saw heavy service use, adding to the desirable nature of the jacket. This is a very nice hard to find jacket that is sought after by the collector of WWII GI uniforms and militaria.

Comes ready for further research and display.

Approximate Measurements:
Collar to shoulder: 9"
Shoulder to sleeve: 24”
Shoulder to shoulder: 19”
Chest width: 23.5"
Hip width: 20"
Front length: 24"