Interesting M41 overcoat

[Dimas]

This one I have from a batch of them found in one of the Russian theaters in the beginning of 1990's. Other coats was sold to USA about 7 years ago. Unfortunately I kept one with unreadable stamps. Other was dated 1941 year. The material used on the coat is usually used in Gimnasterkas- thin WW1 American wool, looks like on Brittish 1940-50's wool uniforms. If the coat will have a time production stamps after the Land-Lease beginns, then I will tell that this one is cut of Land-Lease cloth. But as I know a lot of material from Antanta 1919-20's time was sent to Russia by USA and Gr. Britain and keept in the stocks looks like till the operation "Barbarossa" beginns. So, the collartabs is not original and I have not time to replace or just to remove it. A lot of period seen pictures was used without the collartabs at all, due of the summer order of Red Army to change the colored tabs to khaki, due of bad or impossible of supply service with khaki tabs, the soldiers just remove them from their uniform at all

[Wesley's Dad]

Dimas,

Reviving this old thread, I have some questions about the coat you show if you still have it. Or can remember if you do not. I ask because I just aquired a very similar coat. This gabardine wool with very obvious weave lines showing in it.... much thinner than Soviet overcoat wool. The coat I have has black flannel liner like the one you show here. The wool might be WW1 US as you suggest, but sure looks like British "Battle Dress" gabardine to me.

I was wondering if the tail or bottom of your coat has a hem stitch. I ask, because mine does and such a stitch is uncharacteristic of a Soviet made coat. Mine has a Soviet stamp on one of the pocket liners, but I wonder if these coats are not British made given the construction details?

[Wesley's Dad]

OK, here are some pictures. This coat looks to be 41 dated on the pocket liner if we assume the stamp is real. The other stamp is a familiar, red ink stamp seen in a lot of militaria that came out of the former USSR in the late '90s and early 2000's... even on the odd German item every now and then. Some sort of postwar stamp, museum,theater, or military inventory, but I defer to Dimas for explaination. It also has the sewn in serial number tag that is commonly seen on such material. This coat is unissued condition and never had insignia. Notice the weave of the wool and the color. A thin Gabardine like British Battle Dress wool. The pocket liners are very coarse weave cotton. This material seems to be not of Soviet origins either. Notice the hem line on the coat tale. Most all Soviet made coats have a raw edge at the bottom.
Comments?

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Mike, I agree, the material certainly looks like it could well be British.

Cheers, Ade.

[Wesley's Dad]

Hi Mike, I agree, the material certainly looks like it could well be British.
Cheers, Ade.

Ade, you would know better than I... but it does look like the classic British BD gabardine of the era. Given tha the EM trousers I showed in the other thread are dated 41, it is obvious that the USSR was reveiving finished uniform goods from the western allies very early, not just raw materials. When I get a chance, I will photo a few of the other construction details that make me think that this coat was made in the UK and not in the USSR. In basic form it is certainly a Soviet M41 overcoat, but looks like it was made by a factory that was used to doing things a little bit differently.