Short sleeved M-422 ?

[Maverickson]

An early USN M-422 flight jacket has been listed today . Could this be the jacket http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... TQ:US:1123 Zoomer was refering to which requires the Gaunlets because of the M-422 jacket's inherent short sleeves? The stated length of the sleeves for this particular jacket half way supports his contention !

Cheers, Dave

 

[Falcon_52]

Yes, that's the jacket! Every picture I have seen of an M-422 has the sleeves falling well short of the waist knitting. A very strange design...

Noel

 

[zoomer]

IIRC, the jacket body was also longer. Don't know how much longer - AFAIK no one's ever compared them.

20 3/4" sleeves on a size 42 - what's the sleeve length on a typical '422A that size? I would guess at least 24", no?

Note that the seller is careful not to show any views of the full jacket laid out flat. He must anticipate the questions that would raise.

BuAer obviously realized the unsuitability of the design, seeing as the '422A came so very soon after the '422 (less than a year, IIRC) and was realistically re-proportioned.

 

[Maverickson]

Yes Zoomer my Willis & Geiger M-422A has exactly 24" sleeves. Thereafter, the knit cuffs make up an additional 3". The body of my jacket from the base of the collar to the bottom of the waist knits is 26.25". Judging from those short sleeves on that M-422 I would also guess that it has a shorter body.

 

[deeb7]

BuAer obviously realized the unsuitability of the design, seeing as the '422A came so very soon after the '422 (less than a year, IIRC) and was realistically re-proportioned.

I don't think it was an intentional design feature of the M422, Full Gear notes shorter sleeves after the two Willis & Geiger contracts ... but not for the Monarch. John Chapman's CD confirms that the short sleeves were peculiar to the one maker.

Likewise with the M422A's, both sources note that the H & L Block contracts have shorter sleeves.