Item:
ONJR23SS073

Original U.S. WWI Rare M1917 Dismounted Raincoat by the New York Depot (Benjamin Needle)

Item Description

Original Item: Only One Available. This is one rare raincoat! This is the M1917 Dismounted Raincoat as issued to the US Cavalry. Only the Cavalry had raincoats, the Infantry still being issued the M1911 poncho. While all available raincoats were issued to the Infantry as a stopgap, eventually this newly developed raincoat became standard issue for all dismounted soldiers of the AEF.

By the end of 1917 AEF Headquarters had decreed that the performance of the 1917 Mounted “Slicker” at the Western Front was not good enough. The slicker’s ability to repel water for a prolonged period of time was found to be disappointing, as was the garment’s overall durability. In a 1918 report the fundamental shortcomings of the mounted slicker were summed up:

“The 1917 raincoats were made of rubberized cotton sheeting. In the American Expeditionary Forces they proved unsatisfactory: that is to say they would readily shed water for relatively short periods when they were in good condition, but they did not meet the severe conditions to which they were put in France where our men had to wear them for hours in hard rains. When the coats became thoroughly wet they retained the moisture for a long time and could not be dried readily. Besides, an examination of a number of them that had been turned into the salvage depots in the American Expeditionary Forces showed that they were too easily torn even after having been worn for only a relatively short period of time.”

The raincoat is in wonderful, complete and nearly perfect condition. There is no extensive damage present and the material is still flexible.

A perfect addition to any WWI AEF collection!

Approximate Measurements:

Collar to shoulder:    11"
Shoulder to sleeve:   25”
Shoulder to shoulder:   18”
Chest width:   24"
Waist width:  28"
Hip width:     34”
Front length:   47"

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