ELC Werber A2 1729

[33-1729]

I had one of the earlier ELC Werbers, made about 10 years ago . The horsehide was thin and unremarkable . No matter how much I wore the jacket and no matter what I did to it , there was no way it would develope any graining. The hide was like thin cardboard , no character.
Recently I picked up a 3 year old ELC 1729 made in the warhorse hide and I couldn’t be happier with it . It’s got graining going on and the hide is a bit heavier. Definitely a keeper. Check it out

Yes, I’ve heard some really great feedback on the Eastman WarHorse leather by everyone that’s owned one. Maybe I lucked out, but the horsehide on my early ELC turned out really well, being a very close match to the original Werber ‘33 they have and what I originally wanted (picture below). I was really concerned about the knits as they seem a bit thin, but they have held much better than expected.

Back to the WarHorse, I placed an A-2 order a couple years ago at Good Wear and expect it will come up sooner or later. (I wasn't planning to get one, but I've been "helped" by this forum.) I must admit the grainy hides have a lot going for them!

 

[Lebowski]

I like both ussues of Eastman's Werber shown above, but that early one took lots of my attention and to me it looks more interesting
'cause to my sight it looks much more similar to original A-2's from late 30s - early 40s.
It's like an opposition between gorgeous patina of top coated HH (that early issues HH from Eastman) and lots of incredible grain of veg-tanned aniline HH (modern Warhorse from Eastman).
As far as I know lots of original A-2s from WWII period were top coated ones (and some were originally redyed later during WWII - just to extend jacket's service life).
There also were some issues of A-2's then which were originally made of veg-tanned leather, but quite few.
Though todays Eastman's Warhorse HH looks absolutely gorgeous no doubts and has lots of absolutely fantstic looking grain, but their early version (top coated HH)
looks much more authentic considering its almost similar looking to original WWII A-2s.
Which Werber from Eastman I'd prefer? Well, I'd prefer patina of top coated HH over grain of Warhorse in my Werber A-2. An early version (that top-coated one) is my choice. First.
But I'd possibly also purchase modern very nice looking veg-tanned Warhorse HH version as a second Werber - just to have both finally))
'Сause I like both versions!)
But that early top-coated version with tonns of patina still has more attention from me, just can't stop looking at such fabulous photos from @33-1729 shown above!)

 

[Persimmon]

Funny how threads come back to life. 9 years ago when I had the thought of getting one.
I bought the ELC Weber soon after.
Looked back and found some pics.

 

[B-Man2]

View attachment 16296 View attachment 16297 Funny how threads come back to life. 9 years ago when I had the thought of getting one.
I bought the ELC Weber soon after.
Looked back and found some pics.

Jacket looks great on you.
I hope you still have it.

 

[Persimmon]

Jacket looks great on you.
I hope you still have it.

No. Long gone.
I found the fit to be good but I was disappointed in the leather.
I found it to be too thin.
That mind sound strange as I prefer an A1 with its Capeskin lighter weight but in an A2 I want it to be heavier with more character.
Perhaps that’s why Eastman went to their heavier leather Warhouse option.
Still it was an enjoyable jacket whilst it lasted.

 

[B-Man2]

No. Long gone.
I found the fit to be good but I was disappointed in the leather.
I found it to be too thin.
That mind sound strange as I prefer an A1 with its Capeskin lighter weight but in an A2 I want it to be heavier with more character.
Perhaps that’s why Eastman went to their heavier leather Warhouse option.
Still it was an enjoyable jacket whilst it lasted.

That’s pretty much what I thought about that run of ELC Werbers. The hide and the knits were very thin on that particular series of jackets. As I mentioned earlier I could have wet it crumpled it and left it in a corner under a pile of boxes, and when I pulled it out there wouldn’t have been one wrinkle or grain in the leather. The knits were very thinly made. The later models corrected all of that.

 

[zoomer]

The jacket looks very similar to wartime original A-2 from late 30s-early 40s!
That's one of the best Eastman's repro and lots of wear makes the jacket looking even more authentic than new.

An interesting point - and one you might not have intended to make: Wartime looks do strike us today as more authentic than early-pre-war. No one has much experience with those.

 

[B-Man2]

An interesting point - and one you might not have intended to make: Wartime looks do strike us today as more authentic than early-pre-war. No one has much experience with those.

Zoomer
I didn’t mean to bad mouth the Werber 1729 that I sold to you. I have to ask you how you like it after owning it all these years . The reasons listed above were why I moved it on. Has the leather finally grained up a bit over the years ? How are the knits holding up? Any chance of you posting a few pictures of the jacket?

 

[zoomer]

I didn’t mean to bad mouth the Werber 1729 that I sold to you.

I didn't even notice, so no sweat.

It no longer fits comfortably, but it's sooo close. Sure, I'll pull it out and do a few snaps.

 

[33-1729]

I can't really add much to what has been said except to say my size 42 is a good fit on me (I have a 38 chest, but with a long upper body) and is a much better fit than the size 40 I used to own several years ago. The weak point is the zipper and the puller broke off my first Werber, but Gary sent me a replacement. It is one of my favourite ELC A2s, perhaps because it is so different from most A2s you see around.

One reason the ELC 33-1729 Hookless zipper may not work well is because of excess tape on the zipper (JC pointed this out to me). I make certain it is carefully fixed before zipping it up and it works well, but doesn’t feel that sturdy. An arrow on my ELC '33 showing the excess tape and JC's '33 example below show the difference in fitment (sorry for the bad picture).

 

[missonnier]

A third hand werber from 2007
Very soft, souple and light hide, I love It !

 

[Silver Surfer]

if ya like the the elc werb, then you will fall over if ya see grant's. it looks all the world like an original, no bs.

 

[Wright Field]

I’ve had my 1729 for just over a year now and love it. As you can see in the pic, I patched mine for a little local interwar-period authenticity. I wear it daily in the spring and fall. I chose this because I wanted as early an authentic model as I could find and I really like the lighter, warmer colors. The 1729 fit the bill perfectly and I couldn’t be happier with my choice. I get compliments on it from strangers regularly, especially when I attend aviation history related events.

My impressions thus far: the horsehide is still pretty stiff, but is starting to soften up a bit. It’s also more obviously developing a patina and some character marks. I’m a relatively slim guy and think the cut is snug. I wear a 38S suit coat and went with the size 40 Werber. It fits great normally, but will be tight if I wear a shirt & sweater underneath. I haven’t tried others on, but it seems to have a shorter torso (being 5’9”, this isn’t a problem on me!). I haven’t had any problems with the zipper, but it does take some care to seat and unseat properly. Since mine’s a later version, I haven’t noticed any thinness with the leather. It works well as a windbreaker but doesn’t provide much in the way of warmth.


View media item 942

 

[Grant]

Here's my trusty Werber. From having a spill cycling to having a flight attendant spill wine on it, it keeps on goin.

 

[Bombing IP]

Grant how many A2s do you currently own ,and how many have you sold off over the years .

BIP

 

[Grant]

Here's a shot of the liner of my old Eastman Werber. Years ago was lucky enough to sit down and have a long conversation with two B-17 gunners: Wilbur Richardson, ball turret gunner 331st BS, 94th BG and Carl Rossman, engineer/top turret gunner, 358th BS, 303rd BG (Hell's Angels). They both had priceless memories, from witnessing the D-Day invasion from a ball turret to what it was like to staring into the sun trying to get a lead on attacking fighters. Afterwards I felt like a total nerd, but asked them to sign the lining. Kinda cool cause every time I put this jacket on I think of these two badasses.

 

[mulceber]

Wow, that's so cool, Grant! Great story.

 

[B-Man2]

Great story and great jacket... Hope that both guys are still with us, but we are losing them so very quickly you just dont know. Good post Grant.

 

[Serghei87]

Checked the original paperwork and I purchased directly from Eastman on 31/3/09, so ten years tomorrow (didn’t see for sale elsewhere at the time). My early 44” is a bit smaller than the last measurements I saw on History Preservation Associates. Probably more for a shorter 5'7"-ish person from the 1930's versus today.

Mine HPA
==== ===

25.25 25.5 back length


24.00 25.5 sleeve


19.50 18.5 shoulders


22.00 23.0 chest

I really like the denim-like honeycomb on the sleeves too.

View attachment 16287

Wow i love the colour it got during all these years! Im in love with your jacket. is it for sale?

 

[mulceber]

Serghei, I don’t think they’re still sold on ELC’s website, but for some reason History Preservation still lists ELC’s reproduction of the Werber 1729 for sale.

History Preservation Eastman USAC A-2 Flying Jacket, Werber Leather Coat Co. 1729 | History Preservation

Eastman's Werber Leather Coat Co. A-2 Jacket copies one of the earliest A-2 contracts the U. S. Air Corps ever awarded to a manufacturer, which dates to 1932.

www.historypreservation.com