Issued French Model 1946/52 Wool Pants

Please be aware that measured inseam lengths will fit about one size larger due to these pants fitting high on the waist. If you'd like a short fit, size down. If you'd like to wear the pants as intended (at or above the belly button) please purchase your regular inseam length.

Whew, we had a bitch of a time figuring out exactly what these are. We knew they were French... and very, very old, but that was about it. Turns out they're French army sortie pants, model of 1946. French troops stationed in Europe and Algeria after WWII would wear these in their downtime. They aren't officially part of a combat uniform, but were sometimes still worn in the field. See original photos attached to this listing.

These pants are also sometimes known as the M1952, as a copy of the 1946 model was introduced in 1952. Reading French language sources on this has been very confusing, so please take this with a grain of salt.

What makes them particularly interesting is who made them. After WWII, France received a sizable reparations package from Germany. This included much of Germany's textile industry, which the French used to produce new uniforms for their recovering military.

The United States provided significant inspiration for the French army's new uniform cuts. These pants are an almost 1:1 recreation of the US Army's Model 1945 Wool Trousers, just as the accompanying jacket was a copy of America's iconic Ike Jacket. A combination of surviving French and German industry produced these new uniforms that enabled the French military to re-equip itself.

The Short & Sweet:

• Genuine French Armée de Terre surplus
• Issued; Good condition
• 100% wool gabardine fabric (a bit itchy)
• Manufactured in the late 1940s to early 1960s
• Two slanted waist pockets
• Two rear button-flap pockets
• Button-up fly and waist
• High waisted fit, as is usual for pants of this vintage
• Suspender buttons on front and rear