My fathers tanker jacket.

[AngryNJ]

Hi everyone. I am new the forums, so please forgive any mistakes i may make in names of items. I'm new to this, but have been lurking for some time. I thought I would post some pics of my fathers tanker jacket from when he was stationed in Germany in the 50s. He said he had a tailor dye the jacket blue (was OD green I think) and add all the things you see. It's unique so I thought you all would like to see it. I actually wore this when I was a kid since my father was such a small guy (5 feet tall and very slim when he was in the army). The zipper says "ries, made in germany".

My fathers "ike" jacket:

 

[Hamilton_Honey]

How great that you have you Father's jackets! And interesting about the dye job on the first one.


I wish I still had my Dad's USMC issue Ike jacket - he was the one of the last to receive one in the Corps because he was slim enough to fit it.


Welcome to the Lounge, and thanks for sharing!

 

[AngryNJ]

Thank you for the warm welcome! I have to say that I am quite amazed at the quality of the ike jacket. It feels brand new! The tanker jacket seems to be getting more brittle though. I don't think I could fit in the ike jacket when I was 13 let alone now. My dad was a tiny guy.

 

[dhermann1]

Very cool. I've seen similar jackets to that from the far east, China, etc. A lot of history there!
I have my dad's old USMC piss cutter from WW II. I treasure it.

 

[gliderace]

Excellent jacket and welcome!
As a former 1st Armored (before moving off to learn how to fly), that is quite a wonderful sight. What a treasure you have!

 

[BellyTank]

Nice jacket.
But it appears to be a custom made jacket, in military style.


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[Edward]

Nice jacket.
But it appears to be a custom made jacket, in military style.


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I was wondering that, too - stance of the handwarmer pockets (too low?), the main zip stops lower than on the issue jackets, Gathering elastic in the small of the back(? not on the originals?). It reminds me of the Vietnam Tour jackets I've seen; makes sense that someone would have had one of these made up for a tour of duty in Germany in the fifties. I imagine that they would have been much more wearable back then too, given that (at least I presume) there were none of the negative political connotations that the Vietnam campaign carried.

Really nice souvenir all the same, and the Ike jacket is very cool. I want one of those for civilian wear, myself.

 

[AngryNJ]

You guys are probably right about it being custom. I did notice that the zipper said made in germany when I took the pics. I remember my father mentioning a tailor in Germany making this for him. I thought it was his tanker jacket, but I may be remembering incorrectly. Sadly my Dad passed away earlier this year, so I can't double check with him.

Pics I have seen of real tanker jackets do show the higher up pocket you all have mentioned.

My Dad was hoping to be stationed in Japan when he joined the Army, but they sent him to Germany since he spoke the language and was from there originally.

Thanks for the information, and compliments.

 

[BellyTank]

Truly sorry to hear about your Dad...

Yes- a custom made, decorated "Tour Jacket", a memento of
his tour in Germany.

I have seen a few similar.
The post WW2/occupation/Japan tour jackets are very popular collectibles.


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