Blue M-1951, The Unicorn Has Been Slain !!Copyright Fishtailparkas.com 2007
Finally !!......
Caught the bugger and its only taken me 17 years !!.....
I had heard from many quarters the rumours of a Blue M-51. Even spoke with eye witnesses who had seen and purchased one back in the day, saw some fuzzy pics of what was claimed to be one but, up until bank holiday of August this year, never got my grubby mitts on one !!..
It bugged me, it made little sense and all I had to go on was the rumour that they existed at some point. However, my own logic and too many years handling and dealing with this stuff told me the opposite. Why would the US Army produce a Blue M-51 ?...Like anything the army produce, they come in any colour you like as longs as its green. The Navy would have wet weather gear not extreme cold and the USAF were issued the standard olive drab just like the GI's.
Soooo.....could there be a Blue M-51 Fishtail Parka ???
This semi logic coupled with the fact that I have probably seen and handled more M-51's than any man alive, or at least any man alive who did not happen to work in a 1950's US MIL Supplies Depot locked away in a little room labelled PARKAS, told me not !!...
I firmly believed that if I ain't seen one that's because they don't exist or at least if they existed they were not US MIL Issue !!...
Well I was WRONG !! and Thank God, I was RIGHT !!....
On our way back from the Isle of Wight Rally this August just gone, after 4 days of little sleep, loading vans and attempting to fix two very temperamental vintage scooters, we spotted one !
Galloping through the mist without a care in the world, thinking we would not notice, in walked the Blue Unicorn.
First my apologies to the poor guy wearing it, who in the the excitement to literally rip his parka from his back, dissect and photograph (yes photograph and yes we are obsessive) its every stitch, button, label and nuance, we did not even ask his name !!...
So without any further ado; Sorry Mate, and thank you for your patience with two obsessive parka fans !!
With my guilt trip slightly eased now I can say that, after careful deliberation and analysing every aspect of this Blue M-51, confirmed to have been bought in the exact same period all these rumours are coming from. I am mixed with pride and sadness to say: It ain't an M-1951 !!....
None of the markings, cut, material, buttons, stitching, zips, poppers etc are as one would find on a genuine M-51 Fishtail Parka and surely my logic is right in saying, everything would be the same bar the colour ? agree ?...of course you do. US MIL kits follows certain lines such as talon, crown zippers, scovill poppers, double stitching in specific areas, double lining in others. Stuff only someone as parka mad as us would know !!
So for us at least, we will say that there is no US MIL Issue Blue M-1951 Fishtail Parka.
But there is a very rare and interesting little piece of the parka history wondering around in a light shade of blue and if you spot it, say hi to the owner from us and thanks !!...
No part of this article may be copied, transmitted, stored or used in anyway without the express permission of fishtailparkas.com
Fishtailparkas.com
Copyright 2007
