Original U.S. WWII Named Army Air Forces Private Purchase Type A2 Leather Flight Jacket with Laundry Number - Maj. P.J. Keller

Original Item. Only One Available. The Type A-2 leather flight jacket is a military flight jacket 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 A-2 jacket was awarded to an Army Air Forces officer upon completion of basic flight training, and always before graduating to advanced training. No standard system of distribution was used, though generally airmen lined up in front of boxes containing jackets of various sizes and given the appropriate size jacket by the base quartermaster. A-2s were exclusive to commissioned officers until early in World War II, when also issued to enlisted aircrews.

The A-2 was a treasured item to the airman and was worn with as much pride as his wings. As airmen progressed through various duty stations they often added and removed squadron patches, rank marks, and occasionally elaborate artwork depicting the type of aircraft they flew or a copy of the artwork painted on their airplane. Bomber crews often added small bombs to the right front of their jackets indicating the number of missions they had flown. As a result, many jackets ended up with numerous stitch marks as patches of various sizes were removed and replaced when the owner changed units.

This is a gorgeous example of a WWII privately-purchase A-2 style flight jacket purchased by a Major. The interior is a lovely silk-like material, and there is a laundry number written below the collar, K3947. Along the right edge is the inscription MAJ. P.J. KELLER. We have been unable to identify Keller, making for a great research project!

The zipper still works well and is marked CONMAR. The collar latch is unfortunately missing one side, but otherwise this is a fine service-worn private purchase A-2 flight jacket. Comes ready for further research and display!

Approximate Measurements:-
Collar to shoulder: 10.5"
Shoulder to sleeve: 25”
Shoulder to shoulder: 15"
Chest width: 19”
Waist: 16.5"
Hip: 14"
Front length: 27"