AN-J-3

[mulceber]

Pretty sure the label is from a pair of either A-3 or A-5 flight trousers (which would have been paired with B-3 or B-6 jackets). 13616 was a massive contract for shearling garments, including B-3 jackets/A-3 trousers, B-6 jackets/A-5 trousers, and AN-J-4 jackets/AN-T-35 trousers.

One more anj-3 with a non-standard feature, I haven't seen a hanging loop attached to the external part of any flight jacket before [but I a noob regarding flight jackets].

Oh yeah, that is odd! Definitely not on mine. I've seen some early shearling jackets that had the external hanger loop, but not an intermediate flight jacket. Neat detail!

 

[caddyd]

Great thread ~ A heated discussion is cool. And arguing is a great way of sharing valuable points of view.

 

[Spitfireace]

No worries. Sorry if it came off a bit terse.

terse.

 

[Spitfireace]

Yeah, as you said, it's a difficult question, and there isn't much info here. We know the AN-J-3 shows up in the Class 13 Catalog, and we have the AAF document making the A-2 "limited standard issue" and listing the AN-J-3 as its replacement (see below)...but we almost never see photos of pilots wearing an AN-J-3. Every once in a while we see an odd photo of a pilot wearing one, but it could always be a private purchase jacket - Willis & Geiger, for example, seems to have kept making AN-J-3s after the AAF pulled out of the project and sold the jackets to Abercrombie & Fitch. I think the only reason we're pretty sure the one I posted above was issued to someone, as opposed to being a private purchase jacket, is that it doesn't have a label (either a spec label or a commercial label), which is consistent with other military AN-J-3s that have turned up.

Hap said no more leather. Then it was nylon, and when it was found that might melt in an accident it was turned to nomex. Or arimid.

 

[Spitfireace]

Rare duck for sure. For myself I'll take A-2 or the cross G-!.