Origin Of The Fishtail Parka More History..

The US Army are responsible for producing the infamous M-1948 (M48) and M-1951 (M51) fishtail parka’s. The no expense spared parkas were made using the finest materials in order to combat the severe Korean winters. It is no wonder that the British Mod movement adopted these war coats to protect their clothing when riding out.
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Parkas were the most appropriate combat clothing in Korea’s frigid winters. Soldiers wore parkas as windproof outer shells when cold weather became too severe for field jacket and liner combinations. Several World War II era parka models were used, but their closed-front designs restricted wear and convenience. The Parka, Field, Cotton, Olive Drab, was long skirted and had a large front pouch pocket with two side openings. This cotton field parka was worn over the Parka, Field, Pile. The pile field parka was a bulky, hair-lined garment that was not windproof and rarely worn by itself as an outer coat. The Parka, Ski, Reversible, Fur Trimmed, was an olive drab outer shell with an inner layer of white for snow camouflage.

After World War II, the Army developed a combat ensemble that provided the flexibility of a coat and better layering under extremely cold conditions. The Parka-Shell, Cotton, Olive Drab, M1948, and Parka-Liner, Pile, M1948, were adopted in 1949 and produced under specification that was approved on 25 July 1950. The parka-shell was made of wind-resistant cotton sateen in Olive Drab shade 7 and featured a snap-and-slide fastener closure, slit front pockets, and a patch pocket on the upper left sleeve for pencils and cigarettes. The hooded parka liner was composed of wool-pile cloth in Olive Drab shade 30A.

The Parka-Shell, M1951 and its companion Parka-Liner, M1951 were adopted 27 June 1951. The parka-shell’s integral cloth hood could attach over the separate fur-trimmed M1951 parka hood or under the helmet. The parka-shell was made of a water-repellent cotton-nylon blend in Olive Green shade 107. The slide-fastening opening, pocket arrangements, and draw-cord design incorporated improved features. The parka-liner, made of 16-ounce mohair frieze, had no hood. The combination was scheduled for every soldier in Troop Categories A, B and C during six months of annual utilization in Korea, but its sporadic appearance very late in the war prevented this.

The M1948 and M1951 parka-shells and parka-liners were not normally interchangeable. There was some latitude, however, because the next larger or the next smaller liner could be fitted with other parka-shell models. Many parka combinations were used, as demonstrated by the fact that the Eighth Army distributed more than 331,000 for its final 1952-53 winter campaign. As of July 1953, available Eighth Army inventory still totalled less than a quarter of the 367,401 M1951 parka-shells and 360,912 M1951 parka-liners required for complete winter distribution.
Fishtail Parka - Clothing Requirements and Supply

U.S. Army clothing and individual military equipment were used to protect and sustain soldiers in the performance of their military duties. This task was complicated by the wide range of climatic, combat, and geographic extremes encountered in Korea. Clothing difficulties were further magnified by battlefield fluctuations and inadequate supply stocks, especially in the first 12 months of the conflict.

Korea is rugged and mountainous, and movement across its ranges and narrow river valleys caused hard wear on clothing and load-bearing equipment. The peninsula’s oceanic extension from 34 to 43 degrees north latitude places it within the cold-wet clothing environment. Drastic temperature changes are caused by seasonal reversals in prevailing winds, and the climate is dominated by frigid but relatively dry winters and hot, moist summers.

The northern Asian-continental winter climate of Korea is intensified by arctic winds driven across Siberia. These winds could strip heat from the body despite multiple layers of cold-climate clothing. Battle situations often forced troops to move or remain stationary (sometimes even pinned down) while fully exposed to subzero weather, causing much frostbite and many other cold-related injuries.

Army clothing also had to meet the demands of the hot summers. At this time, there is either heavy rainfall or oppressive heat accompanied by high humidity. The monsoon spring and autumn transitional periods are marked by highly variable winds and storms. During the spring, dust tempests arrive from the desserts of Mongolia and northern China. From summer through early autumn, an average of five typhoons lash the peninsula with torrential rains.

The sudden communist invasion and the later Chinese intervention caught the United States off guard militarily. The closest depots to Korea were in Japan, but material levels were very limited and winter field garments were scarce worldwide. The Army did not stock sizable amounts of special clothing for extreme cold because military preparations and procurement planning were based primarily on temperate zone operations. The Korean crisis created severe difficulties in textile acquisition and production, resulting in higher costs and delayed deliveries.

Wool shortages quickly developed, and 18 ounce serge jumped from a low of $3.74 a yard in May 1950 to a high of $8.67 by February 1951. Cotton supply problems were partially alleviated by authorizing variations in weave or finish, and by substituting other fabrics for uniform twill, oxford, and sateen. Newer synthetic fibres, such as lightweight rayon twill used in lining caps, coats, and jackets, were also scarce. The lack of rayon acetate delayed contracts for parkas and newer field jackets, while nylon shortages curtailed production of raincoats, ponchos, and parkas.

M1951 Fishtail Parka, history of the vintage M51 parka.

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The M1951 Fishtail Parka. Also known as M51 Parka, M-1951 parka

The very first fishtail parka was the EX-48-1. This was the prototype for the M-48 Fishtail Parka. This prototype featured an attached wolf fur hoood, heavy cotton shell and detachable "fibre glass" based lining plus the major distinction was it had a pocket on the arm (much like the MA1 flying jacket sleeve pocket). The production version was the M-1948 and was the no expense spared parka of the same above specification but featuring fur pile/satin liner....

This model parka is extremely rare and fetch well over £1000 at auction in good condition and complete. (Any one seeking these should contact me as I can get them but be prepared to pay...!!!)

Looking to buy an M51 parka? click here...

The concept of the Fishtail Parka design was to offer flexible extreme cold weather protection through the detachability of all parts and the "fishtail" was designed to be tied around the legs for extra insulation. The fishtail parka rear drawstrings also benefited airborne divisions as when jumping out of planes it could be tied so not to flap up and about.

The first mass production of the fishtail parka was in 1951 and hence the M-1951 fishtail parka, commonly known as the M51 parka was born. The US Military now heading into Korea and needing large amounts of cold weather field gear could not afford to mass produce the heavy, expensive and high quality M-1948. Hence, the M-1951 was born. Quite simply, a cheaper cut down version of the M-48 was needed.

The first generation of these differed from the M1948 parka in that there was no sleeve pocket, the heavy fur pile and satin full fitting lining was replaced with detachable mohair or alpaca lining and the attached hood was unlined and without fur. Whereas the M-48 was a 2 peice construction, M-48 Shell and M-48 Liner, the M-51 was a 3 part contruction with M-51 Shell, M-51 Liner and detachable M-51 Wolf Fur Hood.

Another distinction of the M1951 fishtail parka were that it featured shoulder epaulettes that could be buttoned down to hold hats or other light items.

The 1st generation M1951 fishtail parka was made of the same heavier cotton (canvas appearence) material as the M-48 and featured a thick, heavy Alpaca liner. Once again, this proved expensive to produce and the liners were hard to dry in the field once wet. Hence, the heavier M-48 material was dropped in favour of the more commonly seen thinner, lighter (shiny) cotton and the alpaca was replaced by Mohair Wool very soon into producion (1952). This 2nd Generation M-1951 is the more common of the two.

Production of the M-1951 continued in the US up to 1956 when US production ceased. After this period M-51 production continued in US territory in the now defeated and occupided Germany up until 1958. Notable German manufacturers during this time include Albatross Franz Mayer. Franz Mayer being involved in the production of the Focker Wolfe. Another run of M-51's was made around 1963 for UK and Canadian Specification. After this time, no more M-51's were produced and fishtail parka saw no new events until 1965 when it was once again updated and remade as the M-1965 Fishtail parka.

All models of the M-1951 fishtail parka are highly sought after today and are prized by both modernist connoisseurs and militaria collectors alike. The M-51 complete with all 3 parts and in good condition command handsome sums these days and the values just keep rising. Good condition complete M-51 fetch a minimum of £350-450 ($700-$900) and Mint condition or even Unissued Never Worn fetch a whole lot more. For mint or unissued expect to pay anything from £600 up to £1000 for a perfect example.

News Flash: April 2007, A Mint complete M-51 fetched a record $956 at auction.

A word of warning, unissued M-51 kit is rarer than hens teeth and in 19 years of collecting and 6 years of dealing with the largest surplus dealers and collectors in the world today, I have seen a total of around 60 peices of geunine Unissued Kit and only 7 complete unissued parkas (all 3 parts).

So anyone claiming to have "bundles" of unissued M-51 stuff has either found the holy grail or is full of shit...I tend to go with the latter :)

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