black A-2 bomber jacket front
photo by Styrous®
One of my favorite bike-riding jackets was this BLACK leather A-2 flight bomber jacket. The jacket is unusual as bomber jackets were always brown; I do have a brown one.
photo by Styrous®
The Type A-2 leather flight jacket is an American military flight jacket originally invented and developed for and closely associated with World War II U.S. Army Air Forces pilots, navigators and bombardiers, who often decorated their jackets with squadron patches and elaborate artwork painted on the back. Sometimes casually referred to as a bomber jacket,
its original designation was "Jacket, Pilot's (summer)", and its
wartime usage was limited neither to pilots nor to bomber crews.
The Type A-2 flying jacket was standardized by the U.S. Army Air Corps as the successor to the Type A-1 flying jacket adopted in 1927. The
Type Designation Sheet lists the dates for Service Test as September 20,
1930, and Standardized (adopted as standard issue) on May 9, 1931. The
military specification number for Type A-2 is 94-3040. The Drawing
Number was given as 30-1415 in the original spec 94-3040 and is shown on
A-2 jackets, but some documentation erroneously lists it as 31-1415.
B-17 Flying Fortress Crew from 457th BG - 1943
wearing leather A-2 jackets
black A-2 bomber jacket back
photo by Styrous®
The U.S. Army Air Forces Class 13 Catalog listed the garment as "Jacket,
Flying, Type A-2," with Spec. No. 94-3040. It describes the jacket's
construction as "seal brown horsehide leather, knitted wristlets and waistband (skirt)."
black A-2 bomber jacket front
photo by Styrous®
Although the actual design would vary slightly depending on the
manufacturer, and even among contracts within a single manufacturer, all
A-2 jackets had several distinguishing characteristics: a snap-flap
patch pocket on either side that does not have hand warmer compartments
(hands in pockets were considered unfit for a military bearing), a
shirt-style snap-down collar, shoulder straps (or Epaulets),
knit cuffs and waistband, a back constructed from a single piece of
leather to limit stress on the garment, and a lightweight silk or cotton
inner lining with a leather hang strap (not a loop) and military spec tag attached just below the back collar. A-2's were lined with cotton per the original specification. A common misconception is that they were lined with silk.
black A-2 bomber jacket interior lining
photo by Styrous®
A-2s were to be constructed of horsehide, which was either vegetable- or chrome-tanned. Some original A-2's were made from goatskin (as was the Navy G-1 jacket) and others from cowhide
(which can be very difficult to tell from horse if tanned identically).
All Spiewak and Doniger jackets are of goat, as are many Cable, Dubow,
Bronco, Perry, and Rough Wear examples.
black A-2 bomber jacket cuff detail
detail photo by Styrous®
Wartime-issued A-2 jackets appear in a wide range of color tones and
hues, although all are based on two distinct colors: Seal (dark brown to
almost black) and Russet (pale red-brown to medium brown). Most seal
jackets were russets re-dyed during the war to cover scuffing and
discoloration, although some contracts, like the Aero Leather 21996,
were dyed seal right from the start. Original knit cuffing typically
matched the leather or came close, but exceptions exist, such as Aero
Leather's eye-catching rust-red cuffing on seal brown hide.
black A-2 bomber jacket front detail
detail photo by Styrous®
The A-2 was one of the early articles of clothing designed expressly to use a zipper. Zippers were made of steel or brass, and some were nickel
plated. Known zipper suppliers were Talon, Crown, Conmar, and Kwik,
with Talon providing the majority of zippers used in wartime A-2
construction. Until about 1940, Talon zippers with riveted or grommeted
metal bottoms were used.
black A-2 bomber jacket front detail
detail photo by Styrous®
Unlike modern, loose-fitting jackets, the original A-2 looks to us today
a rather trim-fitting jacket. Period photos and films reveal a jacket
which could be worn fitted and sharp looking or a bit baggy and loose in
the body. It was designed to fit the thinner male of the time.
black A-2 bomber jacket cuff detail
detail photo by Styrous®
Original wartime issued A-2 jackets are rare but not unavailable. Tens
of thousands were issued from 1931 through 1944 (the vast majority in
1942-43), and some old stock jackets may have been issued even into the
late 1940s long after Type A-2 was discontinued as standard AAF
equipment. The value of such originals range widely depending on
condition, known history, patches and artwork, and even size. Most
originals used a sizing system considerably smaller than today's
comparable sizes, with only 2-4 inches (100 mm) of "slack" over the
tagged chest size. In other words, an original size 42 might be closer
to a modern 40 or even a 38, depending on the manufacturer. Original
World War II era jackets sell at auction for between $800 and $5,000,
with wearable examples generally running $1,000 and up.
Bud Tordoff & ground crew
in front of his P-51, Upupa epops - 1944 - 45
A-2 jackets can be seen in many movies, as they came to represent the American fighting man. Seeing legendary actors such as Gregory Peck and John Wayne on the big screen wearing A-2's only reinforced their popularity.
By the 1950s the A-2 was moving into the role of the motorcycle jacket, which would soon evolve into its own distinct style. The jacket worn by Henry Winkler in the role of "Fonzie" in the TV show Happy Days
was a variation of the A-2 jacket.
Henry Winkler as "Fonzie"
In the 1960s and 1970s the A-2
reappeared in a new crop of big budget World War II films such as The Great Escape and Patton, as well as being the wardrobe of choice for Bob Crane's character of Colonel Hogan in the popular TV series Hogan's Heroes. This same jacket, manufactured by the studio's costume department, would later be worn by Frank Sinatra in the film Von Ryan's Express. Dwight Schultz' character H. M. Murdock on 1980s TV show The A-Team
wore an A-2 Jacket with a tiger printed on the back along with the
words 'DA NANG 1970'. His character wore the jacket throughout the
show's 5 seasons. Also, in the anime Hetalia: Axis Powers, the character America is most always seen wearing an A-2 jacket with the number '50' on the back in white. Arnold Schwarzenegger also appeared wearing the A-2 with a police badge in his new 2013 movie The Last Stand.
Arnold Schwarzenegger ~ The Last Stand - 2013
I don't know the brand of the jacket I have but the label inside clearly states it was, "Made in USA"
"Made in USA"
photo by Styrous®
The A-2 bomber jacket is warm, cozy and for sale on eBay.
Viewfinder links:
Beemer Memories
Gregory Peck articles/mentions
John Wayne article/mentions
New links:
Flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss!
~ Douglas Adams
~ Douglas Adams
Styrous® ~ Saturday, January 6, 2018
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