ELC Werber A2 1729

[Lorenzo_l]

I think that’s a perfect fit .. it gives you just a bit of room to wear a jumper. You’ll see more use from it that way than if you could only wear a T-shirt under it. Keep in mind that WWII guys wore long underwear, a long sleeve wool shirt and tie and a sweater under them during the winter months and when they flew at 20,000 feet. That in my opinion is why the jackets looked trim fitting most of the time .

That was pretty much the idea behind buying an A-2 with a looser fit. I know it does not have the smart fit of the trimmer patterns, but the fact that it allows me to wear a jumper underneath it and thus extend the range of temperatures and conditions I could wear the jacket in pretty much sealed the deal. As Burt mentions, WW2 pilots were wearing quite a few layers under their A-2s - this picture of John T Godfrey is pretty much a case in point:

Granted, I won't be flying a P-51 on my A-2 (bummer), but I am more than happy to have an A-2 that allows some flexibility in the layering department!

 

[Brettafett]

I think you nailed it there with the fit. That will wear in really well. Give it some love and it will mould to you. The lengths are perfect imo also. Watch that zip! And post some more pics down the line...

 

[Lorenzo_l]

I think you nailed it there with the fit. That will wear in really well. Give it some love and it will mould to you. The lengths are perfect imo also. Watch that zip! And post some more pics down the line...

Many thanks for your opinion, gents. I'll keep you posted on how the jacket develops.

 

[Serghei87]

That was pretty much the idea behind buying an A-2 with a looser fit. I know it does not have the smart fit of the trimmer patterns, but the fact that it allows me to wear a jumper underneath it and thus extend the range of temperatures and conditions I could wear the jacket in pretty much sealed the deal. As Burt mentions, WW2 pilots were wearing quite a few layers under their A-2s - this picture of John T Godfrey is pretty much a case in point:

View attachment 29003

Granted, I won't be flying a P-51 on my A-2 (bummer), but I am more than happy to have an A-2 that allows some flexibility in the layering department!

I also bought mine 1 size higher to be able to wear more clothes below. Now in the winter i wear a t-shirt, pullover and a vest plus the jacket..and i feel so comfortable. On warmer weather i can just use it with a tshirt or a pullover and i still look good ))

Like that i can use the jacket all year round

 

[zoomer]

the somewhat looser fit of the pre-war contracts appealed somewhat to me.

In the '30s they fit loosely, and were layered under, but not in reproductions these days!

There's kind of a myth today that military jackets were very v-shaped then - perhaps because civilian jackets were sometimes cut that way to mimic young men's suit styles. In any case the high end makers really want a slender customer image for the prewar stuff - civvy or mil.

 

[Silver Surfer]

some pix of my older elc werber. the pocket tag reads # 0046. when i first purchased it, i thought it too big, and sold it a coupla years later. i then purchased a werber in a size 40, and brother was that a mistake. sold it and rued the day i sold this size 42. funny thing about kharma....one day while perusing greedbay, there it was, just as i sold it. it looked as though the guy who bought it never wore it. needless to say, i bought it back. and at a discount at that. of note is that the jacket has convincing graining without being "war horse" graining. also, over the years it has gotten significantly lighter, in some areas more then others [see pix of back of the collar and pocket with tag]. this, with real wear has given the jacket the "look". the zipper pull is an original period correct "fat boy" talon.

 

[Micawber]

Nice Vic

 

[ausreenactor]

Nice Vic

Very nice...

 

[Lorenzo_l]

some pix of my older elc werber. the pocket tag reads # 0046. when i first purchased it, i thought it too big, and sold it a coupla years later. i then purchased a werber in a size 40, and brother was that a mistake. sold it and rued the day i sold this size 42. funny thing about kharma....one day while perusing greedbay, there it was, just as i sold it. it looked as though the guy who bought it never wore it. needless to say, i bought it back. and at a discount at that. of note is that the jacket has convincing graining without being "war horse" graining. also, over the years it has gotten significantly lighter, in some areas more then others [see pix of back of the collar and pocket with tag]. this, with real wear has given the jacket the "look". the zipper pull is an original period correct "fat boy" talon.

That Werber looks superb, Vic! The hide has lots of character and the jacket is ageing beautifully. You mentioned you thought at first that your size 42 was too big and that after getting a size 40 you realized your size 42 was ok. How's the fit on the size 42? Do you have enough room to wear a jumper under the jacket? Was the size 40 to slim a fit? I never had the chance to try on a size 38 and compare the fit to my size 40.

 

[Silver Surfer]

the size 42 is a proper fit for me, lorenzol. i could wear a very thin sweater [jumper], but it would be a tight squeeze. yest the elc werbers are a little narrower then, say, the elc rws, or no names, and they are slightly longer in the body. keep in mind though, my experience is only with the earlier iterations of the werber contract, and i do not know if elc has jiggered the sizing since. hope this helps ya.

 

[Lorenzo_l]

the size 42 is a proper fit for me, lorenzol. i could wear a very thin sweater [jumper], but it would be a tight squeeze. yest the elc werbers are a little narrower then, say, the elc rws, or no names, and they are slightly longer in the body. keep in mind though, my experience is only with the earlier iterations of the werber contract, and i do not know if elc has jiggered the sizing since. hope this helps ya.

Thanks, Vic. That's useful indeed. I don't know if ELC have reworked the Werber sizing since you bought yours, but what I can say is that the Werber is bigger, particularly pit-to-pit, compared to my ELC RW 27752, both in size 40. I could definitely not layer under the RW, but I sure can under the Werber.
Where did you get the original Talon zipper pull? Are they available to purchase somewhere?

 

[Silver Surfer]

old pullers can be found on eb in the sections that have 1930s-40s toiletry cases, purses, shoes, etc. most of what ya find are the 3x marked nickel, or brass talon bell pulllers, but now and again an old one will show up.

 

[Grant]

Hey Vic, is this the Werber you bought from me? If so, looking good!

 

[ausreenactor]

Hey Vic, is this the Werber you bought from me? If so, looking good!

Our jackets sure do 'get around'!

 

[bennanza]

Hey everyone, digging up this old thread as I am thinking about getting an Eastman A2 either the Werber Contract 1729 or Rough Wear Contract 1401P (or the 23rd fighter group elite units version though should remain the same jacket). I have been deep-diving through threads and John Chapmans descriptions, old pictures etc. but I'm still not sure about the differences. I guess the werber is in general a little longer in the torso though it looks a bit slimmer- could that be the case? It may just be due to the pictures but somehow the collar seems to be a bit more prominent or "stick up" higher? It's definitely an intriguing contract though I'm not sure if I'm imagining things.

I've got a larger chest and slightly larger shoulders, but I'm rather slim in the torso. Which contract would you suggest would be better fitting? The best fitting jacket I have is an original Star G1 I bought from Brett. Perfectly wide shoulders and slim in the torso. Also, does the timeworn effect also break-in the leather from a stiffness perspective? I actually enjoy doing this process myself but darn it looks awesome.

 

[B-Man2]

Hey everyone, digging up this old thread as I am thinking about getting an Eastman A2 either the Werber Contract 1729 or Rough Wear Contract 1401P (or the 23rd fighter group elite units version though should remain the same jacket). I have been deep-diving through threads and John Chapmans descriptions, old pictures etc. but I'm still not sure about the differences. I guess the werber is in general a little longer in the torso though it looks a bit slimmer- could that be the case? It may just be due to the pictures but somehow the collar seems to be a bit more prominent or "stick up" higher? It's definitely an intriguing contract though I'm not sure if I'm imagining things.

I've got a larger chest and slightly larger shoulders, but I'm rather slim in the torso. Which contract would you suggest would be better fitting? The best fitting jacket I have is an original Star G1 I bought from Brett. Perfectly wide shoulders and slim in the torso. Also, does the timeworn effect also break-in the leather from a stiffness perspective? I actually enjoy doing this process myself but darn it looks awesome.

From your description that you provided you sound like you have an athletic build ( wide shoulders , large chest and narrow waist .
I can tell you that it’s going to be difficult to find a standard sized jacket that you will be comfortable wearing and that doesn’t balloon out in the lower torso area. I would suggest you consider a custom made jacket. I say this because I’ve had similar problems with A2 jackets. As a result larger size jackets fit me nicely in the upper body but look baggy from the chest down . Just a suggestion .

 

[767fo]

I enjoy mine.

 

[B-Man2]

Alan
It’s one of my favorite contracts . The russet hide looks great with those Carmel knits .
Is that a GW or an ELC ?

 

[767fo]

Alan
It’s one of my favorite contracts . The russet hide looks great with those Carmel knits .
Is that a GW or an ELC ?

Hi Burt, it's an Eastman

 

[B-Man2]

Hi Burt, it's an Eastman

Looks good … the one I have has been worn thru heat, rain , snow and slept in as well.
Now that I think about it … it’s been treated like an original war time jacket
I’ll have to post a photo of it when I get a chance .
BTWx…. Good to see you back !