A-2 Flight Jacket VULGAR VULTURES 740th Squadron sz 42

[sideshowjoe]

This one just came up:
http://cgi.ebay.com/A-2-Flight-Jacket-V ... 3a5567e72a

Anyone have some thoughts on this one? Possibly a civilian version?
Still eating turkey,
Joe

 

[better duck]

And if an issue jacket (or made by one of the usual suspects for the civilian market): would this be a Perry? judging from the collar shape that's my guess, but the pocket flaps don't look familiar.
There's no collar stand and there is an ...YKK zipper. Could be a replacement...?
Expert opinions please?

 

[zoomer]

It's very very suspicious with that box-stitch around the hanger and the round flaps on the pockets.

Some Perry details via acmedepot.com. This jacket flunks!

Perry pocket (much less rounded)

Perry neck area (Acme says all had stand collars)

Perry epaulet (much larger inner box)

The 740th MS was formerly the 740th BS (H), part of the 455th BG, a B-24 group out of Italy in 1943-'45.
The 455th BG is the group Stephen Ambrose wrote about in The Wild Blue.
Its squadrons all used the Vulgar Vulture patch with, iirc, different colored bombs and surrounds.
This patch is theater correct so far as the incised design - only seen in Italian based units.

B-24J Yo-Yo, 44-41199, flown by Lieut. (later Senator) George McGovern of South Dakota.

 

[Roughwear]

I don't believe this jacket dates from WW2, but is an early Avirex repro. I used to own one which was almos identical to this. It even has the hanger sewn across where the spec label was and the stitch line around the collar where a collar stand might be. No original A2 had pocket flaps quite like these.

 

[joeson]

I am with Andrew on this one.Those pocket flaps are all wrong.Had someone try to sell me a similar jacket a few years back.Claimed it was a Perry,yet had no collar stand,just a row of stitching.
Devil is in the detail.....