Orig 1401-P

[Nickb123]

Wanted to share this with you all. I remember there being a thread discussing this one when it was listed on eBay - dismissed as a bit of a Frankenjacket.

Nonetheless, it’s an original 1401-P (label is in pocket - the right pocket is absent from the jacket!)

It has a replaced contemporary zipper, dubious collar stud attachment, and is falling apart at the pits.

However, it was described as belonging to pilot George A. Zientowski (the name tag is barely legible so who really knows- warrants a magnifying glass) Who apparently flew Spits/P-39s, and possibly Mustangs out of England. There are some battle damage records of some of the incidents he had - mostly while landing.

George A Zientowski | American Air Museum

www.americanairmuseum.com

My only original A-2, for now. Thanks for looking!

 

[Silver Surfer]

with care, time, and some money, most of the issues can be rectified. ya might star with locating a basket case done jacket for hides to replace the missing pocket, and other areas that need the work. a perfect match for donor hides is damn near impossible, but a lighter colored donor hide can be redyed to a match or close match. finding a crown zipper will be nearly impossible. ya might contact j. chapman at goodwear, since he sometimes uses repro crown zippers. etc uses the repro zippers, but Gary will not part with them. eb is a long shot, and some of the a-2 jacket groups on fb might be worth a shot. best of luck with your original rw.

 

[Nickb123]

Thanks. It’s probably going to stay as is for the time being, but may be a future project.