Jacket Designators

[dilbert]

A question for the historians:

I think I understand some of the designators the military used. In the early years the Air Corps used "A" for the intermediate weight jackets and "B" for the heavier, winter weight jackets. Apparently things began to change after the war. The "B" series continued in the form of the B-15 which lasted until the mid-50's, apparently, replaced by the MA-1. My questions are:

1. L-2- does the "L" have a meaning? Also, was there an L-1 that preceded it (as in the A-1 proceeding the A-2)?

2. MA-1- does the "MA" mean anything?

3. CWU 36/45P's- What does the "CWU" mean?

In reading all I can find about these jackets I can't find any history or reason behind the designators. I can find a fairly good history on the MA-1, but very little about the CWU series. I realize they are relatively new, but is there a source of more information about them out there somewhere?

I like the leather jackets, and have several, but in all honesty I usually grab a nylon or nomex jacket first as they are lighter and more comfortable.

Many thanks for any help. I am a nugget here and this is my first post.

 

[watchmanjimg]

Welcome aboard! I'm sure others will add to this thread, but I can attempt to offer a partial explanation. The L-series are lightweight jackets beginning with the olive drab L-2 in the first years of the USAF as a separate entity. The AF blue L-2A appeared in the early 1950s, to be followed around the end of the Korean War period by the sage green L-2B. In late 1960 the L-2B was produced with orange lining so it could be reversed for visibility in rescue operations. The sage green MA-1 is an intermediate jacket that amounts to a standardized version of the B-15D Modified (knit collar substituted for original mouton), which retained its designation throughout its service life despite numerous changes to the original design. The CWU series are sage green, high temperature-resistant jackets made of Nomex aramid fiber. The 36 is lightweight and the 45 is insulated for cold weather. They were phased in during the latter 1970s, and eventually the L-2B and MA-1 ceased to be classified as flyer's jackets though they remained in production at least through the 1980s. Like their nylon predecessors, the CWUs were modified several times over the years. I don't know what the letters "CWU" actually stand for, but the USAF has used this prefix in the designation of various pieces of flight gear going back at least to the late 1950s.

Hopefully this will help get the ball rolling for us.

 

[Swing]

I think there was an L-1 flight suit. L means Light.

Don't know what MA stands for.

I assume CWU stands for Cold Weather Uniform.

~Swing

 

[watchmanjimg]

I think there was an L-1 flight suit. L means Light.

Don't know what MA stands for.

I assume CWU stands for Cold Weather Uniform.

~Swing

I agree that L probably means "Light" or "Lightweight," but CWU describes the summer 36 as well as the 45.

 

[Swing]

I think there was an L-1 flight suit. L means Light.

Don't know what MA stands for.

I assume CWU stands for Cold Weather Uniform.

~Swing

I agree that L probably means "Light" or "Lightweight," but CWU describes the summer 36 as well as the 45.

Here CWU is used for "Warmth Clothing" but it doesn't say exactly what the letter stand for.

http://www.designation-systems.net/usmi ... .html#_CWU

Also found this....

http://www.designation-systems.net/usmi ... pport.html

If someone wants to take the time to read through it (I don't have the time to now), CWU might mean Clothing, Warmth, Unit.

~Swing

 

[dilbert]

Thanks, guys. You are all awsome! I appreciate the answers.

 

[Peter Graham]

Could MA stand for "Mans, aviation" or "aviators". Just a thought.

 

[deeb7]

Could MA stand for "Mans, aviation" or "aviators". Just a thought.

I gave up trying to figure out the MA-1, because then you have to explain the N series ... and the trousers.

 

[Peter Graham]

Could MA stand for "Mans, aviation" or "aviators". Just a thought.

I gave up trying to figure out the MA-1, because then you have to explain the N series ... and the trousers.

Maybe 'N' stands for nice'n cosy !

 

[watchmanjimg]

Perhaps it stands for "No f----ng idea."

 

[rb3586]

K= Very light zone

L = Light zone

M= Intermediate Zone

N= Heavy or Cold Zone

MA-1 - M - Intermediate Zone, A - Aircraft (fixed wing, item carried or used to complete its required mission) 1 - 1st type. (1950's designator system)

CWU= Clothing, Warmth, Unit (designator for equipment and support used for flight)

Unit = A piece of equipment that can function on its own.

CW (type) U (unit) 45 (45th type in this series) / P (personnel)

K,L,M,N designators came into use, during late USAAF and into the early USAF days.

N series started in a basic modex of: N - Heavy or Cold zone, 2 - 2nd design, A - blue coloration, which was the next major production variation of that series. Later changes went with revisions of the spec, rather than the nomenclature. Hope this helps some.

 

[Atticus]

CW (type) U (unit) 45 (45th type in this series) / P (personnel)

Hope this helps some.

It does help. Thank you. But what were the other types of CWU jackets before the current 45th one? Are they counting B-10s, B-15s and MA-1s as being 1 through 44?

AF

 

[rb3586]

The CWU series goes from 1 to 83, with some blank or number gaps. It was created in the Mid Nineteen Sixties and represented then newly created flight or cold weather clothing. It includes flightsuits, Security Police jackets, survival and immersion clothing, long underwear and mid layer garments.

The CWU modex does not apply to the MA-1, USAAF A,B or D series, which predate this nomenclature by at least twenty years or more. Same thinking applies for the USAAF/USAF K,L,M and N series as to their period of service use.

 

[Anonymous]

If I remember correctly, 'L' stand for light zone and is taken from a map of the world with designated wear zones for the different weights of flight clothing. I think it's in the 'Suit Up' or one of the other Japanese flight jacket books. I'd have to go look in my attic to be sure.
Light would be spread equally either side of the Equator up and down to certain lattitudes and 'Heavy' takes over beyond that.
I'll see if I can find the page and confirm it all tonight --- assuming our resident jacket guru David doesn't beat me to it

J_H

 

[deeb7]

--- assuming our resident jacket guru David doesn't beat me to it

Ah yes ...

Altitude Latitude Isotherms
Showing
Temperature Zones as applied to clothing.
Suit Up, page 26

Followed by: Functional Thermal Ranges of Flight Clothing.