[2banana]

"When the Soldiers left Sainte Mere Eglise," Bunel added, "they gave their uniforms to the local populace because they had received new ones." The uniforms for the jump here had reinforced knee and elbow patches as well as reinforced cargo pockets.

First I had heard about that. Most soldiers don't give up their uniforms very easily - especially ones that are distinctive and tell the world there is a special soldier wearing it.

[muleskinner]

A friend of mine’s father jumped with the 82nd. He says they wore the same clothes for a couple of weeks. Two weeks of hard fighting.

[Atlas Sneezed]

They probably preferred clean ones to the ones that needed washing.