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The Lincoln Brigade Spanish Version

ferhama

New Member
The Lincoln Brigade jacket was very popular during the spanish civil war. American volunteers and spanish anarchists where the first to wear these jackets in Spain in 1936.
Brigadist, anarchist and their leather jackets were so popular and the spanish production started very soon.
Even though the oficial flying dress was a dark brown leather coat used by the Spanish Air Force since 1926. Some members of Spanish Republican Air Force used the Lincoln Brigade as a field jacket On fact, most pilots wear civil leather jackets patched with their insignias and ranking.
Here I post my version. It is my second jacket, thanks to Mark for his valuable post that help me in this project.

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Escuadrilla Lacalle, Note leather Coat and Jackets

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Made in Lambskin

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I'll send more pics asap.

Fernando
 

ferhama

New Member
John, It is the first model I did. I'm planing to make more models inspired on SCW.
Button holes are not easy for my sewing skills yet. But I'm going to practice...
On fact, button holes of this jacket were hand sew by my mother. Except the closing tab that hole was made with a standard sewing machine.

Mark, I bought a second hand Singer 211U566A last september. I'm following your blog...

I'm Chemist and work as a Quality Manager in a wet wipes factory. I practice aeromodelling and looking pics of SCW planes I found this jacket.

I asked to ADAR (Spanish Asociation of Republic Pilots), the surviving members have around 90 years old, about the lining of this jacket. They told me that usually woolen cloth or flannel. I used woollen cloth for this one, but I found a pic some day ago showing some square designs on the lining.

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About the knit collar, when I saw your model with the knit collar, It was a surprise for me. That help me to zoom the best quality photo I found, and finally I saw the knit lines on the collar of some pilots. I'll post these pics.
To stiffer the collar, I interfaced a piece of leather. That help me to attach the buttons and the clossing tab.

Regards

Fernando

P.D. Sorry for my English.
 

jack aranda

Member
Hello, ferhama:
That is a very nice-looking jacket. Classy and comfortable. And functional, as the Lincoln Brigade photos attest to. Thanks for the pics.
 

ferhama

New Member
Rocco, more information about these jackets?. Did you visit a museum or private collection?
I visited the "Museo del Aire" in Madrid looking for some Republican uniforms. I found leather coats, pants, caps, but not jackets.

Jack, the jacket it's really comfortable. But I could only wear once because the weather is too hot in Alicante (Sud-East Spain) now.
 

fishmeok

Well-Known Member
Was that your first jacket? Looks amazing. What hide did you use? I advise against making too many buttonholes until you find someone with an industrial buttonholer who can run them for you. I'ts too frustrating doing it on a home zig-zag machine and will never be perfect enough....

Please please post all those pics you found, incredible that you were able to talk to real LB members!

Cheers
Mark
 

ferhama

New Member
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Note the collar, you can see the knit lines.

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Mr. Hidalgo de Cisneros, Commander in Chief of Republican Air Force. Note the Closing tab folded under collar.

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A whole squadron, Most of them wearing Flight Jackets.

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Jose María Bravo and Francisco Tarazona, Note Mr. Bravo wearing a jacket under the coat.

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Members of Escuadrilla España (André Malraux) during a Hunting Day.

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The small Republican Pilot is my 3 years old son. My first jacket was made on Faux-leather. The pants were sew by my mother. The Pilot cap is made on lambskin, It was my first piece. I learned to sew with a pair of pilot caps.

Mark, I saw your last Misabe version and it is impresive...

About leather I used. Lambskin... I'll be continued later...
 

rocco74

Member
in italy i have seen in Novegro militaria .but wasn't to sell, only to SEE.and in bilbao not in museum but in a vintage market, consider that he has different flight jacket and militaria, i buy only medals and old baionet.prices about 250`300 euros.i dont buy because there was only 40 42 chest, i like to wear and decline offers.
 

ferhama

New Member
More Pics...

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Juan Antonio Ibarreche, Note the knit collar.

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I think they are The "1ª Escuadrilla de Moscas" First Polikarpov I-16 Equadron.

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Castañeda and his "Chato" Snub nose.

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The 4th moscas Squadron had all variations on Popeye. Each pilot had his own and a small replica of it sewn onto his flying jacket.

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Note the big squares on the lining.

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They were Anarchist leaders. The man of sunglasses was Buenaventura Durruti and and died in November 1936.

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Diego Camacho, (Abel Paz) He was a famous anarchist writer.

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Squadron on the northern front. This flight jacket are not the Lincoln Brigade. They looks like some famous German pilot jacket, but some years before...

About to ask to veterans about their jackets. I have to explain that I did the question in their facebook site. They have a few historians that study all the files of the association. They have some caution when you ask something because they are some people that earned money with the information, pics, histories of their members.
I'm quite sure the reply about the lining was from one of these historians.

Some years ago I met two young mechanics of republican air forces (About 70 years old) and their histories were amazing. With the histories of the pilots that were trained in Russia, fought in the SCW, Scaped from French concentration champs to URSS, Fought as "guerrilleros" in Russia behind enemy lines during one year, Fought as a pilots again in VVS, and return to Spain. You can write a Bestseller with no efford.
 

fishmeok

Well-Known Member
Looking back on these two threads it seems there were 3 main styles of Lincoln Brigade-type jackets:

Knit cuffs and collar with zipper
Knit cuffs and collar with buttons
Knit waist with leather collar and cuffs (check out the size of the collar! That would not translate welll today...)

Cheers
Mark
 

ferhama

New Member
I agree with you Mark.

Probably because they were several manufacturers. I found some information about one women Who founded a "Sindicato de la Aguja", Needle Union. Where about 175 women worked sewing uniforms for the loyalist troops. They sew bandoliers, back packs and leather jackets for pilots in the city of Lorca (this city suffered a terible earth quake las week). There were about 13 tanneries in Lorca during de SCW and the Advanced school of fighters was in the same city. The woman was called Clementa Molina Aliaga and suffered the Francoist represion after war.
I does not found pics of spaniards wearing this jacket after war.
Probably this jacket were manufactured in catalonia too. The main suppliers of spanish zippers were "Relámpago" lightning.
They are called now "Cremalleras Rubí"

Saludos,

Fernando
 

fishmeok

Well-Known Member
Did you base your pattern on an exisiting jacket or go from scratch? Great outfit for your boy- I've thought about doing that for my two year old, but I figure he will have grown out of it by the time I am finished making it....

From the way the jackets drape in the original pics I would guess they were lambskin, or very thin goat. Do you have any good tanneries in your area?

Cheers
Mark
 

ferhama

New Member
I did the jacket from scratch. But I consulted military especs. of A-2 and G1 in order to obtain some "military fit". I have a Goat skin G-1 from US Wings.

About Tanneries, There are a lot in my area focussed in shoe's industry. Some important (Good quality) manufacturers as Pikolinos have their factories in my village.

I visited a Fair last week (Futurmoda, 1 km from my house). And I saw a lot of hides. The problem is that this year they manufacture hides with an horrible plastic finish. Some interesting CNC cutting machines for leather too.
They usually have goatskin for hand bags and napa leather for Garment.

Garment leather in my country are in Catalonia, I think.

I do not have enough experience to know in some cow hides and Goat hides could be useful for leather jackets.

I would like to share with you some links of online sellers in Spain to know your opinion.

Regards
Fernando
 
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