U.S. Military M-1965 Field Jacket

Posted on 12 September, 2009

The M-1965 Field Jacket (or M65 Jacket) was very similar to the evolving line of field jackets that started in World War II with the M-1943 Field Jacket. Through experience in Korea and Vietnam, the design was upgraded with small improvements.

Evolution of the M1965 Field Jacket

In 1950, the very successful World War II M-1943 Field Jacket was replaced by a modified version, the M-1950, nearly identical to the M-1943 but with the addition of inside buttons for a liner. The M-1950 quickly replaced by the M-1951 Field Jacket, which modified the front closure buttons with a zipper and the pocket closure buttons with metal snaps.

The M65 or M1965 Field Jacket

In 1965 the Army began upgrading the M-1951 Field Jacket to the latest in the design series, the M-1965 Field Jacket (also known as the M65, M1965, or M-65).

Later variations of the jacket were known as “Coat, Cold Weather, Field” with color OG-107 (olive drab) followed by the same jacket with camouflage patterns. The changes were not so much in the basic design as to the details.

The M-1965 Field Jacket is the most broadly adopted military coat ever. It has been widely copied and is available from many sources both as military surplus and as commercial copies