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So-called Luftwaffe WW2 pilot's jacket

Nick H.

New Member
The seller is in France https://ebay.us/JAh4md

He's offering a "Blouson pilote Luftwaffe 2ème guerre mondiale....Cuir souple, insignes remontés sur ce blouson de prise où ils avaient été grossièrement arrachés, marquage intéressant au bas du dos à l'intérieur. Fermeture ZIP en état de fonctionnement. Pièce émouvante d'un pilote capturé"

Google Translate says this means "WWII Luftwaffe pilot jacket .... Soft leather, insignia reassembled on this jacket where they had been roughly torn off, interesting marking on the lower back inside. Zip closure in working order. Touching piece of a captured pilot.* So the badges were ripped off and replaced with repros? I can't tell.

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If it were authentic with provenance about the captured pilot I reckon it would be worth well into four figures. So it all seems unlikely. It's hard to authenticate private purchase Luftwaffe jackets. There must have been a lot of them, because there weren't any issued ones until late in the war, according to Lewis Leathers:

"Purpose made flying jackets weren't issued to the Luftwaffe until late in the war, so pilots bought their own and, among other places, they could be purchased at La Samaritain department store in Paris during the occupation."

From https://www.lewisleathers.com/199.html#:~:text=The Battle Of Britain was,by German pilots in WW2. Anyone have a view on this?

This jacket looks nothing like the issued ones I've seen on the web, but it's not dissimilar to the BoB ones made by Lewis. But...if it was private purchase, why would it have a Luftwaffe stamp on the lining?

I asked the seller for the chest size, which he said is 96 cm, or 38 inches, which he said was 'L' in those days. Too small for me. Anyway, I think it's a fake. The seller's other items don't reassure me. But I can't resist asking for more details, so I've asked "Do you have any evidence about the pilot? Photos or letters or something? Do you think the marking is genuine? If the jacket is genuine, the pilot would have bought it himself." Waiting for a reply.
 

Rory Schultz

Well-Known Member
There a few collectors on here that know their onions so they can zero in on this jacket. Luftwaffe would not have stamped a private purchase jacket, (hence a poor attempt at making the jacket look legit) . I went and looked at his items, since he is selling cheap reproductions then I seriously doubt this jacket has merit.
 

Nick H.

New Member
I like anything old and wearable but WW2 German stuff is strictly for millionaires.

Actually I might have a real Nazi coat, but it's so sinister that I tried to disguise/conquer it by adding big brass Coldstream Guards buttons. I still get people asking me if it's a Gestapo coat. Not being a member of the royal family, I don't like to dress up as a Holocaust enthusiast.
 

Rory Schultz

Well-Known Member
Really? Some people these days just have no sense of humor. I dress up like ole Adolph all the time and go goose stepping at the biker bars! They want to see where my swastika is tattooed! LOL LOL JUST JOKING MATE! No way. There are a ton of re-enactment groups here. I live a few miles from the WW2 Aviation Museum with a Hangar where they have WW2 hangar swing band parties with the bombers all around with ppl dressed up.
 

Nick H.

New Member
Sounds fun. I'd wear my Soviet anti-G suit or my Chinese air force pilot's jacket, just to add some flavour.
 

Rory Schultz

Well-Known Member
The guys on here know that I am an artist but also collect other artist's paintings and bronzes. I tried to get this paintings that was on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post in 1940 by famous illustrator Lawrence Stern which depicts Hitler as a clown and the geese are goose stepping, during the Heritage Auction in Dallas Tx. But I was outbid on it. I did win a WW2 scene done by Mort Kunstler.

lf (6) lawrence Stern    doing the clown.jpg lf (6) Kunstler  100 day survival.jpg
 

Kermit3D

Well-Known Member
I agree with Rory Schultz, this jacket has never been worn by a German pilot.
99% of the "Luftwaffe jackets" on ebay are not.
 

Rory Schultz

Well-Known Member
I agree with Rory Schultz, this jacket has never been worn by a German pilot.
99% of the "Luftwaffe jackets" on ebay are not.

Very nice illustrations....the paintings I paint are on the most part Traditional Western, then I have done portraits for a ton of people in the past 40 years.
 

Kermit3D

Well-Known Member
Very nice illustrations....the paintings I paint are on the most part Traditional Western, then I have done portraits for a ton of people in the past 40 years.

Thank you very much Rory Schultz ! :)
Do you have a post dedicated to your paintings ? It's always a pleasure to see other artists' illustrations.
 

Nick H.

New Member
The seller has replied:

"Non , je n'ai aucun élément d'identification de ce pilote.
Le tampon au bas du blouson est un tampon de réception assez inhabituel. est ce un blouson du commerce acheté et distribué par l'unité ?
sur le blouson il y a les emplacements d'une croix de fer 1ère classe, d'un badge de brevet de pilote et d'une barrette de combat de pilote de chasse.
Cette pièce est intéressante."

Very slippery. It's a fake, and he knows it.
 

Kermit3D

Well-Known Member
I think it is not a jacket from the 1940s, I would rather say 1950s or 1960s... but I can be wrong, I am not an expert.
It's a scam to sell an old damaged jacket 10 or 20 x its value.
 

Nick H.

New Member
Useful info! Can you recommend any sources? I would like to learn more about kanaljackets and those ugly grey leather jackets which look like a poor man's G-1. And why there are so many Hartmann jackets.
 
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