This original World War II US Army M-1943 field jacket is badged to a paratrooper of the famed 82nd Airborne Division. Made of OD cotton with the classic four-pocket design and internal waist drawstring, this example is well-worn but sound. Inside the collar is a woven 34R size tag, and the interior is clearly stamped with the regulation M-1943 specification markings and instructions. The jacket is also marked with the soldier’s service number “687-13498” and laundry number “845 H 45904,” offering the potential for further research.

The left shoulder bears a wartime embroidered 82nd Airborne Division patch, with the “AA” monogram set against the distinctive red square and topped by the separate “AIRBORNE” arc—an insignia instantly recognizable as the symbol of one of the most celebrated American combat units of the Second World War.

The 82nd Airborne Division was reactivated in 1942 and quickly transitioned into the first American airborne division under the command of Major General Omar Bradley, then James M. Gavin. The division first saw combat in Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943, where it executed the first U.S. regimental-sized parachute assault in combat. Its paratroopers then jumped into Salerno during Operation Avalanche, helping to secure a vital beachhead on the Italian mainland.

On D-Day, June 6, 1944, the 82nd Airborne dropped behind enemy lines in Normandy as part of Operation Neptune, securing key crossroads and liberating Ste.-Mère-Église—one of the first towns freed in the campaign. Despite heavy casualties and scattered drops, the division played a pivotal role in protecting the flanks of the amphibious landings.

In Operation Market Garden that September, the 82nd parachuted into the Netherlands, capturing bridges over the Maas and Waal rivers, including the critical crossing at Nijmegen. While the broader operation stalled, the division successfully held its ground against fierce German resistance.

The 82nd’s endurance was tested again during the Battle of the Bulge, when it was rushed to the front in December 1944 to stop the German Ardennes offensive. Fighting in the snowy forests of Belgium, the division held the line against elements of the 6th SS Panzer Army, helping to halt Hitler’s last major counterattack in the West.

By war’s end, the 82nd had crossed the Rhine into Germany and was selected to serve as part of the occupying honor guard in Berlin—a fitting close to a remarkable wartime record.

This jacket, with its original markings and insignia, is an evocative artifact from one of America’s most battle-hardened airborne units. It represents not just a uniform, but the spirit and sacrifice of the All American Division’s paratroopers who fought from Sicily to the heart of Germany.

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