Peter Graham
Well-Known Member
If this question has been asked and answered before then I apologise but I don't recall it. The sleeve zippers on Irvin jackets is a feature that add a lot of character to these jackets but what are they for ? A lot of motorcycle jackets have sleeve zippers that are designed to give a tight seal against wind blowing up the sleeves but I know from experience that this this is more of an aesthetic feature than a practical one. Surely this is not the case with a military garment, particularly in the later war years when doing away with the sleeve zippers would have saved a lot of time and money. It made sense in the days of open cockpit flying but not for bomber crews in WW2. Any thoughts ?