M-421A named to pilot from Bunker Hill and Essex (with pics)

[bazelot]

I just got this M-421A:
It really is in decent condition considering it actually went through a world war on 2 very active aircraft carrier. I really like the way the name tag was hang sewn to the jacket and the corners strenghtened. It is actually easier to read the nametag in person than on the pics. The notepad holder was custom made from aircraft parts. The curved piece of aluminum on the back even has some numbers on it.
I buy a lot on Ebay but it is actually extremely rare when I am very happy with what I get. This purchase was definitely one of those
I am still waiting for documents from the family. I will post them when I get them.

The pilot was on the USS Bunker Hill and the USS Essex before the end of the war. Any idea on how to research the VB4 roster? the name of the pilot is Alfred Dallas Swogger, Jr

 

[better duck]

Re: M-421A named to pilot from Bunker Hill and Essex

Congrats!
Interesting find. And now google for good methods for removing paint stains without damaging the cloth!

 

[Peter Graham]

Re: M-421A named to pilot from Bunker Hill and Essex

Not a bad price for a real piece of history Tom. Can't wait to see the photos.

 

[bazelot]

Re: M-421A named to pilot from Bunker Hill and Essex

Got it this morning. THe jacket is better than I expected. I will post pics tonight. The clipboard is made out of aluminum airplane parts. His son will send me more information tonight or tomorrow. He was with VB-4 on the USS Bunker Hill and USS Essex. That much is confirmed

 

[bob capa]

Re: M-421A named to pilot from Bunker Hill and Essex

Really cool

leave it with the paint

 

[MikeyB-17]

Very cool. I wouldn't mess with the paint either-from the pic it looks like it's well soaked in and not going anywhere. In any case, it's part of the jacket's history.

 

[deeb7]

Oh yeah, smashing jacket, great label .... what paint?

 

[TankBuster]

I would leave all the paint stains to. It gives it character. Neat jacket to a famous Dive Bomb Squadron. I'll see if I've got any info in my Navy books.

 

[bazelot]

Yes I will definetely leave the paint as there is no way to remove it wityhout damaging the material. THe pipctures make it look worse than it actually is as flash reflects in the paint spots.
The son of the pilot sent me scans from "Fighter Squadron 14 TopHatters" Squadron Signal Publication. There are pictures of AD Swogger in the book and he is quoted throughout the history of VB-4. He was credited with sinking a Japanese destroyer in 1944. I haven't read everything yet but it seems that Mr Swogger was in the thick of things. He had to ditch his plane once and he crashed once on the deck of the USS Bunker Hill.
He was also interviewed (2 hours long) a few years back and his son will send me the complete interview. I can't wait to see it)

 

[TankBuster]

Sounds interesting. Nice job! If he was awarded a DFC or AM, I know that you can sometimes get copies of the paperwork for them. You would need a service number, and some info on his service. I'm sure his son could help you get what you need.

 

[Peter Graham]

What a historic jacket ! If only it could talk. Tom, you have a real knack for tracing the history of your jackets but you've surpassed yourself with this one.

 

[Maverickson]

Hi Tom,

It looks as though you have some great pieces of naval history there. That jacket of yours more than likely saw some action! The Tailhook Association has always been a good sourse of information and has those Carrier cruise books in there archives available to their historians. I am sure that they would be happy to help you out.

Looking forward to seeing that additional information!

Dave

 

[bazelot]

What a historic jacket ! If only it could talk. Tom, you have a real knack for tracing the history of your jackets but you've surpassed yourself with this one.

Peter, I really got lucky on this one as the son is a wealth of info. I am going to post some more pics of the pilot that were scanned by his son. The interview is on 2 DVDs and last around 3 hours. There is probably some very interesting info in it. I read more about VB-4 last night and I actually learning a ton. All in all this is probably the most historically interesting jacket i have so far, definitely a museum piece.
I am kind of surprised it reached such a low price on Ebay. People seem to be more interested in mint jackets that have never been worn than an actual piece of history that actually was there and was part of the action. It looked like this one was going to be easy to research too with the obituary, the name and the squadron.
I will post more info about the pilot.

 

[bazelot]

Pictures of A.D. Swogger:

 

[TankBuster]

Very Neat! Nice to have that extra info!!

 

[bristolherc]

Pictures of A.D. Swogger:

Nice shot of him boarding an F8-F Grumman Bearcat.

Bevan.

 

[bazelot]

I received the 2 DVDs with Dallas Swogger's interview on it. It is awesome. It run 3 and a half hours and describes his whole service experience. He was the photography officer on both carriers. There is a funny anecdotes about his flight gear at the end of the war. THe Navy asked him to give everything back when he was decommissioned but when he saw that they were burning flight jackets and a ton of other flight gear he basically told them he already shipped them to his hometown (San Francisco). They told him to turn it in when he gets there which he tried to do 10 years later when he finally got back to San Francisco but at that time they could not care less about his flight gear and told him to keep it.
I was shocked when he said that they were burning flight gear. I knew that they tossed a lot of it but I was not aware that they actually burned the stuff

 

[TankBuster]

Oh yes, AAF depots that collected jackets after the war would heap them into piles and pour gasoline over them, and have a big bon fire

 

[dujardin]

congrats for your splendid jacket with memories of the past; they use white paint aboard carrier, just imagine it's a work incident.
and many thanks for sharing info and photos with us.
can someone date the picture when he board the Bearcat and give detail on the parachute he is wearing??
byeeeeeee marcel

 

[bazelot]

congrats for your splendid jacket with memories of the past; they use white paint aboard carrier, just imagine it's a work incident.
and many thanks for sharing info and photos with us.
can someone date the picture when he board the Bearcat and give detail on the parachute he is wearing??
byeeeeeee marcel

according to his interview he was back in the reserve in 1948 flying Bearcats. He flew Bearcats from 48 to 50. He was a lieutenant then so the jacket I have is the one he actually wore in the war as it says Ensign on it. He was promoted to lieutenant as soon as he came back from carrier duty.