French Army Overseas Field Shirt

French Overseas Issue

This is the short-sleeve field shirt issued by the French Army for overseas service, where a full-sleeve combat shirt is too much in the heat. It is cut from a cotton and polyester blend in olive green, with an open collar, shoulder epaulettes and two buttoned chest pockets. Collectors and reenactors buy it for French kit displays, and plenty of people simply wear it as a hot-weather work or outdoor shirt.

Features

• Genuine French Army Issue — Originally issued to French forces, so this is the real government shirt and not a commercial copy.
• Cotton And Polyester Blend — Poly-cotton fabric pairs the comfort of cotton with polyester's resistance to shrinking and creasing.
• Short Sleeves — Short sleeves keep the shirt cooler in hot climates, which is what the overseas pattern was built for.
• Open Camp-Style Collar — The collar is cut to lie flat and open at the neck rather than button up to the throat.
• Buttoned Epaulettes — Shoulder straps fasten with a button near the collar and are where French rank slides are worn.
• Two Pleated Chest Pockets — Each chest pocket has a center pleat for extra room and a buttoned flap to keep contents in.
• Hook-And-Loop Name Tape Panel — A strip of hook-and-loop fastener, the same system as Velcro, sits above the right chest pocket to take a name tape.
• Center Chest Rank Patch — A square hook-and-loop panel on the front placket holds a removable rank insignia.
• Full Button Front — Olive-toned buttons run the full length of the placket for a standard shirt closure.

Original Specification

The shirt follows the French military layout: epaulettes for rank slides, hook-and-loop panels for name and rank insignia, and pleated flap pockets on the chest. The olive green poly-cotton matches other French issue clothing, which makes it a sound choice when building an accurate French Army kit. Issued uniform is made to a government contract standard, and that build and provenance are what separate it from fashion military-style shirts.