Reliance Manufacturing Company During World War Two
Kokomo, IN Plant
1933-1951

This page added 3-14-2023.

Below is an M1943 field jacket similar to the ones the Reliance Manufacturing Company of Kokomo, IN made during World War Two. 

The M1943 field jacket shown below was worn by Captain Laurent Arthur Charbonnet when he commanded Company F, 350 Regiment, 88th Division.  My father was in the 349th Regiment of the 88th Division.  This field jacket is on display at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, LA. 

The U.S. Army Field Jacket:   I still have the one I was issued on January 4, 1972.  While I have several other winter coats in the closet, when it gets really cold out in the dead of winter, I pull out my army issue field jacket for the extra degree of warmth it provides.  My 1972 field jacket is a modernized version of the M1943, like the Reliance Manufacturing Company in Kokomo, IN made to help keep soldiers warm during World War Two.  On my newer version, the lapel is not as wide, and the buttons have been replaced by Velcro and button snaps.  It is an ageless and functional design.  Strangely enough, it was designed by a committee after it was found early in the war that the M9141 Parson's jacket was not providing the required warmth and was not resistant to rain and wind.  The Quartermaster Corps initiated a group of advisors that included garment industry representatives.  The result was a new field uniform that included the field jacket, liner, hood, and field trousers.  Committees are infamous for not being able to accomplish anything.  In this case, the committee got it right. 

The Reliance Manufacturing Company originated in Chicago, IL in 1898 for the manufacture of clothing.  The company expanded to such an extent that by the beginning of World War Two it had eighteen factories in nine different states, making everything from parachutes to trousers and shirts.  During World War Two the Reliance Manufacturing Company was the largest supplier of parachutes to the United States Military. 

The Kokomo, IN location opened in 1933 for the manufacture of women's dresses.  The plant was located at the former Apperson Brothers Automobile Company on north Washington Street.  The main reason given for the closure of the Kokomo plant in 1951 was that the plant could not compete for workers in the Kokomo area which had both Chrysler and General Motors operations.  At closure, the plant had a work force of 250.  During the peak operations of World War Two, that number reached 1,200. 

Reliance Manufacturing Company Kokomo Plant World War Two Products:  Reliance Manufacturing Company of Kokomo, IN had four major contracts for M1943 field jackets, totaling $528,000 or 18% of Kokomo plant's total of $2,977,000 major contracts.  The U.S. Army also ordered $110,000 worth of pajamas.  These may well have been for patients in Army hospitals, as pajamas are not normally issued to soldiers. 

$2,339,000, or 79% of the major contract were from the U.S. Navy for fabrics, canvas products, and ordnance research.  In June 1946, the U.S. Navy Ordnance Department awarded the Reliance Kokomo plant for work done on the $232,000 contract issued in July 1945.  This project for Naval Ordnance was still considered secret in June 1946, so the details about its purpose still could not be released.  What is known is that the project involved enough nylon for 15,000,000 pairs of women's hose in the world's largest sewing project.  The Kokomo plant and three employees were recognized for their effort on this project.  One of the reasons for the recognition of Kokomo Reliance was the fact that other sewing companies, when approached with the project, turned it down as being impossible. 

Production of the M1943 field jacket began in September with 2,000 manufactured.  Production quickly ramped up each month until production peaked in June 1945 with 1,056,000 manufactured. 

This M1943 field jacket is part of the displays at the National Museum of the United States Army at Fort Eustis, VA.  The cuff buttons on the jacket identify it as World War Two era vintage.  Later versions used Velcro to secure the cuffs.  Author's photo.

The M1943 field jacket was also provided to the soldiers in the Korean War.  This diorama at the National Museum of the United States Air Force depicts the radio operator wearing a 1943 field jacket.  Author's photo.

The Reliance Manufacturing Company Kokomo Factory:  The factory was located at 1723 North Washington Street in Kokomo.  A Google satellite view of the location shows this being an empty field.  This has been the case since 1993 when the factory located here was razed.  Originally, it was the home of the Apperson Brothers Automobile Company that went out of business in 1926.  The factory was next occupied by the Wolfe Manufacturing Company for the manufacture of radio cabinets.  In 1933 Reliance took over operation of the facility until it left in 1951.  In 1953 the Delco Electronics Division of General Motors began making circuit boards in this plant as its Plant 5.  Operations in the plant ceased in 1991 and the plant was razed in 1993.

Image courtesy of Google Maps.

This is a 1923 Apperson that came out of the factory doors on North Washington Street three years before the Apperson Brothers went out of business.  This particular vehicle is a six-cylinder touring sedan.  Author's photo taken at the former Kokomo Automobile Museum.

This 1916 Sanborn insurance map shows the layout of the factory.