Question about USN stencil at navy jackets!

[Enigma1938]

Hi all
I wonder what's the trick with the USN stencils on the back of the navy flight jacket collars. I've seen some early jackets with yellow stencil saying only US, midwar and postwar jackets with USN in white or silver, sometimes applied in the middle, sometimes on the right...
What jacket type (M422, M422a, AN6552, G1...) should have what color, shape and position of the stencil?

What's the correct color for a G&F M422a stencil? Is it white or silver?

I know, a lot of questions...
Thank you

 

[Lord Flashheart]

I think its fair to say there’s variation. Might be worth having a read of this thread:

Discussion “A Better Fighting Garment…” - A Beginner’s Guide to the US Navy’s WWII-era and later Intermediate Flight Jackets

INTRODUCTION There have been various threads on VLJ which have listed the US Navy contracts from the M-422 to G-1 series of leather flying jackets. This thread is an attempt to pool the information into a beginners guide to sit alongside the A-2 contract dates thread as a resource on the Forum...

www.vintageleatherjackets.org

 

[Enigma1938]

Thanks I know that thread, great infos and photos but no answer on my specific questions. I can't say if it's white or silver on Jorges jacket for example

 

[ausreenactor]

Hi all
I wonder what's the trick with the USN stencils on the back of the navy flight jacket collars. I've seen some early jackets with yellow stencil saying only US, midwar and postwar jackets with USN in white or silver, sometimes applied in the middle, sometimes on the right...
What jacket type (M422, M422a, AN6552, G1...) should have what color, shape and position of the stencil?

What's the correct color for a G&F M422a stencil? Is it white or silver?

I know, a lot of questions...
Thank you

No pics on Good Wear website?

 

[ausreenactor]

Good Wear Leather Coat Company — Sale Vintage Gordon & Ferguson M-422A Jacket

www.goodwearleather.com

 

[mulceber]

Hi all
I wonder what's the trick with the USN stencils on the back of the navy flight jacket collars. I've seen some early jackets with yellow stencil saying only US, midwar and postwar jackets with USN in white or silver, sometimes applied in the middle, sometimes on the right...
What jacket type (M422, M422a, AN6552, G1...) should have what color, shape and position of the stencil?

What's the correct color for a G&F M422a stencil? Is it white or silver?

I know, a lot of questions...
Thank you

AN-6552 and AN-J-3A had just "US" stenciled on the back, since they were at least theoretically a joint Army-Navy design. The whole M-422 and G-1 series had USN stencils. Regarding the color, I don't think there was any rhyme or reason as to which color was selected, and it seems to vary from contract to contract. If I had to guess, it's whatever was economical at the time. In the case of the G&F, that color appears to be white.

 

[ausreenactor]

JCs original does not even show traces of a stencil..

 

[mulceber]

Yeah, it's hard to say whether it was removed or just was never there in the first place. In any event, here's a picture of a G&F from the same contract that does have it:

 

[ausreenactor]

Sorted!

 

[Lord Flashheart]

Eastmans M-422A reproduces G&F contract NXs 416 contract. Their USN stencil is white and pretty much placed as Jan's pic. I suspect that white or yellow would be the more likely colour that manufacturers used than silver because that would've almost certainly been more expensive.

 

[Grant]

Depending on the maker (G&F, Church, Block, W&G, etc) the color of the stencil varied from white, silver, yellow to black. No one knows why the colors varied, but my guess is each maker wanted their jackets to have a unique color. Over time the paint used on some stencils has faded or worn off completely, leaving no trace.

 

[Thomas Koehle]

Silver was partly used by the NAVY on the blue versions of "Foul Weather Garment" like BIBs, caps/helmets aso - so maybe also on leatherjackets????

Will check for some pics ...

 

[STEVE S.]

Just about every original G&F I have had to pass through here was silver. Just did a full restoration on one 2 weeks ago, knits, liner, collar fur & touchup on the stencil, which was silver.

 

[mulceber]

Huh, looks white to me, but I could see how that might be silver. Having seen it in person, you'd be in a better position to tell.

 

[STEVE S.]

Here’s two more, my original G&F untouched & one of my G&F reproductions.

 

[Grant]

Here’s two more, my original G&F untouched & one of my G&F reproductions.

Thanks Steve. I too have seen silver stenciled G&F M422a's.

 

[Lord Flashheart]

Silver, white and yellow. Be interesting to find out what BuAer actually specified if anything. I can see the reflectivity of silver being good on the deck of an aircraft carrier at night in filthy weather.

 

[STEVE S.]

Silver, white and yellow. Be interesting to find out what BuAer actually specified if anything. I can see the reflectivity of silver being good on the deck of an aircraft carrier at night in filthy weather.

Don’t forget black! Church & Ostermann used black. Ostermann used a font like G&F, only smaller in size, Church had the really thin letters.

 

[Lord Flashheart]

Thanks Steve... every days a school day!

 

[pierregloom]

Thanks for this thread, very interesting, I asked myself the same kind of questions (for the same reason, I guess, there's no stencil on AVI's M244A).
Is that a special leather painting that must be used for that kind of work?