Original 1944 Dated Swedish Army M1909 Sheepskin Parka Overcoat

Winter, 1944. Somewhere along the Swedish border a soldier turns up a sheepskin collar, buttons it across his throat, and keeps watching the dark. Sweden never fought that war. It just stood ready, every night, for six years. This is what it wore.

The Swedes still have a name for those years: beredskapstiden, “the time of readiness”. From 1939 to 1945, neutral Sweden kept its forces on standby with war on every side. Men were called up in their hundreds of thousands to guard coastlines, borders and frozen forests through some of the harshest winters of the century. They needed coats that could stand still in the cold for hours, and the M/1909 was one of them.

Inside the canvas is the proof of where this one began: the Swedish Three Crowns stamp, dated 1944, alongside the size marking. Few vintage coats carry their history this plainly.

The pattern was adopted by the Swedish Army in 1909 and stayed in service for decades, because the formula never needed improving. A tough cotton canvas shell cuts the wind, a deep sheepskin lining holds the warmth, and a broad shearling collar turns up and buttons closed until only the eyes are left showing.

What sets this one apart is at the cuffs. Most M/1909 coats close at the wrist with plain olive straps. This one has contrasting brown buttoned tabs, a detail seen far less often. Against the olive canvas they give the coat a quiet two-tone character that the standard version doesn’t have.

It was made in Örebro, in central Sweden. Inside the front is the original woven label of Ö.S.B., Militär Utrustningar, Sport- & Bilekipering, outfitters of military equipment, sporting and motoring wear.

The rest of the details are just as considered. The front fastens with a row of pointed canvas tabs, each with its own brown button, staggered down the left side. The deep lower pockets close under button-down flaps, and a long rear vent lets the coat move. Open it up and the cream sheepskin lines the whole body, thick and still full of loft.

The olive canvas has kept its colour and its body, and the shearling collar has aged to a soft taupe.

Built for the winter of 1944, and still more than equal to it.

Condition & Restoration

Excellent vintage condition for a coat of this age. The canvas is strong, with good colour and only light marks consistent with age, including the original ink markings. The sheepskin lining is dense and full throughout, the shearling collar is soft and intact, and all the tabs, buttons and cuff straps are present and fasten as they should.

Professionally cleaned, and ready to wear.

Key Features

• Original Swedish Army M/1909 pattern sheepskin-lined coat
• Three Crowns military stamp, dated 1944
• Made during Sweden’s wartime beredskapstiden
• Less commonly seen contrasting brown cuff tabs
• Original woven Ö.S.B. Örebro “Militär Utrustningar” label
• Stamped military size 1
• Olive cotton canvas shell
• Full sheepskin body lining
• Broad shearling collar with buttoned throat tab
• Staggered pointed canvas button tabs down the front
• Deep lower pockets with button-down flaps
• Long rear vent

Size & Fit

Measurements, laid flat

• Chest, armpit to armpit: 26" / 66 cm
• Shoulders, seam to seam: 20.5" / 52.1 cm
• Sleeve, shoulder seam to cuff: 26.5" / 67.3 cm
• Underarm seam to cuff: 18" / 45.7 cm
• Back length, base of collar to hem: 41.5" / 105.4 cm

Best suited to: 44" chest, regular / Size Large

Fit: Stamped military size 1. These coats were built to be worn over a full wartime uniform, so the outer shell is cut generously, but the thick sheepskin lining takes up a lot of the room inside. It fits a modern 44" chest perfectly with room for a sweater, or a 46" chest more snugly over a T-shirt. Please go by the measurements above, and compare them with a coat you already own.