Can you ID this A-2?

[Garylafortuna]

I have two Aero Scotland A-2s, a 38-1711P contract with the collar stand, and a 42-15142P contract without the collar stand. It is exactly as Ken stated: the female throat hook on the collar stand jacket is situated a good half inch above the top end of the zipper, and on the 15142 contract jacket it is situated about a quarter inch below the top end of the zipper.
Thank you for the information Ken; you have a very discerning eye sir.

 

[Spitfireace]

I believe he's saying 42-15142-P

 

[Spitfireace]

I've put together a George Preddy tribute jacket and at the time I didn't know what the jacket contract was, but as it turns out I lucked out. I had the 487th patch and thought that it was a shame that I wasn't using it, so I decided to put it on my Aero 42-14152-p jacket that I'd bought eleven years earlier, and the natural selection of a pilot from that unit would be the top scoring ace G. Preddy. It's not an exact copy, I've only seen the photos that everybody else sees like the ones at the top of this post. So don't know if he ever had any other patches or paint on his jacket other than the Donald Duck.

 

[Roughwear]

The enhanced photo of the jacket shows there is no collar-stand, just a fold in the lining. It is indeed a 1942 Aero.

 

[Carl]

I've put together a George Preddy tribute jacket and at the time I didn't know what the jacket contract was, but as it turns out I lucked out. I had the 487th patch and thought that it was a shame that I wasn't using it, so I decided to put it on my Aero 42-14152-p jacket that I'd bought eleven years earlier, and the natural selection of a pilot from that unit would be the top scoring ace G. Preddy. It's not an exact copy, I've only seen the photos that everybody else sees like the ones at the top of this post. So don't know if he ever had any other patches or paint on his jacket other than the Donald Duck.View attachment 4692 View attachment 4693 View attachment 4694 View attachment 4695 View attachment 4696

Cant beat a "Blue Nose" !!! I have an item from a 487th FS pilot who was KIA in September 44.

 

[Greg Gale]

You guys are brilliant. Thanks for all the insights! What color do you think it might have been? Looks quite dark - so seal brown? What about the cuffs? Do you think it had those typical red ones?

 

[Spitfireace]

Cant beat a "Blue Nose" !!! I have an item from a 487th FS pilot who was KIA in September 44.

Blue nose bastards of Bodney, or Meyer's Maulers as they were known. What's the item if I can ask? George Preddy was killed in action on Christmas Day 1944.

 

[Carl]

Blue nose bastards of Bodney, or Meyer's Maulers as they were known. What's the item if I can ask? George Preddy was killed in action on Christmas Day 1944.

The item is a Type B4 "suitcase" .
I will at somepoint post it in the "related gear" . i have made contact with the pilots family and have exchanged numerous emails and received copies of letters and photographs from them .

C

 

[Teddy]

This thread actually encouraged me to read about George Preddy. Good to learn!

 

[Carl]

This thread actually encouraged me to read about George Preddy. Good to learn!

Dont forget his younger brother who was killed in 1945

 

[Ken at Aero Leather]

So your choice of contract number would be ...

There's no way I can see to tell from the photos .................other than it's a 1942 Aero contract by means of elimination,

 

[Greg Gale]

This thread actually encouraged me to read about George Preddy. Good to learn!

I can recommend 2 books:

Fighter Group: The 352nd "Blue-Nosed Bastards" in World War II - if you ever wondered what it must have been like to be part of an operational USAAF fighter group in ww2, this one covers all the details: what callsigns were used, which radio channels were assigned to what, etc...

George Preddy, Top Mustang Ace - I'm reading it now, it covers Preddy's life in details, complete with personal letters and recollections of other pilots.

 

[Spitfireace]

You guys are brilliant. Thanks for all the insights! What color do you think it might have been? Looks quite dark - so seal brown? What about the cuffs? Do you think it had those typical red ones?

Really hard to tell according to the b&w tone. Makes me wonder if there were any colour photos ever taken. Perhaps in a book somewhere, I have only seen the photos that are up on the internet. Would take some dedicated research.

 

[Spitfireace]

The item is a Type B4 "suitcase" .
I will at somepoint post it in the "related gear" . i have made contact with the pilots family and have exchanged numerous emails and received copies of letters and photographs from them .

C

Interesting. Was there any suggestion from the family that the suitcase be returned to them? I have an original named jacket and managed to find the pilot's phone number on the internet. He is still alive as far as I know and I called him a few years back and told him I have his jacket. While initially in the conversation he was quite interested that I had located his jacket, the conversation turned to me sending him the jacket for no charge. I told him that with all due respect I couldn't do that as I had paid a fair amount of money for it. I was willing to sell it to him for what I paid for it, but he got irate and told me to "put it in a box and send it to me". At which point he hung up on me. While I would like to give it to him, to be fair he gave up his right to it when he turned it in to the quartermaster at the end of the war as it was "property of the US Army Air Forces".

 

[Ole]

You don't have to see the close up to know it does not have a collar stand.
It's visible here
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1d/5e/7a/1d5e7a150fb33f673eeda181c433e3a7.jpg

In the same photo you will also notice that the male collar hook is missing.
In this one
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5a/9a/b8/5a9ab8c9a69cddb22a55dbb7490c160f.jpg
it seems it's still there so suggesting perhaps that it's an earlier picture.

You are still buying from Goodwear, aren't you?

 

[Carl]

Interesting. Was there any suggestion from the family that the suitcase be returned to them? I have an original named jacket and managed to find the pilot's phone number on the internet. He is still alive as far as I know and I called him a few years back and told him I have his jacket. While initially in the conversation he was quite interested that I had located his jacket, the conversation turned to me sending him the jacket for no charge. I told him that with all due respect I couldn't do that as I had paid a fair amount of money for it. I was willing to sell it to him for what I paid for it, but he got irate and told me to "put it in a box and send it to me". At which point he hung up on me. While I would like to give it to him, to be fair he gave up his right to it when he turned it in to the quartermaster at the end of the war as it was "property of the US Army Air Forces".

No , they had made no request at all about wanting the case back , they have seen how serious a collector i am and how im doing my little bit to preserve their family history , for which they were duly grateful i must add .
Many photos and letters they have sent , i have respectfully observed their wishes as not to publicy post them ,they are still searching for answers as to the details of his death back in September 44 , to this day in remains a bit of a mystery .
C

 

[Ole]

thought to share this, good job done restoring it

 

[Ken at Aero Leather]

thought to share this, good job done restoring it

"Good Job?" That's a serious understatement...............This is brilliant, thanks for posting

 

[Steve27752]

It is very, very good.

 

[Ole]

yeah,
the only think he missed is that the lining should be mustard instead of dull orange (16160).
but I like how he got the russet right.