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missing link?

Silver Surfer

Well-Known Member
after several months of negotiations, i have finally landed this one, a switlik a-2. to the best of my knowledge there is no mention or notation of a switlik a-2 anywhere. it is tagged a size 42, but fits as a snug size 40. some interesting details are the double stitched pockets and flaps, early nipple snaps and the 1932 riveted talon zipper that has a puller marked both talon and hookless.
 

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Maverickson

Well-Known Member
Victor,

What a fine looking jacket!

Does this jacket also have vegetable tanned hide & silk thread like my Switlik M-422?

Cheers, Dave
 

MikeyB-17

Well-Known Member
Fascinating, Captain! I see the zip was painted brown originally. I like the way those old zips sheathed the bottom of the male side in metal rather than leaving it to fray like the later ones. I also note that the collar hook is stitched into the seam at the end, not riveted on. Colour is quite similar to my old ELC House A-2!
 

2BM2K

Well-Known Member
Interesting.
It has the details of a 1932 A2 jacket but with double stitched pockets.

But the the label is wrong, it reads DWG No 31-1413 instead of DWG No 30-1415.

The jacket could have been relabeled and relined.

It is certainly a mystery.
 

Edward

Well-Known Member
what? is this a contract that no one has discovered or published about? is this perhaps a test offer that the army declined a contract to? what is this company? seems like perhaps a rare bird here! nice score!
 

Silver Surfer

Well-Known Member
yup, mysto jacket. the hides are veg tanned, and the thread is cotton...i think. the woman i purchased the jacket from said that her grand dad got it at patterson field [wright patterson?] in the 1930s. the jacket came to me post marked from ohio. all in all she just didnt have much in the way of anything to share
 

Edward

Well-Known Member
Wouldn't that make them the only original A-2 manufacturer still in business?
very interesting! I wonder if they even know because their about us/history doesn't mention jackets. it does mention government contracting-leather mail bags manufactured for the United States Post Office Department and vague mention of manufacturing pilot and gunner belts, designing flight clothing
 

Roughwear

Well-Known Member
This is a fascinating find Vic. However, the label is actually from a pair of A-2 flying trousers, not from an A-2 at all. The label on the A-2 has been doctored with the 2 from the drawing number removed and the 5 from the order number removed. You can see the changes when you look at the photo of an A-2 trouser label. The drawing number should read 31-2413 and the order number AC 5515.
 

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Ken at Aero Leather

Well-Known Member
Interesting.
It has the details of a 1932 A2 jacket but with double stitched pockets.

But the the label is wrong, it reads DWG No 31-1413 instead of DWG No 30-1415.

The jacket could have been relabeled and relined.

It is certainly a mystery.

The jacket shows none of the usual signs of being relined but the stitching of the label doesn't look as if it was done flat on the single piece of back lining, rather done when the jacket was completed?
Firm is still going, check with them
Nice A-2 whatever
 

mulceber

Moderator
Great point, Andrew. I just went through the Eastman manual, and the double stitching is unattested across all contracts, so I don't THINK this is a case of someone trying to turn a fairly common contract into a unique one by adding a fake label. My guess is that Edward's hypothesis was correct: Switlik wanted to break into the A-2 jacket game, so they made a test jacket that they sent to the army. Rather than create a completely new label, they just took one of the labels that they used for their flying trousers and doctored it to look passable.
 
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