German A2!

[Smithy]

Has anyone seen photos of Allied aircrew rocking Luftwaffe flying jackets?

Not that I've seen Grant but early in the war there were a number of RAF aircrew who considered the Luftwaffe Schimmweste 10-30 as better than the 1932 Pattern Mae West and used them.

Eric Lock is probably the most photographed and most famous who wore one.

 

[Pilot]

Not that I've seen Grant but early in the war there were a number of RAF aircrew who considered the Luftwaffe Schimmweste 10-30 as better than the 1932 Pattern Mae West and used them.

Eric Lock is probably the most photographed and most famous who wore one.

The RAF „ Schwimmweste fans“ photos were already posted here several times.
Can try to find them again.
Eric Lock was just one anongst many.

 

[pierregloom]

Thanks for this thread, you made me discover that, and I love to learn, every day, even if it's some little things like that ! It's the best thing in forums like this one I think.
The Luftwaffe eagle is painted or patched?

 

[Pilot]

Thanks for this thread, you made me discover that, and I love to learn, every day, even if it's some little things like that ! It's the best thing in forums like this one I think.
The Luftwaffe eagle is painted or patched?

Always sewn but only the eagle… no leather backing…( only on Ebay you find these leather backings).

 

[Griffon_301]

That Storch was Harry Broahursts personal aircraft, acquired in North Africa...
It was held in high regard but suffered a rather sad and strange end at the beginning of 1945 at Evere...

 

[Pilot]

A RAF famous pilot.

 

[Pilot]

 

[Pilot]

The Luftwaffe Schwimmweste was a masterpiece of German design and engineering…
Several compartments… partially self sealing in case of Schrapnell punctuation…
Easy and handy to inflate.
No comparable gear on the allied side.
A relative of mine still flew in the same in the Indochina and Algeria war.
The new French Air Force used whatever was sent or given to them after WWII…only in the late 50‘s la nouvelle Armee de l‘ Air Française developed their own designs and gear… largely based on WWII Luftwaffe and US design.

 

[Flightengineer]

Captured Aero A-2

Recently I saw these photos on Instagram of a collector from Japan. Jacket of interesting destiny. The facts of wearing trophy A2s by the Luftwaffe are known but rare. The German sergeant major Kurt Gren used this jacket as a flightgear and add his patches. Interesting is the fate of...

www.vintageleatherjackets.org

 

[Pilot]

Captured Aero A-2

Recently I saw these photos on Instagram of a collector from Japan. Jacket of interesting destiny. The facts of wearing trophy A2s by the Luftwaffe are known but rare. The German sergeant major Kurt Gren used this jacket as a flightgear and add his patches. Interesting is the fate of...

www.vintageleatherjackets.org

Saw this several times… IMHO and approx. two dozen of other Luftwaffe freaks… not legit…
In no way..
The ranks the patched eagle etc..
Ebay and €€$$$ and photoshop…

 

[Flightengineer]

Saw this several times… IMHO and approx. two dozen of other Luftwaffe freaks… not legit…
In no way..
The ranks the patched eagle etc..
Ebay and €€$$$ and photoshop…

Thanks, Brice. Always appricate professional opinion. I think this Japanese payd a lot $$$ for it

 

[Pilot]

Thanks, Brice. Always appricate professional opinion. I think this Japanese payd a lot $$$ for it

Thanks Dmitri, yes! they usually do if they are interested…. regardless…

 

[jack31916]

Here's a pic of a Belgian Flying Officer sporting a Hartmann type jacket. This guy was attached to a Dutch B-25 aircrew of RAF 320 (Dutch) Squadron. Picture was taken in early 1945 at former German used Airfield Melsbroek near Brussels in Belgium. Maybe he picked this jacket up somewhere on this airfield...

Pic by courtesy of Collectie Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie

 

[Smithy]

The Luftwaffe Schwimmweste was a masterpiece of German design and engineering…
Several compartments… partially self sealing in case of Schrapnell punctuation…
Easy and handy to inflate.
No comparable gear on the allied side.

Except Brice you neglect it's primary flaw with the earlier version that Lock wore.

The 10-30 had a serious design flaw - being inflated both back and front, with no support for the head, it had a tendency to tip the wearer forwards in the water, meaning that an unconscious or injured pilot could easily drown. The type was replaced in early 1941 as a result of so many drowning casualties with the improved 10-30B. That was the better design.

 

[Pilot]

Except Brice you neglect it's primary flaw with the earlier version that Lock wore.

The 10-30 had a serious design flaw - being inflated both back and front, with no support for the head, it had a tendency to tip the wearer forwards in the water, meaning that an unconscious or injured pilot could easily drown. The type was replaced in early 1941 as a result of so many drowning casualties with the improved 10-30B. That was the better design.

Fully agree! I stand corrected!
Well pointed out!
Thanks for that!

 

[Kermit3D]

Here's a pic of a Belgian Flying Officer sporting a Hartmann type jacket. This guy was attached to a Dutch B-25 aircrew of RAF 320 (Dutch) Squadron. Picture was taken in early 1945 at former German used Airfield Melsbroek near Brussels in Belgium. Maybe he picked this jacket up somewhere on this airfield...

Pic by courtesy of Collectie Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie
View attachment 72358

Great ! I'd be curious to know if this Belgian Flying Officer used this jacket on a mission.

Maybe he picked this jacket up somewhere on this airfield...

It is possible, but as it is a civilian jacket, I suppose that it was not difficult to find this kind of jacket in Belgium ( from a tailor) in 1944-1945.

 

[jack31916]

Great ! I'd be curious to know if this Belgian Flying Officer used this jacket on a mission.


It is possible, but as it is a civilian jacket, I suppose that it was not difficult to find this kind of jacket in Belgium ( from a tailor) in 1944-1945.

You're absolutely right Kermit! Very well possible that he picked up this jacket somewhere else but he might as well liberated it from a German soldier. Nothing for sure but my guess is that he wore it during missions. I've seen a lot of pictures of these Dutch aircrews and they wore all kinds of jackets ( A-2, Irvin, innersuits, battledress jackets etc) and flying equipment.

 

[JonnyCrow]

Found a couple of almost identical ones a few years back here, used by the Spanish air force but were green, pale olive, very nice though, I sold them to David at the aeronautical selling site along with two pairs of Spanish flight boots, again direct copies of the German boots

 

[johnwayne]

That famous RAF pilot is of course Guy Gibson, 617sq and famed Dambuster squadron leader!

 

[MauldinFan]

View attachment 72246

I've always found this interesting that Luftwaffe aircrew liked wearing capture flight gear. I talked with a JU-52 jock several years back and he said any Allied flight jacket was worth its weight in gold and they'd wear them in a heartbeat (never letting it out of their sight).
Imagine a 91st BG pilot ambling up to his B-17 at Bassingbourn wearing a black Luftwaffe jacket? That wouldn't go over at all!
That said, German gear was worn in the field by GIs, especially paratroopers. German belts and stuff hanging from them wasn't uncommon among "the devils on baggy pants" soon after a combat jump (of course, once they got back to a garrison mode, all that stuff would be packed away).