• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Original B-15D MOD (with new photos added)

deeb7

Gone, but not forgotten.
Re: Original B-15D MOD

dujardin said:
... i'm still a little bit confused with all those similar model of jacket, as with the L2-B and the MA-1
ps : i forget to thank you for your answer on my post concerning those two last jacket sorryyyyyy

You are very welcome, Marcel.

Just remember ... L-2 is the thin one. :D
 

dujardin

Well-Known Member
Re: Original B-15D MOD

Marcel:

Here's a quick explanation to the best of my knowledge:

The original lightweight nylon jacket was the green-lined L-2, which was olive drab in color. The L-2 was followed by the blue L-2A in the early 1950s, and in the mid-1950s the sage green L-2B was introduced. As we recently discovered right here on VLJ, the earliest L-2Bs apparently had OD lining but this was followed by grey lining in the 7448A, B, and C revisions. The first orange-lined L-2B is the 1960 7448D Skyline contract.

Intermediate nylon jackets followed a similar timeline and color progression with the B-15B, B-15C (seen in both OD and blue) and the sage green B-15D. Many examples of the B-15 family were modified in the 1950s by the substitution of knit collars as standardized in the MA-1. Although it was introduced with green lining, for some reason the MA-1 took a bit longer than the L-2B to appear with orange lining (8279C Skyline 1961).

Hope this helps![/quote]

Yes, many thanks.... now before i forget it, i will take note in a file.
many thanks

byeeeeeee marcel
 

deeb7

Gone, but not forgotten.
Re: Original B-15D MOD

watchmanjimg said:
... Although it was introduced with green lining, for some reason the MA-1 took a bit longer than the L-2B to appear with orange lining (8279C Skyline 1961).

Wouldn't they have been introduced at more, or less, the same time?

Both of the initial 'orange lining' contracts were awarded to the same maker, and although the L-2B is dated August 1960 ... both contracts fall within the same (1961) fiscal year.

Good 'sticky' for Marcel, by the way. :)
 

watchmanjimg

Well-Known Member
Re: Original B-15D MOD

deeb7 said:
Good 'sticky' for Marcel, by the way. :)


Thanks, David. :D I was hoping to clarify things for Marcel, but while we're at it perhaps we should all work together to create a reference that the entire forum can benefit from. It seems that the same questions keep arising with regard to nylon jackets, and often definitive answers elude us.

watchmanjimg said:
... the MA-1 took a bit longer than the L-2B to appear with orange lining (8279C Skyline 1961).
deeb7 said:
Wouldn't they have been introduced at more, or less, the same time?

I suppose they would have, more or less. I said that the orange-lined MA-1 took "a bit longer" to appear, based on its labeling which suggests that the stock number for the MA-1 was issued subsequent to that of the D-model L-2B. Whether in this case a "bit" means a minute, two weeks, or some greater or lesser interval I have no idea, but I guess my statement was either correct or incorrect. Given the context in which it was made, I hope the remark wasn't perceived as irresponsible or misleading. :oops:
 

dujardin

Well-Known Member
Re: Original B-15D MOD

thanks a lot everyone,

still complicate to find my way with all those jacket....
it would help much if someone can send me (or make a post with) the genealogic tree from the book ''full gear''.
all pictures i already saw of it are too small and/or incomplete.

byeeeeeee marcel
 

deeb7

Gone, but not forgotten.
Re: Original B-15D MOD

watchmanjimg said:
Thanks, David. :D I was hoping to clarify things for Marcel, but while we're at it perhaps we should all work together to create a reference that the entire forum can benefit from. It seems that the same questions keep arising with regard to nylon jackets, and often definitive answers elude us.

Good idea, and a lot of the information is already here ... if only our Search was up to the task of finding it. :?

I suppose they would have, more or less. I said that the orange-lined MA-1 took "a bit longer" to appear, based on its labeling which suggests that the stock number for the MA-1 was issued subsequent to that of the D-model L-2B. Whether in this case a "bit" means a minute, two weeks, or some greater or lesser interval I have no idea, but I guess my statement was either correct or incorrect. Given the context in which it was made, I hope the remark wasn't perceived as irresponsible or misleading.

Not at all, Jim ... and I am sure that you are correct, in that the L-2B did come first. It was the statement, "for some reason the MA-1 took a bit longer" that I wanted to clarify .. it just sounded to me, as if you were meaning a longer gap.
 

deeb7

Gone, but not forgotten.
Re: Original B-15D MOD

dujardin said:
it would help much if someone can send me (or make a post with) the genealogic tree from the book ''full gear''.
all pictures i already saw of it are too small and/or incomplete.

... or you could buy the book, Marcel. :p
 

jack aranda

Member
Re: Original B-15D MOD

First of all, thank you, Marcel for posing the questions that have had my head spinning since I first dialed into the nylon end of the flight jacket universe. Next, David, the book you recommend to Marcel--is that the book I queried you about yesterday, "Suit Up", or another tome? Right now, I'm not sure when I'm looking at an MA-1, L2-B, or B-15, or when one morphed into the other. Novice's muddle, I know, but Marcel's notion of genealogic list would be super, a bit like the cladistics worked out for dinosaur evolution. Thanks.
 

dujardin

Well-Known Member
Re: Original B-15D MOD

deeb7 said:
dujardin said:
it would help much if someone can send me (or make a post with) the genealogic tree from the book ''full gear''.
all pictures i already saw of it are too small and/or incomplete.

... or you could buy the book, Marcel. :p

for sure a day i will buy this book, but alas not the right time today; i will chek this in may.
bye
and many thanks to all....
enjoy to see so much enthousiams on this discussion.

friendship from Belgium

marcel
 

greyhound52

New Member
Re: Original B-15D MOD

OK Jack here you go a list in order of dates for the nylon jackets courtesy of Tamoko from another post
LIGHT ZONE
.................................................
L-2
MIL-J-5391
1945 ? -> 1950 ?
.................................................
L-2A
MIL-J-5391A (1950-03-13->1950-10-10)

sz 34->48 !!
.................................................
First L-2B 1952-01-17 "GREAT LAKES GARMENT MFG.CO."
MIL-J-7448 (17 Jan. -1952)
MIL-J-7448A (19 May. -1953)
MIL-J-7448B (16 May. -1955)

MIL-J-7448C ?
MIL-J-7448D ?
MIL-J-7448E ?
MIL-J-7448F ?

MIL-J-7448G (27 Apr. -1965)
MIL-J-7448H (20 Okt. -1965)
MIL-J-7448J (16 Apr. -1969)
MIL-J-7448K (15 Feb. -1979)
...................................................
1952-01-17->1953- ?- ?
1953-05-19->1955-05-16
?
?
?
?
1965-04-27->1965-10-20
1969-04-16->1976-04-01
1976-04-01->1979-02-15
.................................................
Intermediate
B-15
(1944-03-18-> 1944-10-06)

B-15A
(1944-11-03-> 1945-08-29)

B-15B
1945-08-29->?

B-15C
1950

B-15D
(1952-02-07-> 1953-01-13)

MA-1
Aero Medical Laboratory
Sub-Order R-666351-36
Date: 1954-15-04

But what i have found on Aer. Med. Lab. labels: On other Jackets (L-2A, L-2B) this label test sample is dated 1 year later after official mil. spec. document contract start date. So probably the official contract for MA-1 is 1953.
If you see cancelation date on B-15D 1953 it will be correct for MA-1.

MIL-J-8279
MIL-J-8279A
MIL-J-8279B
MIL-J-8279C (1960-10-14-> 1961-03-20)
MIL-J-8279D (1965-05-27-> 1965-09-10)
MIL-J-8279E (1963-09-05-> 1969-02-20)
MIL-J-8279F (1978-11-06-> 19??- ?- ?)
MIL-J-8279G (1978-11-06-> 1988-03-118)
 

jack aranda

Member
Re: Original B-15D MOD

Greyhound52, David:
Thank you both for the info. SF's Japantown bookstore, Kinokuniya has been a source for Rin Tanaka's Freedamn books, and the Real McCoys Year Books on a regular basis. I'll bet they can scare up a copy of "Full Gear" for me. Looks like total eye candy. Thanks again.

I was at the Farmers' Market this morning. A retired Air Force pilot complimented me on my Cockpit B-15D. Knew the jacket, knew the company well, he said. Made my whole day.
 

deeb7

Gone, but not forgotten.
Re: Original B-15D MOD

jack aranda said:
I'll bet they can scare up a copy of "Full Gear" for me.

Jack, ask them for a copy of Suit Up ... that will keep you busy for now.

Full Gear was privately published, and is only available from the Author.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Re: Original B-15D MOD

'Full Gear' mentioned here ................

viewtopic.php?f=24&t=3503

David, I agree with your sentiment about buying the book. Or Mr Aota-san will feel rightly wronged ! And as - if anybody - he is pretty much a collector-God, that would be spoiling things for one of our own. Hence the reason in my review I downgraded the pics I used.

J_H
 

greyhound52

New Member
Re: Original B-15D MOD

Well gang jacket arrived and wow is all I can say. At first look it really looked like the B-15D mod Buzz Rickson I had. If this isn't mint or almost mint then I don't know what is. Fit just like my Buzz B-15C mod size 40 so it is great. I will see if I can get some pictures of it.
 

greyhound52

New Member
Re: Original B-15D MOD (with new photos)

Here are my shots of this jacket. It is just about as mint as mint can be. I know it was never drycleaned and worn little if at all. The USAF decal is mint and the white star and USAF inside the jacket is rarely seen. I have one question this metal pen cap was in one of the small pockets on the side pocket. Never seen that (see the photo) Note also the color of the collar is different from the original knits just like on the BR B-15D mod I had.
IMG_0048.jpg

IMG_0045.jpg

IMG_0046.jpg

p1010335.jpg

IMG_0047.jpg

IMG_0049.jpg

IMG_0050.jpg
 
Top