DONIGER CONTRACT/ORDER

[Roughwear]

David D Doniger produced one batch of A2s, albeit a small number using the ac-29971 contract number on the label, without their name. This is the last in the series of wartime contract numbers as opposed to order numbers and is assigned to the 1943 fiscal year (ie July 1942-June 1943) in Full Gear. The firm of course also produced their named A2 using the Order no. 42-21539-P and according to Full Gear this dates to the 1942 fiscal year. Does anyone know if the dating is correct. John Chapman on his CD says the no name contract is before Dec 1941, but as A2 contracts were issued sequentially this would mean every A2 contract as opposed to those with an order number is pre-War! Of course the date when a contract was issued pre-dates the actual production run! Where are you Swing?

 

[deeb7]

Andrew, on one of your earlier threads, Swing tells us that the Donigers, with either label, are all the one contract.

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3504&start=10

 

[Roughwear]

Thanks David, but Swing's view is merely speculation without documentary proof. I believe the details of both versions of the Doniger A2 are identical which could suggest they were from the same contract, but why would one have a contract label and the other an order number? Similarly the Star contract/order may be from the same contract but I remain unconvinced unless there is actual evidence such as the original government contract papers.

 

[Roughwear]

Here are pictures of the two labels, one from my existing Doniger and the other from a near mint one which I recently bought.The type face is indentical on both labels.

 

[Roughwear]

Swing, where are you?

 

[Swing]

David D Doniger produced one batch of A2s, albeit a small number using the ac-29971 contract number on the label, without their name. This is the last in the series of wartime contract numbers as opposed to order numbers and is assigned to the 1943 fiscal year (ie July 1942-June 1943) in Full Gear. The firm of course also produced their named A2 using the Order no. 42-21539-P and according to Full Gear this dates to the 1942 fiscal year. Does anyone know if the dating is correct. John Chapman on his CD says the no name contract is before Dec 1941, but as A2 contracts were issued sequentially this would mean every A2 contract as opposed to those with an order number is pre-War! Of course the date when a contract was issued pre-dates the actual production run! Where are you Swing?

According to ELC's old brochure for their copy of that jacket, Aero's contract 42-18775-P/W535 AC 28819 was awarded May 25th 1942.

Sooooo, Doniger's 42-21539/W535 AC 29971 was awarded shortly there after. Possibly on the same day, or maybe a little later in June '42.

The only A-2 contracts awarded post July 1, 1942 are the three from spring '44 (W33-038ac1755, 1756, and 1761).

A-2 contracts from the first six months of '42 were still being completed well into '43, and in the case of Doniger jackets carrying the W535 AC 29971 label, are incorrectly referred to as 1943 fiscal year A-2 contracts by "Full Gear", but there were no 1943 fiscal year A-2 contracts.

Doniger and Star had single contracts. Why some jackets list the the order number on the label, and some the contract number, is the question that more than likely will never be answered.

~Swing

 

[Roughwear]

Thanks for the reply Swing. I would be interested to know the source ELC used for date of the last Aero contract as this is cruticial in dating these later contracts. Your argument for no new contracts being awarded in 1943 makes sense.

 

[deeb7]

... I would be interested to know the source ELC used for date of the last Aero contract as this is cruticial in dating these later contracts.

With that May date being right at the end of the fiscal year, it's easy to see how Mituhiro may have incorrectly tipped those last few contracts into the next year.

However, I can't find any other reference to W535 AC 28819. Here's a copy of the ELC certificate ...

http://www.flying-time.de/wbb2/attachme ... c37b46e4b0

Notice that the order number is given as 42-1877P (not 42-18775P). This may well just be a typo, but for credibility, Eastman should never have invented that Rough Wear B-6 contract.

Another mystery is Full Gear's W535 AC 35419 ... that should be well into 1943, but what is it?

 

[Roughwear]

Thanks David for the link to the certificate. All we need now is to find the actual government contract to Aero or at the very least a copy of it.