“A Better Fighting Garment…” 3.0 - The Guide to U.S. Navy Intermediate Leather Flight Jackets

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PREFACE

In December 2021 Phil, Wei and I posted “A Better Fighting Garment…” - A Beginner’s Guide to the US Navy’s WWII-era and later Intermediate Flight Jackets. We were looking to fill what we perceived as a gap in the knowledge base on the forum and the original thread was written as a “Beginners Guide.” With more updates, version 2.0 became the “Revised Guide”, and now, with a much updated version 3.0, it becomes simply “The Guide”. We were very grateful for the help of a number of Forum members and others in developing the content.

Since our Beginners Guide was first posted the thread has inspired discussion on all manner of points associated with these Navy jackets. In version 3.0 we moved away from sources, such as conventional reference books, and focused on using the underlying, verifiable evidence, such as the original government specifications, and records of the contracts. The purpose of this shift was to remove any speculation or, at a minimum, expressly identify where it may exist rather than repeat stories that may be unfounded. This somewhat reduces what we can say, but emerging documents from various government archives have shifted our narrative and exposed failings in the conventional reference books that are used in this hobby. Simply put, there is no reliable reference work on the 85-year history of what we now call the G-1 jacket.

We have made the decision to retain the 1.0 thread, unaltered, as a Discussion thread, along with version 2.0, although the text has been grayed out to avoid confusion. Whilst this may appear confusing we have concluded that this preserves the transparency of the information as it emerged.

We encourage the use of the discussion thread as the place for commentary and feedback so that this sticky can remain tightly focused and readily searchable.

 

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We have sought to identify and acknowledge references and sources as best we can. Putting together a guide to this series of jackets was not for the faint of heart and Version 3.0 seeks to update and amend the information we now have. As before any errors or omissions are ours.

In compiling this guide we have sought advice and opinion from Dave Sheeley and John Chapman at various points of uncertainty or ambiguity. They have, without fail, kindly helped us to understand what there is to know about the design and evolution of the Navy’s intermediate leather flight jacket. John’s US Flight Jacket CD is an invaluable source of information, particularly for features distinguishing individual contracts.

On a personal level I would like to give @33-1729 special credit for his inexhaustible spirit in digging these records out of the archives, as well as Phil and Wei for their readiness to dive into this topic yet again.

We’d like to thank all of our fellow Forum members who have helped us by sharing their knowledge and for making our original thread as interesting a discussion as it has become. We hope that continues.

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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AN OVERVIEW

Discussion of jacket types in this hobby, among Navy jackets and beyond, frequently boils down to a discussion of hard and fast differences between jacket types: B-15 vs. B-15A, L-2A vs. L2B, etc. This impulse is understandable, but it actually doesn’t get us very far when discussing Navy jackets, especially the early ones.

Manufacturers were supplied with the pertinent information to construct the jackets, but not every item is precisely defined so their manufacturing techniques, methods, and available component supplies, whatever the source, influenced the details of each specific jacket contract. There are many cases, like the Willis & Geiger M-422a, which has much less in common with other jackets made under that specification than it does with W&G’s previous M-422 contract.

In short, when you’re looking at Navy Flight Jackets, it pays to look less for differences between jacket specifications and more for differences between contracts & manufacturers – and the reason why will make more sense as you read about what the specifications may or may not have changed from one contract to another.


STRUCTURE

The evolution of the US Navy’s (USN) primary intermediate flight jacket can be traced through the Specification changes. This guide is therefore structured by specifications, from WWII to the present. At the end, there will be a short note on NATO stock numbers, and other useful links and resources on the VLJ.

Table of Contents:​

• Prelude:
  • The 37J1 [1-Jul-1927]
  • The 37J1a [1-Dec-1932]
• M-422 [28-Mar-1940] - The Progenitor
  • Willis & Geiger Inc. N156s 16957
  • Willis & Geiger Inc. NOs 74892
  • Switlik Parachute and Equipment Co. NOs 76640
  • Monarch Mfg. Company NOs 79633
• M-422a [1-Oct-1940] - Arming for War
  • Willis & Geiger Inc. NOs 85956
  • Monarch Mfg. Co. NOs 85958
  • Gordon & Ferguson, Inc. NOs 88860
  • Willis & Geiger Inc. NOs 290A & NXs 290
  • Gordon & Ferguson, Inc. NOs 416-A & NXs 416
  • Fried, Ostermann Co. NOs 1405-A
  • Fried, Ostermann Co. NOs 1406-A & NXs 1406 EXT. A
  • Edmund T. Church Co., Inc. NXs 5133
  • H.& L. Block NXS 5134 & NXSa 5134

 

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• AN-J-3 [15-Apr-1943] - The joint Army-Navy jacket that’s mostly Navy
• AN-J-3A [1943]: "This is the way"
  • H.& L. Block N288s-20559
  • Monarch Mfg. Co. N288s-20570
  • Arnoff Mfg. Company N288xsa 24248
  • Bogen & Tenebaum N288s-24331
  • American Sportswear Co. N288s-24332
  • Gordon & Ferguson, Inc. N288s-24333
  • Burjac Sportswear Inc. N288s-24369
  • American Sportswear Co. N288s-28627
  • Willis & Geiger Inc. N288s28628
  • Monarch Mfg. Co. N288xsa-28665
  • Gordon & Ferguson, Inc. N288s - 32277
  • Bogen & Tenebaum N288s32281
  • Willis & Geiger Inc. N288s32357
  • Monarch Mfg. Co. N288s-32358
  • Willis & Geiger Inc. N288s-35805
  • L.W. Foster Sportswear Co., Inc. N383s1035
• 55-J-14 [10-May-1949] - New Name, New War, Same Old Jacket
  • Burjac Sportswear Inc. N383s-5299
  • L.W. Foster Sportswear Co., Inc. N383S-10427
  • L.W. Foster Sportswear Co., Inc. N383s-13120
  • L.W. Foster Sportswear Co., Inc. N383s-20445
  • Aviators Clothing Co., Inc. N383s-22111
  • B.-G. Inc. N383s-25923
  • L.W. Foster Sportswear Co., Inc. N383S-29897
  • Star Sportswear Mfg. Co. N383Ss-39943
  • Star Sportswear Mfg. Co. N383s-51863
  • A. Pritzker & Sons, Inc. N383s-69537

 

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• MIL-J-7823 [21-Nov-1951] “....the specifications were defective…”
  • L.W. Foster Sportswear Co., Inc. N383s-74471
  • Monarch Mfg. Co. N383s-80667
  • Werber Sportswear Inc. N383S-88886
  • A. Pritzker & Sons, Inc. N383S-319A
  • J.A. Dubow Sporting Goods Corp. N383S-4765A
  • J.A. Dubow Sporting Goods Corp. N383S-4833A
  • Cagleco Sportswear N383s-9211A
  • Cagleco Sportswear N383s-14722A
  • L.W. Foster Sportswear Co., Inc. N383-22356A
  • Cagleco Sportswear N383-28657A
  • Cagleco Sportswear N383-39321A
  • Cagleco Sportswear N383 48082A
  • Cagleco Sportswear QM(CTM)-144-O.I.-2515-E-57
  • L.W. Foster Sportswear Co., Inc. DA-36-243-QM(CTM)2134
  • L.W. Foster Sportswear Co., Inc. DA-36-243-QM(CTM)2312
  • Ralph Edwards Sportswear QM.(CTM)-2313
• MIL-J-7823A [28-Nov-1958]
• MIL-J-7823B [7-Oct-1960]
• MIL-J-7823C [3-Sept-1963]
• MIL-J-7823D [16-Apr-1966]
• MIL-J-7823E [15-Jan-1971]
• MIL-DIL-7823F [9-Jun-2020]
• Navy jackets in the movies - “Top Gun” [1986]
• A Few Concluding Thoughts
• Appendix A: NATO Stock Numbers
• Appendix B: Private purchase, PX or civilian market G-1 jackets
• Bibliography

 

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Prelude: The 37J1 [1-Jul-1927]​

The US Navy 37J1 was approved for use July 1, 1927. Made with chocolate brown chrome tanned sheepskin, [cotton] sateen lining, four-cord heavy mercerized cotton thread, horn buttons and closely knitted wool worsted for the wristlets, collar and bottom of jacket. Pockets are 5.5" wide by 6" deep, but only the breast location is specified so variation in placement is expected. The US Army Air Force followed with their "A-1" version of this jacket on Nov 7, 1927, most notably with the pockets closer to the waist.

The first two digits in the specification, 37J1, are the Class number, an arbitrary number used to indicate what the part is and what it is used for, like 37 for this flight jacket. From the 1945 Aviation Supply Navy Training Courses: "For example, Class 37 in the Federal Standard Stock Catalog is titled, "Athletic Equipment, Recreational Apparatus, Sporting Goods and Special Wearing Apparel." In the Standard Stock Catalog the special wearing apparel title includes relatively few items, but it's' the major part of the section for class in the ASO [Aviation Supply Office] Catalog, since flight clothing is classified as special wearing apparel." The Training Course also notes "Aviators' flight clothing should be in a storeroom or part of a storeroom with a special lock."

Many stories exist on the genesis of the 37J1 (and A-1), but they won't be covered here as they're largely unsubstantiated (no paper trail). We can say that the US Navy needed a light flying jacket, as did the US Army Air Force, and the 37J1 fit the bill (as did the A-1). We haven't seen any documentation on who made them, but it's safe to state less than fifteen hundred or so were made. Why do we say so? In 1927, when the 37J1 was first issued, the US Navy had a total of 580 active pilots. In 1932, when the 37J1 was replaced by the cloth 37J1a, there were a total of 1,291 active Naval Aviators across the US Navy and Marine Corps. (Ref.: Grossnick, R., United States Naval Aviation 1910-1995, Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy, Washington D.C., 1997).

While the 37J1 (and A-1) could be requisitioned as long as supplies existed, their production lifetime was short as sheepskin was found to be too fragile for military use. The US Navy followed with the tougher cloth 37J1a, approved for use on 1-Dec-1932, which will be covered next.

And to answer a common question, the original goat Capeskin from the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa was never used on the 37J1, nor A-1. The term "cape" was added to sheepskin by numerous vendors at the time to imply low weight and high quality, as found in the original goat Capeskin. This arbitrary "cape" sheepskin marketing term was understandably dropped in the US government specs.

There can be an impulse to treat the 37J1 as the predecessor of the M-422 in the same way that the Army Air Force’s A-1 was the predecessor of the A-2, but this is not the case. The specifications for the M-422 list no predecessor, and the differences in the designs are stark enough to discount any such relationship. We chose to begin with the 37J1 because it illustrates the Navy’s thinking when it comes to developing jacket specifications, and because we thought there would be a general interest in learning more about this jacket type.

Finding 37J1 survivors is tough – really tough. Rear Adm. Ballentine's is the best known survivor and we have included a photo below, although the chocolate brown color is lost. The first page of the 37J1 Specification is also shown.

 

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37J1a [1-Dec-1932]​

US Navy Specification 37J1a superseded 37J1 on Dec 1, 1932. Any concerns about the 37J1, like the A-1, being a bit fragile were certainly addressed by the US Navy with the 37J1a. Moving away from sheepskin the 37J1a used a tough wear- and water-resistant jungle cloth exterior of any available color as long as the horn buttons matched, along with matching wool knits. And mercerized cotton airplane cloth (!) was used as the dyed gray or tan lining.

A key item to note is that the US Navy was working hard to improve their quality standards, so supporting specifications were being written to provide clear expectations (this was a general theme across the military). For example, the 37J1a Spec. referenced the Federal Specification V-T-276 for cotton thread, US Navy Spec. 27C22 for the jungle cloth, US Navy Spec. 27C12 for the airplane cloth, etc.

Unlike the sheepskin 37J1, finding a cloth 37J1a is a bit easier. The first page of the 37J1a Specification is shown below. Note many of the details of the 37J1 were carried over to the 37J1a, albeit some with better defined quality standards. On the label the “parent” specification number 37J1 was used for the 37J1a (one way to be consistent).

The Army Air Corp moved to the more durable one-piece back horsehide A-2 instead of going to the water and wear resistant jungle cloth. In 1940 the Navy stepped up with an intermediate weather jacket using the toughest leather available, goatskin, and the strongest thread available, silk.

 

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M-422 [28-Mar-1940] - The Progenitor​

Specification M-422 was issued on 28 March 1940 and did not supersede any previous specification, making the M-422 jacket the progenitor of todays G-1 jacket, with a mouton collar, action-pleated bi-swing back, patch pockets with a button closure, single-ply rib racked knits, and an internal wind-flap. The M-422 was most famously worn by the American Volunteer Group (AVG), a group of pilots who went to fight on behalf of the Chinese government against the Japanese occupation of Mainland China before the United States entered World War II. Nevertheless, many jackets from the subsequent M-422A specification can also be found among surviving AVG jackets. Contracts for the M-422 were awarded to just three companies: Willis & Geiger, Switlik Parachute Co., and Monarch Mfg. Co.

The loosest pattern among the three M-422 makers is the Willis & Geiger (W&G) and this is the most boxy of the M-422 jackets. The two W&G contracts also have frustratingly short sleeves. The Switlik and Monarch contracts had sleeves more in line with later Navy jackets. The Switlik is much less boxy than W&G’s jackets, and the Monarch is less loose and boxy again than the Switlik. A few common features of the M-422 include a generally wider collar than later types and an absence of arched horizontal stitching on the collar reverse. Note, however, that none of these slight features was the cause of the switch from M-422 to M-422a. The M-422 USN leather flying jackets were stitched with silk thread per specification. Linen thread was added in the M-422a Spec.

 

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The Bureau of Supplies & Accounts procured much of the US Navy’s clothing during WWII with contract numbers issued by Supplies & Accounts beginning with 1 and starting over again after reaching 99,999. This happened twice in WWII; once in early March 1942 and again in April 1945. In addition, there were purchasing offices and base installations that also procured clothing, such as “N156s” for the Aircraft Factory in Philadelphia, PA.

Note the absence of Swiftik Parachute and Equipment Co. 76640 contract quantity below. The previously restricted access Aviation Supply Office Catalog and USN Supply Training Manual both show M-422 jackets were identified by stock number 37-J-xy and not 11-V-xy from the previous evidence provided. 37 being the specific Class number used for flight jackets.