Established in 1940, the Marine Paratroopers are a fine case of something being "exactly what it says on the tin"; United States Marines who are trained as paratroopers. An all-volunteer force within the USMC, the Paramarines found themselves hamstrung by the Corps' lack of sufficient air assets for large scale aerial assaults, and like their counterparts with the Army Airborne and the German Fallschirmjaegers were used as an elite light infantry force. While never jumping en-masse, the Paramarines were active participants in the "island hopping" campaign in the Pacific, distinguishing themselves on Guadalcanal and other battlefields, with two Paramarines participating in the famous flag raising at Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima. Much like their amphibious counterparts the Marine Raiders, the Paramarines were disbanded before war's end, limiting the production window for paratrooper-specific equipment. The jump smock is made from double-sided herringbone twill cloth, with a mixed green/tan/brown "jungle" pattern on one side and a brown/tan "beach" pattern on the reverse. Configured in the "step-in" style, with black enamel painted buttons and a pair of prominent elbow/forearm pads on the sleeves constructed from layers of felt topped with a camo cloth pad. A large pocket is present on either side of the back, accessible via a 3-snap flap on the "jungle" side and a set of "Talon" branded zippers on the "beach" side. Aside from a black ink "38" on the inside in the right shoulder blade region, no markings are present.

Very good overall, with mild wear and handling marks overall. Scarce in any condition, USMC camouflage items in this high condition are a particularly rare find, with this particular item also having an important connection to a brief experiment in airborne warfare.