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Tarawa Vet ID'd P42 jacket


Chutesandskulls
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Chutesandskulls

This P42 jacket has the name of three different Marines on it. The one I have researched the most heavily is Marlin G Safley. He was Artillery with the Second Marine Division on Tarawa. The best thing about this jacket is Mr. Safley actually lived a half hour away from me but unfortunately passed away many years ago.I love finding items that belonged to local Marines.

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Neat jacket with an incredible story! Wow, look how crisp that E.F. Sullivan name is against the faded jacket. Would think when Sullivan got it the jacket was almost too faded to wear!

 

Thanks for posting!

 

Very best,

 

Bill K.

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Chutesandskulls

Thank you. I am thinking due to the way Sullivan is stamped that he may have been issued it post war. I had been looking for one of these for a while but to find one that belonged to a local Tarawa vet had me speechless.

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Schnicklfritz

Not only is it great that it is an Id'd Tarawa used jacket, it is also the rarer variation of the P42 camo jacket with regular USMC riveted buttons like you see on the sage green utilities and not the glove snap buttons. Outstanding!

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Schnicklfritz

I never noticed that before. Thank you

Well, to notice even more about the jacket that differs. On the ones that I've seen with riveted buttons, the chest and waist pockets are usually on the same side of the blouse. On yours, the waist pocket is on the right and doesn't appear to have a button closure.

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Chutesandskulls

I have wondered about that as well. I don't know a whole lot about P42 manufacturing variants. Maybe that's a good idea for a future thread.

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Schnicklfritz

There are quite a few variants on the P42 uniform. Look at Alec's book "Grunt Gear" and you'll see a few variants. Some say that they are initial test patterns. I really wonder if some are actually test patterns that were attempt to make improvements on the more common "issue" P42 camo uniform that resulted in the development of the P44(actually pictured earlier in '43) camo uniform. Glove snaps didn't do well in the Pacific environment and I wonder if the P42 camo jackets you see with the riveted USMC buttons are an attempt to make an improvement on this. I remember seeing photos here on the forum of one of these jackets that looked to be made of the "new and improved" camouflage cloth.

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Chutesandskulls

Thank you. I have always thought the Paramarine uniforms are what influenced the heaviest on the P44. But seeing the different style of snaps on this I think this may have played a part in it too.

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Not only is it great that it is an Id'd Tarawa used jacket, it is also the rarer variation of the P42 camo jacket with regular USMC riveted buttons like you see on the sage green utilities and not the glove snap buttons. Outstanding!

 

Schnicklfritz,

 

I am not seeing riveted buttons on the camouflage jacket pictured. It looks like the brown side of the jacket with the reverse side of the snaps showing. Maybe the owner can clarify?

 

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ViewfinderGyrene

Cpl., I think this is one of the best Id'd items posted this year, congratulations! I share your amazement that he was local, it's the most rewarding thing to have stuff from local boys...

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Chutesandskulls

I am in the middle of the desert right now and everything is in storage I'll try to get better pictures of the snaps when I get back.

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Schnicklfritz

 

Schnicklfritz,

 

I am not seeing riveted buttons on the camouflage jacket pictured. It looks like the brown side of the jacket with the reverse side of the snaps showing. Maybe the owner can clarify?

 

 

I'm about 99% sure from what I can see in the photos, the buttons are the "USMC" riveted burr buttons like you see on the sage greens.

 

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  • 1 month later...

Another possibility is its a early trials piece that got used.

The one I own has some different features and on the green side the pocket is on the wearers left.Also the color varies a bit.Mine is like the one Alex shows in a period photo in GRUNT GEAR

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  • 6 months later...

Don't know how I missed this thread first time round..... Fantastic item!! Just amazing, love it! Thanks for sharing this rare beauty!

Cheers, Graham

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