An Original A2 with a cool history!

I have a question in this regard. Formally the gear was the property of Air Force and should have been returned (?) AAF over at the end of the service. However, as we know, many jackets returned home with pilots without these tricks with label change. How often AAF were their jackets “seized back” from the crews? Or was it as always everywhere differently and the owner of the jacket that Burt kindly shared was just trying to play it safe just in case, so in any case not to lose his jacket?

Flightengineer said:

I have a question in this regard. Formally the gear was the property of Air Force and should have been returned (?) AAF over at the end of the service. However, as we know, many jackets returned home with pilots without these tricks with label change. How often AAF were their jackets “seized back” from the crews? Or was it as always everywhere differently and the owner of the jacket that Burt kindly shared was just trying to play it safe just in case, so in any case not to lose his jacket?

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Dumitry
From my limited knowledge it depended on a variety of factors. Officers and pilots had a little more success at keeping their jackets than enlisted soldiers did. It was still a “ rank has its privileges “ military in WWII. What was possible as an officer wasn’t possible as an enlisted member of the service. Another factor was who you knew and who you were friends with. If you were buddy’s with the supply sargents you were good to keep or take almost anything available in large quantities. Remember also that at one period in 1943, when all the jackets were being reconditioned and top coated with dark seal coating so they would all match, mostly all painted jackets were disposed of, so most the Russett ones that came back were never turned in and were kept by the owners. Lastly several guys kept their A2 jackets and replaced them with B-10s. That’s the little bit I know about it.
Cheers Dimitry!

I thought about it that way.

What an awesome jacket with a great history! Thanks for this post, B-Man2.

Ken

I've heard women in the service were allowed to keep their uniform. Why is that the enlisted men are made to hand back their uniforms?

taikonaut said:

I've heard women in the service were allowed to keep their uniform. Why is that the enlisted men are made to hand back their uniforms?

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Enlisted men were allowed to keep their uniforms as well. However A2 jackets were not considered to be part of the uniform.

Flight gear helmets, jackets, watches for pilots and navigators etc. where issued for flying duties and where in supposed to be returned to the stores if your duties changed, the cost of anything lost or damaged through your own negligence was docked from your pay, thats the way it worked in the British Commonwealth countries and I assume it was similar for the US forces.

Cool story and great jacket.

Thanks for posting,
Don

Speaking solely based on my US Navy experience, the only clothing that was required to be returned were those considered to be "organizational clothing", ie, owned by the individual command and issued as needed based on unit mission and area of employment. This might include deck or foul weather jackets, CWU type flight jackets, rain gear, Extreme Cold Weather gear (for Arctic or Antarctic ops) etc. I never knew or heard of any air crew, officer or enlisted, once they were issued a flight jacket (G1, CWU or Wep) as personal issue, be required to give it back at the end of the tour or service. I did know some line or troubleshooting crew who were issued CWU type flight jackets for use on the flight line. These were stenciled with the unit name and had to be returned to their unit for reissue. Officers had to buy their own uniforms and kept those. Enlisted standard issue sea bag items, dress uniforms, pea coats, etc, were also individual issue and were retained by the individual at the end of their service.

1756
The jacket does have collar stand
Superb A-2, the chest patch is early version, Tiger is leaping to left (Retreat when on LH Sleeve)

way too cool

thanks for sharing


great jacket

Amazing Jacket and interesting Topic