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Buttoned Pocket Flaps A-2 Jackets
- Thread starter 33-1729
- Start date
herk115
Active Member
Two questions: Is one of these guys Tibbets? I can't read the name strips.
Second question: Why would somebody sand their jacket? I understand a collector wanting to put a patina on a cheapie repro, but someone on active duty with their issue jacket?
B-Man2
Well-Known Member
There’s no way that jacket could have received that type of wear in the time that he owned it. Impossible. I’m sure some guys did things like that to be perceived as “Salty Old Warriors’ as a badge of a seasoned warrior., much in the same way as guys washed their fatigues a bunch of times before they wore them so they wouldn’t look new in the field or guys in the Ranger Units and SF groups used to wash and shave their berets with an electric razor to trim down the thickness to better form it on their heads and give the beret that “been there” look. Things like that are done often by troopers .
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B-Man2
Well-Known Member
Zoomer
Agree , but take a look at that jacket . I’ve seen hundreds , maybe thousands of photos of A2 jackets over the years but never one with that much of the finish removed, but let’s not agree on that point alone . Even if his A2 was one of the earliest contracts made it would have been issued in the 1936 to 1938 time frame possibly.
That photo was taken sometime between 1936 to 1945. If we can agree on those points then that means the jacket would have to sustained that extreme wear in approximately a 9 year period.
An astonishing amount of wear to an officers jacket for that period of time. I’ve seen photos of enlisted men wearing A2 jackets who worked on aircraft everyday climbing in and out of them , working on them , but I’ve never seen an A2 with that much surface wear. So let’s suppose that jacket was a re-issue A2 to him. I’ve still never seen another like it. We’ve all owned original A2 jackets and seen original A2 jackets. We’ve all worn A2 jackets some as long as 20 years but never with that much wear . Lastly the thing that makes me even more suspicious that this was intentionally done is look at the photos of his buddies next to him. Their jackets don’t have much wear compared to his and they look like a SAT in the middle and a SAT or a Werber on the end with the Carmel knits, which
would make them earlier issued contracts. It’s just my opinion and I’m sure others will disagree but hey it’s fun to discuss this kind of stuff. Back to you Zoomer
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B-Man2
Well-Known Member
Certainly can’t discount that as a possible explanation.
B-Man2
Well-Known Member
I agree
asiamiles
Well-Known Member
This picture reminds me of my Buzz SAT, which was produced as a Junky Special exclusive in a limited issue of 30. It wasn't a repro of the issued SAT so it was either a civilian repro or a Buzz invention. The pockets are different - the Buzz has regular shaped A2 pockets with stud fasteners - and the Buzz also has a riveted Hookless zipper and studs under the collar, but the basic look with no epaulettes or windflap and even the colour is very close...it's possible that Buzz modeled their jacket on the Spalding but made a couple of changes.
Garylafortuna
Well-Known Member
That guy knew a thing or two about patina.
33-1729
Well-Known Member
Could that be a Werber 32-6225?
zoomer
Well-Known Member
No - IT HAS NO EPAULETS. We're looking at yet another "X-2" here, the noncontract jacket predating the Goldsmith.
Presumably the pic is of a squadron CO (he's a captain; he was issued an X-2; and he rated a large format photo).
Capt. Rowland C.W. Blessey was CO of the 27th PS at Selfridge Field from 9/30/30 to 7/1/33, and again in late 1934-early '35. Presumably he is the man pictured.
Presumably the pic is of a squadron CO (he's a captain; he was issued an X-2; and he rated a large format photo).
Capt. Rowland C.W. Blessey was CO of the 27th PS at Selfridge Field from 9/30/30 to 7/1/33, and again in late 1934-early '35. Presumably he is the man pictured.
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SuinBruin
Well-Known Member
Yep, no epaulettes makes this an important transitional jacket. Note that he still affixed insignia to the shoulder, something an epaulette would make much easier and presumably more comfortable. A small piece of evidence in why the transition was made from the epaulette-less A-1 to the epaulette-less prototype A-2 to the final epauletted production version of the A-2.
SuinBruin
Well-Known Member
Looks like it, yep.
33-1729
Well-Known Member
Yes, you’re right! A noncontract jacket. Likely a private purchase, but no way to know for certain without an evidence trail (surviving jacket, paperwork, etc.). Looks nice, no matter what it may be.
Skyhawk
Well-Known Member
Looks like an X-2 to me. A small A-2 concept run to tweak the new upcoming details on the A-2 for the Goldsmith contract. It has a couple of defining features.
1. No epaulets
2. Standard machined buttonholes.
3. Double windflaps, 1 on each side.
4. some kind of button across closure at the neck. In this photo is looks to be folded back under the collar on the left side (right side of photo) Possibly snapped back.
5. Narrow tall pocket with a large pocket flap.
This one looks slightly different than the other ones. There appears to be a slightly scalloped shape on the pocket on this one, the others were a simple angle flap. Also there is a rivet on the zipper, the other zippers were installed without the rivet being used. This was a practice seen by Spalding Bros. on their aviation jackets. Exclusively on Spalding jackets from my research and I am confident that they made at least some of these early "A-2's"
Regards,
Jay
1. No epaulets
2. Standard machined buttonholes.
3. Double windflaps, 1 on each side.
4. some kind of button across closure at the neck. In this photo is looks to be folded back under the collar on the left side (right side of photo) Possibly snapped back.
5. Narrow tall pocket with a large pocket flap.
This one looks slightly different than the other ones. There appears to be a slightly scalloped shape on the pocket on this one, the others were a simple angle flap. Also there is a rivet on the zipper, the other zippers were installed without the rivet being used. This was a practice seen by Spalding Bros. on their aviation jackets. Exclusively on Spalding jackets from my research and I am confident that they made at least some of these early "A-2's"
Regards,
Jay
