“A Better Fighting Garment…” 2.0 - A Revised Guide to the U.S. Navy's Intermediate Leather Flight Jackets

[Lord Flashheart]

11. MIL-J-7823D (WP) [1967 - 1971]

The 7823D (WP) is a controversial specification. Starting in 1967, it was produced until 1971. For 1967 - mid-1969, the 7823D (WP) specification was made from USN chrome-tanned seal brown goatskin with real mouton fur collars. However, sometime in mid 1969, the 7823D specification was amended to allow for faux mouton collars (80% Dynel, 20% cotton) and cowhide to be used instead. However, all 7823Ds retained double-ply no rib rack 100% wool knits. The possible combinations for 7823D G-1s are thus as follows: goatskin with real mouton, goatskin with Dynel collar, or cowhide with Dynel. Surprisingly, however, no cowhide and real mouton versions have been documented.

SPECIFICATION MIL-J-7823D (WP)	Contract dates	[Source]/Links/Comments
STAR SPORTSWEAR MFG. CORP. DSA 100-67-C-1095	1967	Specification still listed as (WEP)
GREGORY SPORTSWEAR, INC. CONTRACT NO. DSA-100-67-C-3928	1967	Specification still listed as (WEP) https://www.vintageleatherjackets.o...rmediate-flying-jacket-mil-j-7823d-wep.26641/
THE MARTIN LANE CO., INC. DSA 100-68-C-0099	1968
STAR SPORTSWEAR MFG. CORP. DSA 100-68-C-0759	1968
BRILL BROS., INC. DSA 100-68-C-1805	1968	https://www.vintageleatherjackets.o...pe-g-1-intermediate-flying-jacket-uscg.25648/
STAR SPORTSWEAR MFG. CORP. DSA 100-69-C-1095	1969
THE MARTIN LANE CO., INC. DSA 100-69-C-1545	1969
STAR SPORTSWEAR MFG. CORP. DSA 100-70-C-0475	1970
BRILL BROS., INC. DSA 100-70-C-0484	1970
STAR SPORTSWEAR MFG. CORP. DSA100-70-C-0483	1970
BRILL BROS., INC. DSA 100-71-C-0141	1971
STAR SPORTSWEAR MFG.CO. DSA100-71-C-0535	1971

 

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Mil-J-7823D - Gregory Sportswear DSA 100-67-C-3928, courtesy of @mulceber

 

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Mil-J-7823D - Gregory Sportswear DSA 100-67-C-3928, courtesy of @Jorgeenriqueaguilera

 

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Mil-J-7823D - The Martin Lane Co. 100-68-C-0099, unknown source

 

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Mil-J-7823D - Brill Bros. DSA 100-68-C-1805, photos courtesy of @Jorgeenriqueaguilera

 

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Mil-J-7823D - Brill Bros. DSA 100-68-C-1805, photos courtesy of @Jorgeenriqueaguilera

 

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Mil-J-7823D - The Martin Lane Co. DSA 100-69-C-1545, photos courtesy of @Lord Flashheart

 

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Mil-J-7823D - Star Sportswear DSA 100-70-C-0483, photos courtesy of @Jorgeenriqueaguilera

 

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Mil-J-7823D - Brill Bros DSA 100-70-C-0484, photos courtesy of @Jorgeenriqueaguilera

 

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Mil-J-7823D - Brill Bros DSA 100-70-C-0484, continued, photos courtesy of @Jorgeenriqueaguilera

 

[Lord Flashheart]

12. MIL-J-7823E (AS) [1971 - Present]

The 7823E (AS) was introduced in 1971. It adopted the amended features of the late 7823D models; that is, cowhide, dynel collars, and 100% wool, double-ply, no rib-rack knits. The feature that most distinguishes them, however, is the white spec label that made its first appearance here, although the first two contracts still featured a black spec label. These are the most abundant but the least collectible of all G-1 types. Although most find that the cowhide creaks and the Dynel collars do not age as well as mouton (mouton tends to go from brown to golden with wear and exposure to the elements, whereas Dynel goes from black to a clumpy ‘dirty grey’), E series jackets are, nonetheless, genuine USN flight jackets and they make for incredibly durable, “wear-anywhere, do-anything”, daily beaters.

SPECIFICATION MIL-J-7823E (AS)	Contract dates	[Source]/Links/Comments
BRILL BROS., INC. DSA 100-71-C-1343	1971	Black spec label
BRILL BROS., INC. DSA-72-C1138	1972	Black spec label
STAR SPORTSWEAR MFG. CORP. DSA100-72-C-0060	1972
BRILL BROS., INC. DSA-73-C-0035	1973
STAR SPORTSWEAR MFG. CORP. DSA100-73-C-0034	1973
IMPERIAL FASHIONS, INC. DSA100-74-0162	1974
BRILL BROS., INC. DSA100-75-C-0332	1975	https://www.vintageleatherjackets.o...ermediate-flyers-jacket-mil-j-7823e-as.25952/
STAR SPORTSWEAR MFG. CORP. DSA100-75-C-0331	1975
FERGUSON OF OKLAHOMA DSA100-76-C-1788	1976
IMPERIAL LEATHER & SPORTSWEAR INC. DSA100-76-C-1788	1976
IMPERIAL LEATHER & SPORTSWEAR INC. DSA100-76-C-0375	1976
RALPH EDWARDS SPORTSWEAR, INC. DSA100-77-C-1518	1977
BRILL BROS., INC. DLA100-82-C-0564	1982
RALPH EDWARDS SPORTSWEAR, INC. DLA100-84-C-0771	1984
ORCHARD M/C DIST. INC. DLA100-86-C-0481	1986
BRILL BROS., INC. DLA100-86-C-0451	1986
BRILL BROS., INC. DLA100-87-C-0739	1987
COOPER SPORTSWEAR MFG. CO., INC DLA100-89-C-0480	1989
COOPER SPORTSWEAR MFG. CO., INC DLA100-91-C-0323	1991
COOPER SPORTSWEAR MFG. CO. INC DLA100-92-C-0454	1992
COOPER SPORTSWEAR MFG. CO., INC SPO-100-95-M-SH82	1995
COOPER SPORTSWEAR MFG. CO., INC SPO-100-96-C-4015	1996
SCHOTT BROS., INC. SPO100-98-C-5015	1998
EXCELLED SHEEPSKIN & LEATHER COAT CO. SPO 100-99-D-5076-0001	1999
PHARR BRAND NAME APPAREL SP0100-04-D-4247-0001	2004
EXCELLED SHEEPSKIN & LEATHER COAT CO. SP0 100-04-4119	2004

 

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Mil-J-7823E - Star Sportswear DSA100-73-C-0034, unknown source

 

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Mil-J-7823E - Brill Bros. DSA100-75-C-0332, photos courtesy of @Jorgeenriqueaguilera

 

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Mil-J-7823E - Brill Bros. DSA100-75-C-0332, continued, photos courtesy of @Jorgeenriqueaguilera

 

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Mil-J-7823E - IMPERIAL LEATHER & SPORTSWEAR INC., unknown contract, photos courtesy of @B-Man2

 

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Mil-J-7823E - Ralph Edwards Sportswear DSA 100-77-C-1518, photos courtesy of @Jorgeenriqueaguilera

 

[Lord Flashheart]

Navy jackets in the movies - “Top Gun” [1986]

No discussion of Navy flight jackets would be complete without a brief nod to the 1986 film “Top Gun,” which for many is the first point of reference for the G-1 flight jacket. Many of us were first introduced to this hobby through memories of having watched the movie and admired Maverick’s jacket. Reproductions of this film jacket are widely available, but pictures of the original jacket are not available, apart from screenshots, and so the contract (assuming it was not a costume jacket) has not been verified. We suspect that one of the jackets was a Foster 55J14. As Jeff Thurston, among others, has observed, the faint vertical stitch on the pencil pocket and the wide placement of the pockets greatly limits the possibilities. The screen-used jacket appears to be over-sized for Cruise’s frame, and modified with padded shoulders to match ‘80s trends. It would be interesting to hear from anyone who worked on the film or might know more about this so, for now, we will simply speculate, after a conversation with a jacket maker, that Tom may have had more than one jacket in the costume wardrobe and one might’ve been a Foster 55J14.

For the 2022 sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick,” we are on much more solid footing. The film’s costume designer has said that the jacket from the original movie was not in wearable condition anymore, and they decided to create a new jacket. Getting the G-1 jacket right was the most difficult part of creating Cruise’s costumes for the movie, in spite of how little screen time it gets, and the jacket that appears in the sequel film was basically a “Franken-jacket” (her words) put together from about 40 different original G-1s that they had acquired

(

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A FEW CONCLUDING THOUGHTS:

In our introduction, we commented that, when you’re looking at Navy Intermediate Flight Jackets, it pays to look less for differences between jacket specifications and more for differences between contracts & manufacturers. Regularly, when writing this thread, we found that what we thought might be a key point of difference between specifications more often than not wasn’t, and conversely, some critical changes were made across the board without a change in specification.

Production in relatively low volumes did mean that cost of the complex features in this jacket was not a prohibitive factor in the life of the design. That there was a regular need for, and agreement of, deviation from the specifications in manufacture until around 1960 suggests a pragmatism and a practicality, in BuAer, with the manufacturers that recognised the complexity of the jacket design.

What stands out is the endurance of the original principles of a bi-swing back, half belt, design. Features like the internal pocket and pencil slot were present from the start. The mouton collar, a desirable feature in an open cockpit, may have become an affectation in the jet age but they now distinguish USN flight jackets in the public eye like no other leather jacket.

If you own an original Navy leather jacket, regardless of its age, you can be proud that it is a true part of an unbroken line of aviation fighting garments designed to meet the needs of navy fliers from the piston to the jet age. Whilst more modern jackets may lack some of the individuality of earlier jackets they all follow the pre-war M-422 ideas. Modern originals can often be bought for very modest prices and are accessible way into this hobby whilst proving very practical hard wearing and comfortable leather jackets for everyday life.

A brief search on VLJ will also demonstrate that there are reproductions of various interesting Navy contracts available from high end makers and an increasing number of jacket repro offerings from the mid range makers to reflect the growing interest in this area.



A NOTE ON NATO STOCK NUMBERS

Every G-1 jacket post-NATO has what is called a NATO stock number. All that a NATO stock number does is allow the reader to know exactly what item they have. The NATO stock number for the G-1 Jacket (of all variations) [and post NATO] is either 8415-268-XXXX (older) or 8415-00-268-XXXX (newer). This is a minute detail which even high-end reproduction manufacturers such as the Real McCoys or Eastman Leather Company get wrong.

The first 4 digits denote the general class of item, the 2 digits following that denote the country, the following 3 digits denote the item itself, and the final 4 digits denote the item to its corresponding size.

Take for example the code: 8415-00-268-7797 or (the older variation) 8415-268-7797.
8415: means Clothing, special purpose (as opposed to Clothing, general purpose [8405])
00: is the country code for the USA (UK is 99)
268: is the specific code for G-1 jackets
7797: means a G-1 in the corresponding size of 36.
For G-1s, the final 4 digits increase by 1 for every size up and decrease by 1 for every size down.

So, for example:
A G-1 in size 36 will have a NATO code of: either 8415-268-7797 or 8415-00-268-7797
A G-1 in size 38 will have a NATO code of: either 8415-268-7798 or 8415-00-268-7798
A G-1 in size 40 will have a NATO code of: either 8415-268-7799 or 8415-00-268-7799
A G-1 in size 42 will have a NATO code of: either 8415-268-7800 or 8415-00-268-7800
A G-1 in size 44 will have a NATO code of: either 8415-268-7801 or 8415-00-268-7801
A G-1 in size 46 will have a NATO code of: either 8415-268-7802 or 8415-00-268-7802

The point is that in most commercial jackets or even high-end reproductions like Eastman Leather Company (Elite Units VF-143 Pukin Dogs 7823D (WP) G-1 Jacket) or the Real McCoy’s 7823C (WEP) “Steve McQueen Jacket” do not account for the change in the last 4 digits as they correspond to size. For example, an Eastman Elite Units VF-143 Pukin Dogs 7823D (WP) G-1’s label will always say 8415-268-7800 regardless of changes in size. Thus, indicating that Eastman copied the jacket from a size 42 7823D (WP) G-1 jacket.



A BRIEF NOTE ON BuAer

The Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) of the US Navy existed from 1921 to 1959. The first Chief of BuAer was Rear Admiral (RA) William A. Moffett from 1921 to 1933. He ensured naval aviation remained independent in the 1920’s when Army Brigadier General Billy Mitchell and others sought to merge US military aviation into a single independent air force.

Notable Chiefs of BuAer include John H. Towers (June 1939 - October 1942) who was the first naval aviator to achieve flag rank and was a leading advocate of Naval Aviation at a time when there was little or no support for it within or outside the Navy. His tenure in the period when war was becoming likely saw considerable expansion of the naval aircraft establishment and a rigorous pilot training programme. He was among the staff who had, in 1932, planned a “successful” attack on Pearl Harbor during a joint Army-Navy exercise in the Hawaiian Islands.

Towers was succeeded by RA John S. McCain Sr who was Chief between October 1942 and August 1943. He has been described as “preferring contentious conflict to cozy compromise”. At the time the AN-J-3 was developed, BuAer could well have considered an Intermediate flight jacket, shared with other branches of military aviation, to undermine the independence of Naval Aviation. Much as the Chief of AAF Hap Arnold had his own reasons to be sanguine about the failure of the shared AN-J-3 project it would be surprising if BuAer were any less relieved.

In 1956 the Military Clothing and Textile Supply Agency (MCTSA), an agency created under the Department of the Army, assumed responsibility for procurement of flying jackets of this type. Until entering into the L.W. Foster Sportswear contracts litigated in the 1968 case mentioned above the MCTSA had never contracted for any such flying jackets. Prior to letting the bids, the MCTSA prepared Interim Quality Assurance Provisions (IQAP) relating to inspections of the flying jackets. These were then approved by the Navy and incorporated in the contracts. The provisions of the IQAP were substantially the same as those which had governed inspections under L.W. Foster’s earlier contracts. The litigation reveals that in the process of resolving some of the inspection problems at the heart of the case, L.W. Foster contacted personnel of the Bureau of Aeronautics of the Navy who expressed views to the MCTSA. We can only guess what they may have been.


Works Cited and a Few Useful Links:
This thread borrows heavily from an original thread named, “How to date US Military Clothing and G-1 jackets from the label” by our fellow members Dinomartino1 and Mr. Dave Sheeley ( @Maverickson ): http://www.vintageleatherjackets.or...lothing-and-g-1-jackets-from-the-label.26620/
We remain indebted to Mr. Roger Moore’s original resource. His website is now defunct, but see this link for screenshots and online archives of his website.


We have sought to identify and acknowledge references and sources as best we can. Putting together a beginners guide to this series of jackets was not for the faint of heart and Version 2.0 seeks to update and amend the information we now have. As before any errors or omissions are ours.

• AAFIC = U.S. Army Air Forces Illustrated Catalog Class 13: Clothing, Parachutes, Equipment and Supplies. (30 Sep. 1943)
• FG = Aota, M. (2005). Full Gear: Collector's Guide on Us Military Flying clothing from 1920s thru 1970s (1st ed., Vol. 1). Kazi Co Ltd.
• Miller, D. L. (2006). Masters of the air: The bomber boys who fought the air war against Nazi germany. Simon & Schuster.
• Sweeting, C. G. (1984). Combat Flying Clothing: Army Air Forces Clothing through World War II. Smithsonian Institution Press.
• WSC = Civilian production administration, Industrial statistics division. (1946). Alphabetic listing of Major War Supply Contracts. cumulative June 1940 through September 1945.

• https://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/threads/main-differences-M-422-vs-g1.21748/
• https://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/threads/duplicated-fathers-original-g-1-flight-jacket.20658/
• https://www.vintageleatherjackets.o...lothing-and-g-1-jackets-from-the-label.26620/
• https://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/threads/silk-stitched-usn-M-422A-jackets.24463/
• https://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/threads/contract-date-versus-production-date-an-6552.8286/
• https://www.vintageleatherjackets.o...-us-govt-over-g-1-contract-from-1958-9.26621/
• https://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/threads/a-2-to-AN-J-3A-conversion-skips-the-an-j-3.26210/

If you have more information please do share that in the original – now Discussion – thread first so that this thread can remain a tightly focused sticky. Thanks !

 

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Private purchase, PX or civilian market G-1 jackets

Over the years members of the Forum have discussed the existence or otherwise of private purchase G-1 jackets bought on the open, civilian, market. Various G-1 style jackets have been seen. Some have had their manufacturer / specification label removed but USN punched on the windflap whilst others have had the label partially removed or overwritten. The impression we have is of a similar approach to that taken with AN-J-3 jackets released to the civilian market.

One fellow member here, @porkchop, described his military experience in the following post:

“...One of my duties required me to control the issue, purchase and destruction of G-1 flight jackets.

While many jacket manufacturers supplied us with jackets, there were a few that also provided overruns to the Navy Exchange System (NES). If a manufacturer made a contract overrun they could provide that overrun to the NES as long as they followed very specific rules, to wit: (1) the USN "punch" could not be in the windflap (but I never saw this enforced...some NES jackets had it, others didn't); and (2) the label had to be changed (this was enforced). The NES jackets came off the same manufacturing line as the "issue" jackets. Therefore, these jackets were not"reproductions." The manufacturers that I am intimately aware of that did this practice on a continual basis were Brill, Orchard, Cooper and Excelled. (Of course there may have been others that I am not aware of.) …”

https://www.vintageleatherjackets.o...re-they-military-or-civilian.7154/#post-66013

In a previous thread discussing a G-1 with a central seam down the back @porkchop commented:

“Windflaps were typically cut off unserviceable G-1s by the Navy (more specifically the squadron paraloft - parachute loft - personnel) before they were released for sale to the various army-navy surplus stores that wanted them. If a jacket had some manufacturing or other "damage" that rendered the jacket unfit for further service and/or issuance, the squadrons would cut off the windflap (and sometimes cut out the tags) and then sell them to the surplus stores. If memory serves, and I may be way off, but I seem to remember that at that particular time it was "illegal" for a civilian to wear officially issued flight jackets, so anything forwarded from a squadron to a surplus store, for example, had to be sanitized even if the article was damaged.”

https://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/threads/my-anomalous-new-g-1.711/#post-7715

Our thanks to @MikeyB-17 for drawing attention to @porkchop's comments.