Article©: M1951 Fishtail Parka, history of the vintage M51 parka. Copyright 2006 fishtailparkas.com

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 hood, 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 £800 at auction in good condition and complete. (Any one seeking these should contact me as I can get them but be prepared to pay...!!!)

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 piece construction, M-48 Shell and M-48 Liner, the M-51 was a 3 part construction 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 appearance) 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 favor of the more commonly seen thinner, lighter (shiny) cotton and the alpaca was replaced by Mohair Wool very soon into production (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 occupied Germany up until 1958. Notable German manufactures 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 the 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 M1951 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.

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 pieces of genuine 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...

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