diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/CommandlineJava.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/CommandlineJava.java
index f05acd449..9034778d2 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/CommandlineJava.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/CommandlineJava.java
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ import org.apache.tools.ant.taskdefs.condition.Os;
  * a java command line.
  *
  * @author thomas.haas@softwired-inc.com
- * @author <a href="sbailliez@apache.org">Stephane Bailliez</a>
+ * @author <a href="mailto:sbailliez@apache.org">Stephane Bailliez</a>
  */
 public class CommandlineJava implements Cloneable {
 
@@ -234,10 +234,6 @@ public class CommandlineJava implements Cloneable {
         // first argument is the java.exe path...
         result[pos++] = vmArgs[0];
         
-        // -jar must be the first option in the command line.
-        if (executeJar){
-            result[pos++] = "-jar";
-        }
         // next follows the vm options
         System.arraycopy(vmArgs, 1, result, pos, vmArgs.length - 1);
         pos += vmArgs.length - 1;
@@ -253,10 +249,20 @@ public class CommandlineJava implements Cloneable {
             result[pos++] = "-classpath";
             result[pos++] = fullClasspath.toString();
         }
+
+        // JDK usage command line says that -jar must be the first option, as there is
+        // a bug in JDK < 1.4 that forces the jvm type to be specified as the first
+        // option, it is appended here as specified in the docs even though there is
+        // in fact no order.
+        if (executeJar){
+            result[pos++] = "-jar";
+        }
+
         // this is the classname to run as well as its arguments.
         // in case of 'executeJar', the executable is a jar file.
         System.arraycopy(javaCommand.getCommandline(), 0, 
                          result, pos, javaCommand.size());
+
         return result;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/testcases/org/apache/tools/ant/types/CommandlineJavaTest.java b/src/testcases/org/apache/tools/ant/types/CommandlineJavaTest.java
index 786fe8525..fa97309b6 100644
--- a/src/testcases/org/apache/tools/ant/types/CommandlineJavaTest.java
+++ b/src/testcases/org/apache/tools/ant/types/CommandlineJavaTest.java
@@ -120,4 +120,18 @@ public class CommandlineJavaTest extends TestCase {
                      "org.apache.tools.ant.CommandlineJavaTest", s[5]);
     }
 
+    public void testJarOption() throws Exception {
+        CommandlineJava c = new CommandlineJava();
+        c.createArgument().setValue("arg1");
+        c.setJar("myfile.jar");
+        c.createVmArgument().setValue("-classic");
+        c.createVmArgument().setValue("-Dx=y");
+        String[] s = c.getCommandline();
+        assertEquals("-classic", s[1]);
+        assertEquals("-Dx=y", s[2]);
+        assertEquals("-jar", s[3]);
+        assertEquals("myfile.jar", s[4]);
+        assertEquals("arg1", s[5]);
+    }
+
 }