Original German WWII Luftwaffe Blue Winter Fur Lined "Channel" Flying Jacket with Bakelite Main Zipper

Original Item: Only One Available. Development of protective flight uniforms and equipment began with the advent of military aircraft in WWI and continued on into the Weimar and the Third Reich eras, resulting in three distinct one-piece combination pattern flight suits being approved before WWII and worn for the duration of the war with minor modifications. Regulations of July 4th, 1940 and April 24th, 1941 introduced two piece protective flight suits for fighter pilots designed to increase the wearers mobility and not be as restrictive in the close confines of a cockpit. The two piece flight suits consist of separate jacket and pants and were commonly referred to as the "Kanalanzug", (Channel Uniform).

This is a very good condition heavy winter "channel" flight jacket, constructed from a blue twill fabric shell, with a brown and white fur lining and lay down light brown fur collar. The fur lining extends all the way through the sleeves as well, and really looks great. We do not see any signs of any past electronic attachments, which were usually not used with the fur jackets, only those lined with the blue / purple synthetic plush material. There are no internal pockets, just the two waist slash pockets with button straps, and another vertical slash pocket next to the main closure, probably for flight goggles. We checked all over the jacket, and were not able to find any type of maker markings.

The jacket looks to have seen light to moderate use, and still retains all of the male and female snaps, all of which are marked with PRYM, a known Luftwaffe supplier during the war. The main closure zipper is actually a bakelite example, which are quite rare, and unfortunately also prone to breaking. This example is however fully intact, complete with the slider, which is marked with Ri-Ri, another known supplier of zippers to the Luftwaffe. The zippers at the ends of the sleeves are both metal with leather pull tabs, and are marked by maker ZIPP on one side, and with BCWr-N on the other side, which we assume is the model number. The sleeves also have inner elastic shrouds to prevent air from going up the sleeves, and they have PRYM snaps as well. The collar is secured by a small strap with a snap on it, as well as a leather strap that goes around the collar to secure it in the "up" position. There is an internal belt around the bottom of the jacket, and the ends are still attached to the securing buckles.

Condition is very good, with light wear to the exterior, though there is a bit more wear around the bottom of the jacket and the sleeves, one of the first places to show wear. It has a great "been there" look that is simply impossible to duplicate. Ready to display!

Approximate Measurements:
Collar to shoulder: 11"
Shoulder to sleeve: 25”
Shoulder to shoulder: 20"
Chest width: 23”
Waist: 20"
Front length: 26"