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Flight jacket prefix no's

johnwayne

Well-Known Member
Often wondered and don't recall seeing here previously, plus I've scoured my ref books inc Gary Eastman's jacket manual but, does anyone know what the A in A-2 stands for, likewise G in G1?
Be easy to suspect Army or Air Corps but cant think what G might be for!
I've always assumed that as the A-1 for instance was the USAAF's first official jacket they simply started with A, so was the B3 their official 3rd flight jacket and the B10 the 10th incarnation?
Easy to suspect that ANJ is a common Army/Navy designation but M422/a for Marines?
I'm curious that's all!!
 

Roughwear

Well-Known Member
The letter designations for American flying clothing started in the 1920s . The A prefix was for summer flight jackets (A-1 and A-2) and the B (B-1, B-2, B-3 etc..) was for winter flying jackets.
 

Grant

Well-Known Member
I agree, it'd be interesting to learn why they came with the A designation for Army Air Corp summer jackets in 1928, 1931 (duh, maybe A for Army?) and why the first USN summer leather jacket was designated 37J1 in 1925, followed by the cloth 37J1A,B in 1937 then the M375 and the leather M422 in 1940.

BTW, I take no credit for this info. It's all in Aota Mituhiro's Full Gear.
 
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