The Type A-2 leather flight jacket is a military flight jacket closely associated with World War II U.S. Army pilots, who often decorated their jackets with squadron patches and elaborate artwork painted on the back. Sometimes casually referred to as a "bomber" jacket, its original designation was "Jacket, Pilot's (summer)," and its wartime usage was limited neither to pilots nor to bomber crews.
History
The Type A-2 flying jacket was standardized by the U.S. Army Air Corps as the successor to the Type A-1 flying jacket adopted in 1927. The Type Designation Sheet lists the dates for Service Test as September 20, 1930, and Standardized (adopted as standard issue) on May 9, 1931. The military specification number for Type A-2 is 94-3040. The Drawing Number was given as 31-1415, but the spec. labels found in the jackets themselves show this to be 30-1415.
On April 27, 1943, Type A-2 was declared Limited Standard, meaning that only replacements for in-service units could be ordered. New units would now be supplied with cloth-shelled jackets such as Types B-10 and B-15.
The U.S. Army Air Forces Class 13 Catalog listed the garment as "Jacket, Flying, Type A-2," with Spec. No. 94-3040. It describes the jacket's construction as "seal brown horsehide leather, knitted wristlets and waistband (skirt)." Broadly similar in construction to the A-1, it replaced the A-1's buttoned front and pocket flaps with a zipper and hidden snap fasteners (although some very early A-2's retained the pocket buttons). The A-1's stand-up knitted collar, which buttoned closed, was supplanted in the A-2 by a shirt-style leather collar, with hidden snaps at the points and a hook-and-eye latch at the throat. Stitched-down shoulder epaulets were also added to the design. Sizes were listed as ranging in even numbers from 32 through 54.
Design and construction
Although the actual design would vary slightly depending on the manufacturer, and even among contracts within a single manufacturer, all A-2 jackets had several distinguishing characteristics: a snap-flap patch pocket on either side that does not have hand warmer compartments (hands in pockets were considered unfit for a military bearing), a shirt-style snap-down collar, epaulets, knit cuffs and waistband, a back constructed from a single piece of leather to limit stress on the garment, and a lightweight silk or cotton inner lining with a military spec tag attached just below the back collar. Prior to WWII the collar was sewn to a neckband or "stand" like those found in dress shirts, a time-intensive operation. Wartime contracts generally had "simple attached" collars sewn directly to the back panel and rolled over although Rough Wear and Perry continued using the collar stand throughout.
Most pre-war and wartime A-2s were constructed of horsehide, which was either vegetable- or chrome-tanned. Some original A-2's were made from goatskin (as was the Navy G-1 jacket), and others possibly from cowhide (which can be very difficult to tell from horse if tanned identically). All Spiewak and Doniger jackets are of goat, as are many Cable, Dubow, Bronco, Perry, and Rough Wear examples.
Wartime-issued A-2 jackets appear in a wide range of color tones and hues, although all are based on two distinct colors: Seal (dark brown to almost black) and Russet (pale red-brown to medium brown). Most seal jackets were russets re-dyed during the war to cover scuffing and discoloration, although some contracts, like the Aero Leather 21996, were dyed seal right from the start. Original knit cuffing typically matched the leather or came close, but exceptions exist, such as Aero Leather's eye-catching rust-red cuffing on seal brown hide.
Early A-2's had linings made from silk, per the original specification. This was likely spun silk, a thin, breathable shirt-like fabric. The lining changed to cotton later on. A letter from the Materiel Division of Wright Field, dated 7 January 1939, states that the use of silk in flying jackets had been discontinued "as its procurement was found not to be feasible." The letter does not say when this happened, but it makes clear that the vast majority of original A-2 jackets have cotton linings. (Reference?)
Zippers were made of steel or brass, and some were nickel plated. Known zipper suppliers were Talon, Crown, Conmar, and Kwik, with Talon providing the majority of zippers used in wartime A-2 construction.
Unlike modern, loose-fitting jackets, the original A-2 looks to us today a rather trim-fitting jacket. Period photos and films reveal a jacket which could be worn fitted and sharp looking or a bit baggy and loose in the body. It was designed to fit the thinner male of the time- original A-2 jackets worn by modern men may seem a bit snug in the shoulders. This is particularly true of pre-war contract garments such as the 1933 Werber and the 1938 and 1940 Aero Leathers. Period photos and films show that the A-2 was typically worn over a shirt or a shirt and flight suit; airmen were more likely to switch to a sheep-lined jacket or electrified flight suit for wintertime or high-altitude operations.
Manufacturers
There were many manufacturers of A-2 jackets during the 1930s and 1940s, whose product showed a wide range of quality, workmanship, and fit characteristics. These included civilian clothing producers such as David D. Doniger & Co., makers of the popular MacGregor brand outerwear, as well as leather-goods companies like J.A. Dubow Mfg., whose chief peacetime product was baseball mitts.
* Pre-war and wartime contractor.
** Pre-war contractor only.
† Bronco and United were wartime, family-owned spinoffs of I. Spiewak & Sons. Their A-2 designs are largely similar.
Security Sportswear's Order No. 32-485, placed in 1932, is the earliest A-2 jacket order of which records remain.
At least three A-2 contracts, Nos. 1756, 42-18246-P, and W535-AC-23383, bear no maker name on the label.
Contract numbers in order received:
Pre War Order Numbers
32-485 Security Aviation Togs, Chicago IL
33-1729 Werber Leather Coat Co., Beacon NY
36-1112-P Werber Leather Coat Co., Beacon NY
37-3891-P H.L.B. Corp., New York, NY
38-205 Werber Sportswear, Newburgh, NY
38-1711-P Aero Leather Clothing Co.Inc., Beacon NY
39-2951-P Werber Sportswear, Newburgh, NY
40-3785-P Aero Leather Clothing Co.Inc., Beacon NY
War Order Numbers
W535ac16159 Rough Wear Clothing Co., Middletown PA
W535ac16160 Aero Leather Clothing Co.Inc., Beacon NY
W535ac18091 Rough Wear Clothing Co., Middletown PA
W535ac20960 J.A. Dubow Mfg. Co., Chicago IL
W535ac21996 Aero Leather Clothing Co.Inc., Beacon NY
W535ac23373 J.A. Dubow Mfg. Co., Chicago IL
W535ac23377 Perry Sportswear.Inc., Newburgh NY
W535ac23378 Monarch Mfg. Co., Milwaukee WI
W535ac23379 J.A. Dubow Mfg. Co., Chicago IL
W535ac23380 Rough Wear Clothing Co., Middletown PA
W535ac23381 Cooper Sportswear Mfg. Co., Newark NJ
W535ac23382 Cable Raincoat Co., Boston MA
W535ac23383 unknown maker
W535ac27752 Rough Wear Clothing Co., Middletown PA
W535ac27753 unknown maker, possibly Cable Raincoat, Boston MA
W535ac27798 J.A. Dubow Mfg. Co., Chicago IL
W535ac28557 Star Sportswear, Lynn MA
W535ac28560 Poughkeepsie Leather Coat Co. Inc., Poughkeepsie NY
W535ac29191 Bronco Mfg. Co., New York NY
W535ac29971 unknown maker
Order Numbers
42-1401-P Rough Wear Clothing Co., Middletown PA
42-1402-P Werber Sportswear, Newburgh, NY
42-10008-P Cable Raincoat Co., Boston MA
42-15142-P Aero Leather Clothing Co.Inc., Beacon NY
42-16175-P Perry Sportswear, Inc., Newburgh, NY
42-18245-P Star Sportswear, Lynn MA
42-18246-P unknown maker - possibly S.H. Knopf, Boston MA
42-18775-P Aero Leather Clothing Co.Inc., Beacon NY
42-18776-P Spiewak & Sons, North Bergen, NJ
42-18777-P United Sheeplined, Long Branch, NJ
42-21539-P David D. Doniger & Co., New York, NY
W33-038ac1755(11631) J.A. Dubow Mfg. Co., Chicago IL
1756 unknown maker
W33-038ac1761 Bronco Mfg. Co., New York NYWartime use
The A-2 jacket was awarded to an Army Air Forces airman upon completion of basic flight training, and always before graduating to advanced training. No standard system of distribution was used, though generally airmen lined up in front of boxes containing jackets of various sizes and given the appropriate size jacket by the base quartermaster.
The A-2 was a treasured item to the airman and was worn with as much pride as his wings. As airmen progressed through various duty stations they often added and removed squadron patches, rank marks, and occasionally elaborate artwork depicting the type of aircraft they flew or a copy of the artwork painted on their airplane. Bomber crews often added small bombs to the right front of their jackets indicating the number of missions they had flown. As a result, many jackets ended up with numerous stitch marks as patches of various sizes were removed and replaced when the owner changed units. Unlike Navy aviators, who often wore the patches of every squadron they had ever flown with, AAF personnel could only display the patch of their current assignment. The emblem of the Army Air Forces was often sewn, painted, or applied by decal on the left shoulder, while the shield of the specific Air Force (5th, 8th, etc.) was often displayed on the
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