The military overcoat has been a standard in army and navy cold weather wear for centuries. Its past the knee length and heavy material made it a prime choice for commanders who wanted to keep their soldiers warm during the cold months. The military overcoat has been captured countlessly in historic war art because it is such an iconic military dress. Imagine the British Red coats, it was an overcoat.
Older era overcoats were very form fitting and tight. As time went by, the overcoat became looser and less restrictive to movement. The military overcoat went threw similar changes. The difference can be seen in Napoleon’s tight overcoat versus the loose ww1 trench coat. This is mostly due to fashion as well as the needs of combat.
As the 1900′s came about, the military overcoat was replaced by the field jacket. The field jacket’s modern era fabric blends kept soldiers warm with less weight. This allowed for extra mobility. With its shorter length, the field jacket made it practical to wear web gear as well as a jacket. Field jackets also had an attached a liner for extra warmth. Its shorter length made it more tactically practical in the 20th century combat.
Today, the field jacket is being replaced by coats that are better able to withstand cold, water, and wind. Gortex is a popular item for soldiers. These modern coats weight less then the field jacket and keep soldiers warmer. The overcoat still exists in many military as a part of dress wear. The US Army uses a black trench coat and the Navy uses a black pea coat. The trench coat has a waterproof outer layer and, therefore, works well as a rain coat. The pea coat is made of wool and is not water proof. Navies usually prefer double bressed overcoats whereas Armies prefer the single bressed variation.
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