A flak jacket or flak vest is a form of protective clothing designed to provide protection from Flak shells, shrapnel and other indirect,
low-velocity projectiles.
The flak jacket consisted of manganese steel plates sewn into a waistcoat made of ballistic nylon (a material engineered by the DuPont company);
therefore, flak jackets functioned as an evolved form of plate armour or brigandine. The first flak jacket weighed 22 pounds.
During the Korean and Vietnam wars, the flak jacket was changed and the manganese steel plates were replaced by other materials. The U.S.
Army's vests (Body Armor, Fragmentation Protective, Vest M69) weighed under eight pounds and were made of several layers of ballistic nylon.
The vests used by the U.S. Marines (Vest, Armored M-1955) weighed more than ten pounds and were a combination of ballistic nylon layers and
fiberglass plates known as Doron.[9] Doron was made of the fiberglass fibers in an ethyl cellulose resin under high pressure. It was named
after then Col. Georges F. Doriot, then director of the Military Planning Division, Office of the Quartermaster General.
The flak vest was issued to almost all Army personnel serving in the front line during the Vietnam war.
US ARMY FLAK VEST
The item featured here is a 1969 US Army flak vest.
The soldier depicted on this picture is wearing the standard set of green jungle fatigues with the jungle boots.
FLAK JACKET DESIGN
The flak jacket was made of a green nylon material. Two large pockets are placed in the chest area where each pocket has a
closing flap. Just above the pockets are canvis strips that have been sewn at multiple places. Spaces are left to provide a
place for the spoon of the grenade to slide into place.
The front is closed via the use of an aluminum zipper and a set of snaps. A flap covers the zipper making the design very smooth.
This prevents the jacket from snagging in branches when runing through the jungle.
The back of the flak jacket was very plain. Some soldiers used this section as a canvis where they could apply drawings
to reflect things such as personality traits, the city or state of origin and similar attributes.
The US Marine Corps version of the flak jacket had a slightly different design on the side of their flak jacket.
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The sides of the flak jacket issued to army soldiers consisted of a series of metal gromets inserted into a re-enforces canvis material.
Laces were passed through the gromets to adjust the size of the jacket to better fit the wearer.
A simple but ingenious approach. More than one lace may be needed to perform the task.
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There are two tags sewn to the upper inside liner of the flak jacket. They are white background with black letters.
Green thread secures the tags. The upper tag read:
Size Medium
8460 - (scracthed off)
Armor, body fragmentation
protective, vest with 3/4 collar
DSA 100-68-c-1482
The bottom tag displayed additional information which included:
Armor, body fragmentation
protective, with 3/4 collar
This armor will save your life!
when properly worn, it will protect vital areas
against shell and grenade fragments which
cause most combat casualties.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Wear armor over shirt and under field jacket
2. Adjust side laces to make armor fit the
body but still provide proper ventilation.
Do not fit too tightly.
3. Use protective flaps to cover opening under
side laces and slide fastener. Protect slide
fastener by fastening snap closure.
4. Do not dry the armor near an
open flame.
US MARINE CORPS FLAK VEST
The United States Marine Corps designed their own flak vest for use during the Vietnam war. Known as the M1955 as it was
originally developed shortly after the Korean war. The main body was made of nylon. Two large pockets with flaps are
located near the bottom. A single upper pocket with no flap is found. The collar is short. The green color on the lower
pockets and the collar is darker than the rest of the body.
The front of the vest has an aluminum zipper. In addition, a flap covers it and it has a series of metal snaps which
hide the zipper when secured.
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The side of the US Marine Corps flak jacket is solid on both sides. This is one charcteristic that differentiates it
from the army model.
The collar in the USMC vest is much smaller than the army version.
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The back of the vest is of plain design. A heavy duty canvis belt is sewn at the bottom. It has a series of metal gromets
that allow the wearer to connect articles such as canteens, knives, grenade pouches, etc.
The zipper is manufactured by the Scovill company. It is made of Aluminum and has a wire pull tab. A canvis strap is attached
to the pull tab to make it easier to hold.
The data provided here is brought to you courtesy of
MilitaryItems.com,
providers of military antiques and collectibles. Come and visit our on-line store.
You can visit our
Vietnam field gear guide
to learn about additional field gear used during the Vietnam war.
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