m/36 Leather Jacket (Nahkatakki m/36)

The pride of the Armoured troops of the Finnish Army was the Leather Uniform m/36, set of trousers and a jacket that was much envied by other branches. The Armoured and motorized crewmen had had their own m/22 Leather Uniform, but they were mostly worn out by the mid-30’s. Thus, with the introduction of the m/36 Uniform a new leather uniform was introduced.

The m/36 Leather Jacket was nearly identical in cut and shape to that of the m/36 Tunic. It was made out of blackened tanned leather. Unlike in the post-war variant, the wartime m/36 Leather Jacket left all the buttons visible – the post war variants in the market have hidden buttons and snap fasteners on their pocket flaps.

m/36 Leather Jackets were issued by the unit to individual men and were much sought after by their users. They were not general issue items however. As with many other more specialized uniform items in the Finnish Military, not enough of the jackets were ever made for all the potential users. A tight record was kept on who were issued with one and they were to be left at the unit when the user left for a vacation – even though we know from period memorials that this was not always the case. A leather jacket on a vacation back home was a handsome item to present oneself in.

The Leather Jacket together with the trousers was an excellent and much loved uniform item even in day-to-day use in the front. The black leather has sturdy and didn’t wear and tear as easily in the confined spaces of armoured vehicles like the m/36 Summer Blouse or m/36 Tunic. The grime and dirt was also less apparent on them as well. The downside was that it would be unbearably hot to wear during the summer. Judging from period photographs, this problem seems to have been secondary to the practicality of the jacket.

Unlike with other m/36 Uniform jackets, no collar tabs were to be used with the Leather Jacket. The rank insignia of officers was to be added directly to the leather collar. Similarly, NCO and enlisted men insignia were to be sewn directly on the leather.

• Size Table
• Photographs

Last updated: April 21st, 2018

Size Table

This is a sizetable of the m/36 Leather Jacket dated 7th of January 1938.

Regular sizes

Finnish Wartime Photograph Archive photos

Author's Collection