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

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M-422A MONARCH MFG. CO. NOs-85958​

Contract Date: May 1941
Cost of the Contract: $15,540
Comments on the leather or mouton:
Liner: salmon red rayon
Thread: brown
Zipper(s): not nickel; likely blackened Talon M-39, but uncertain from the photos.
Knits: brown rib-rack knits
General Comments:

• Very small contract. We do not have enough information to quote the number of jackets produced, but the overall cost was less than a third the cost of Monarch’s previous M-422 contract, which was already rather small by Navy standards.

Identifying/Distinguishing Details:

• Monarch details
  • Seam running down back of liner - Monarch is the only manufacturer to do this.
  • Wind flap ends about 1 inch short of bottom of jacket (GW)
  • Tall pockets with well-scalloped flaps
  • Front panels wrap around the back, where they are sewn under the panels of the bi-swing back.
• Inside pocket bordered on three sides by liner, unlike later Monarchs
• Double-stitched back-belt (GW). This is a feature that is also seen on earlier M-422 contract, but which disappeared on Monarch’s later Navy jacket contracts.
• By this point, Monarch had already shrunk its collar down to the size it would be on their AN-J-3A and MIL-J-7823.

Monarch NOs-85958 Ex. No. 1:

 

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M-422A GORDON & FERGUSON CO. CONTRACT NOs-88860​

Contract Dates: June 1941 – January 1942 (WSC 1397)
Cost of the Contract: $107,000 (WSC 1397)
Comments on the leather or mouton: goatskin is frequently a lighter brown with some yellow undertones
Liner: salmon, brown rayon.
Thread: brown
Zipper(s): blackened Talon M-39
Knits: brown with a purple cast
General Comments:
Identifying/Distinguishing Details:

• Number one identifier of Gordon & Ferguson M-422As is the left-hand pocket, which is made wider than its counterpart, in order to accommodate the pencil pocket. Unlike virtually every other maker, rather than having a slit cut into the body of the pocket for the pencil pocket, a small vertical section of the pocket is simply sectioned off by stitching a line through to the body of the jacket in order to create the pencil pocket. This was a construction G&F abandoned on their AN-J-3A jackets.
• Wide seam allowance around the pockets
• Frequently a lighter brown with yellow undertones.
• Where most G&F M-422As have the front panels stitched over the back panels (an idiosyncrasy of this contractor), this particular contract has the opposite.
• Silver USN stencil

G&F NOs-88860 Ex. No. 1:

 

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G&F NOs-88860 Ex. No. 2:

 

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M-422A WILLIS AND GEIGER INC. CONTRACT NOs-290A & NXs-290​

Contract Dates: March 1942 - October 1943 (WSC 3444)
Cost of the Contract: $3,140,000 (WSC 3444)
Comments on the leather or mouton: prone to mismatched leather panels.
Liner: mostly brown rayon liner on ones marked NOs; salmon is common on the ones marked NXs.
Thread: light brown
Zipper(s): We have only seen this contract with Talon M-41
Knits: brown with a purple cast
General Comments:

• The Navy changed its contract identifying prefixes between the start and end of this contract. Until March of 1942, their standard prefix was NOS. It then changed to NXs. Therefore, NOS 290A and NXs-290 are the same contract.
• This contract is listed in the List of Major War Supply Contracts as being for “clothing aviation.” From information provided by Aota-san it was a large combined order including: M-421A, M-445, M-445A and M-445B jackets, their corresponding flight trousers, M-69 jackets, and M-426a flight suits (FG 118, 128-9, 134, 142).

Identifying/Distinguishing Details:

• W&G details:
  • W&G was famous for having a rather boxy fit on all their Navy jacket contracts.
  • inside pocket surrounded by leather facings
  • nice gentle scalloping on the pocket flaps with rounded pocket corners (JC CD > USN > M-422A > W&G)
  • Large zipper box (JC CD > USN > M-422A > W&G)
  • John Chapman observes that W&G jackets can often be seen with mis-matched jacket panels (JC CD > USN > M-422A > W&G)
  • Front panels wrap around the back, where they are sewn under the panels of the bi-swing back.
• Sleeves are longer than W&G’s earlier M-422 contracts, and now in line with those of other jacket makers.
• By this point, W&G still had not added horizontal stitching on the back of the collar.

 

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W&G NOs-290A / NXs-290 Ex. No. 1:

 

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W&G NOs-290A / NXs-290 Ex. No. 2:

 

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M-422A GORDON & FERGUSON CO. CONTRACT NOs-416A & NXs-416​

Contract Dates: March 1942 – May 1942 (WSC 1397)
Cost of the Contract: $1,270,000 (WSC 1397)
Comments on the leather or mouton:
Liner: salmon red rayon
Thread: brown
Zipper(s): Talon M-39 Nickel, Talon M-42; the former is almost universal on the ones marked NOs, while the latter represents the overwhelming majority on jackets marked NXs.
Knits: purple knits
General Comments:

• The Navy changed its contract identifying prefixes between the start and end of this contract. Until March of 1942, their standard prefix was NOS. It then changed to NXs. Therefore, NOs 416-A and NXs416 are the same contract.
• This contract is listed in the List of Major War Supply Contracts as being for “clothing aviation.” Given its enormous size (over one million dollars), the M-422A likely was not the only garment being produced, and Aota-san also lists M-69F coats being made under this contract as well (FG 134). We can reasonably suppose that there was other Naval equipment in this contract that fell outside of the interest of his book.

Identifying/Distinguishing Details:

• Number one identifier of Gordon & Ferguson M-422As is the left-hand pocket, which is made wider than its counterpart, in order to accommodate the pencil pocket. Unlike virtually every other maker, rather than having a slit cut into the body of the pocket for the pencil pocket, a small vertical section of the pocket is simply sectioned off by stitching a line through to the body of the jacket in order to create the pencil pocket. This was a construction G&F abandoned on their AN-J-3A jackets.
• Wide seam allowance around the pockets.
• Frequently a lighter brown with yellow undertones.
• G&F M-422As are famous for stitching the front panels stitched over the back panels, but this contract has both. By and large, the ones with NXs seem to be made in the typical G&F way, while the ones marked NOs are made in the opposite way, like G&F’s earlier NOs-88860 contract.
• Silver USN stencil

 

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G&F NOs-416A & NXs-416 Ex. No. 1:

 

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G&F NOs-416A & NXs-416 Ex. No. 2:

 

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G&F NOs-416A & NXs-416 Ex. No. 3

 

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M-422A FRIED, OSTERMANN CO. CONTRACT NOs 1405-A​

Contract Dates: March 1942 – July 1944 (WSC 1213)
Cost of the Contract: $1,729,000 (WSC 1213)
Comments on the leather or mouton:
Liner: salmon red rayon
Thread: brown
Zipper(s): Talon M-39
Knits: brown with a strong purple cast
General Comments:

• This order appears to have been a general order for flight suits that included M-422A jackets, which makes sense, given its enormous size (WSC 1213). Aota-san also lists M-445A jackets and the corresponding trousers being produced under this contract under the NXs prefix (FG 128-9).

Identifying/Distinguishing Details:

• Outward facing seam on the sleeve-side of the underarm gussets (JC CD>M-422A>FO1)
• Nicely scalloped pocket flaps with bevelled flap corners (JC CD>M-422A>FO1)
• frequently narrow shoulders (JC CD>M-422A>FO1)
• back-belt has two rows of stitching on top and bottom
• 2-ply waistband (JC CD>M-422A>FO1)
• Front panels wrap around the back, where they are sewn under the panels of the bi-swing back.
• black USN stencil.

Fried Ostermann NOs-1405A Ex. No. 1:

 

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M-422A FRIED, OSTERMANN CO. CONTRACT NOS 1406-A & NXs-1406 EXT.A​

Contract Dates: March 1942 – January 1943 (WSC 1213)
Cost of the Contract: $812,000 (WSC 1213)
Comments on the leather or mouton: goatskin is frequently thick and stiff; can range in color from dark russet to almost black (JC CD > M-422A >FO2)
Liner: salmon rayon
Thread: dark brown or khaki
Zipper(s): Talon M-41 nickel, Talon M-42 nickel, Talon M-39
Knits: dark brown, normally with a strong purple cast
General Comments:

• The Navy changed its contract identifying prefixes between the start and end of this contract. Until March of 1942, their standard prefix was NOS. It then changed to NXs. Therefore, NOS 1406-A and NXs 1406 EXT A are the same contract.
• The Navy was well known for multiple item contracts and Aota-san lists M-445A jackets and the corresponding trousers being produced under this contract too (FG 128-9).

Identifying/Distinguishing Details:

• Outward facing seam on the sleeve-side of the underarm gussets (JC CD>M-422A>FO1)
• Nicely scalloped pocket flaps with bevelled flap corners (JC CD>M-422A>FO1)
• frequently narrow shoulders (JC CD>M-422A>FO1)
• back-belt has two rows of stitching on top and bottom
• Wind flap ends short of the bottom of the jacket, similar to Monarch.
• 2-ply waistband (JC CD>M-422A>FO1)
• Front panels wrap around the back, where they are sewn under the panels of the bi-swing back.
• black USN stencil.

Fried Ostermann NOS 1406-A & NXs 1406 EXT A Ex. No. 1:

 

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Fried Ostermann NOS 1406-A & NXs 1406 EXT A Ex. No. 2:

 

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M-422A EDMUND T. CHURCH CO. INC. CONTRACT NXs-5133​

Contract Dates: May 1942 – November 1942 (WSC 683)
Cost of the Contract: $356,000 (WSC 683)
Comments on the leather or mouton: mouton has often faded to a honey brown; leather is frequently “a lighter than average chocolate brown color” (JC CD > USN > M-422A > Church 1)
Liner: mostly brown rayon, but salmon can be found without much difficulty.
Thread: light brown
Zipper(s): Talon M-42 nickel
Knits: darker brown single-ply rib-rack with a bit of a purple cast
General Comments:

• Aota-san also lists M-69F coats being made under this contract (FG 134).
• Sometime in 1943, Edmund T. Church changed its name to Burjac Sportswear. They would continue supplying jackets to the Navy under the AN-J-3A and 55-J-14 specifications.

Identifying/Distinguishing Details:

• Leather is frequently “a lighter than average chocolate brown color” (JC CD > USN > M-422A > Church 1)
• Church (later Burjac) details:
  • Front panels wrap around the back, where they are sewn under the panels of the bi-swing back.
  • Large pocket flaps with very little, if any, scalloping, just triangular.
  • Button holes are frequently very low on the pocket flap, almost touching the flap stitching.
  • Angular top of the wind flap.
  • Tall zipper box
• Black USN stencil

Church Ex. No. 1:

 

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Church Ex. No. 2:

 

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M-422A H. & L. BLOCK CONTRACT NXs-5134 & NXsa-5134​

Contract Dates: May 1942 – [illegible] 1943 (WSC 441)
Cost of the Contract: $820,000 (WSC 441)
Comments on the leather or mouton:
Liner: salmon rayon
Thread: light brown
Zipper(s): commonly brass Talon M-39s
Knits: brown with a purple cast
General Comments:

• The Navy changed its contract identifying prefixes between the start and end of this contract. “NXs” was used until Dec 1942, then “NXsa” (for this case) in Jan 1943. Therefore, NXs-5134 and NXsa-5134 are the same contract.
• M-21A jackets were also made under this contract (FG 118).

Identifying/Distinguishing Details:

• Block details:
  • The number one identifier of Block Navy jackets is that the vent holes at the armpits are embroidered, rather than having grommets.
  • Block jackets often have shorter sleeves, much like W&G M-422s.
  • No horizontal collar stitching, also like M-422s.
  • Pocket flaps are nicely scalloped with a wide seam allowance.
• Yellow USN stencil.

Block NXs-5134 & NXsa-5134 Ex. No. 1:

 

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Block NXs-5134 & NXsa-5134 Ex. No. 2: