missing link?

[Silver Surfer]

after several months of negotiations, i have finally landed this one, a switlik a-2. to the best of my knowledge there is no mention or notation of a switlik a-2 anywhere. it is tagged a size 42, but fits as a snug size 40. some interesting details are the double stitched pockets and flaps, early nipple snaps and the 1932 riveted talon zipper that has a puller marked both talon and hookless.

 

[stanier]

Wow!

 

[Officer Dibley]

WOW indeed. A real beauty. The hide looks like a Sefton !! Lol

 

[Maverickson]

Victor,

What a fine looking jacket!

Does this jacket also have vegetable tanned hide & silk thread like my Switlik M-422?

Cheers, Dave

 

[mulceber]

This is really neat, Vic! Any thoughts on which contracts this one may have come between?

 

[MikeyB-17]

Fascinating, Captain! I see the zip was painted brown originally. I like the way those old zips sheathed the bottom of the male side in metal rather than leaving it to fray like the later ones. I also note that the collar hook is stitched into the seam at the end, not riveted on. Colour is quite similar to my old ELC House A-2!

 

[Grant]

Whoa! what a primo example of a very rare 1930's A-2. Marked size 42, how is the overall fit? You gave yourself quite the Christmas present! Congtrats my man!

 

[2BM2K]

Interesting.
It has the details of a 1932 A2 jacket but with double stitched pockets.

But the the label is wrong, it reads DWG No 31-1413 instead of DWG No 30-1415.

The jacket could have been relabeled and relined.

It is certainly a mystery.

 

[Edward]

what? is this a contract that no one has discovered or published about? is this perhaps a test offer that the army declined a contract to? what is this company? seems like perhaps a rare bird here! nice score!

 

[Edward]

apparently this place is still in business since 1920. https://store.switlik.com/pages/our-story

 

[Silver Surfer]

yup, mysto jacket. the hides are veg tanned, and the thread is cotton...i think. the woman i purchased the jacket from said that her grand dad got it at patterson field [wright patterson?] in the 1930s. the jacket came to me post marked from ohio. all in all she just didnt have much in the way of anything to share

 

[Edward]

absolutely astounding! how the heck did you track this down? amazing find and one for the history books! not even mentioned in the Eastman book.

 

[mulceber]

apparently this place is still in business since 1920. https://store.switlik.com/pages/our-story

Wouldn't that make them the only original A-2 manufacturer still in business?

 

[Edward]

Wouldn't that make them the only original A-2 manufacturer still in business?

very interesting! I wonder if they even know because their about us/history doesn't mention jackets. it does mention government contracting-leather mail bags manufactured for the United States Post Office Department and vague mention of manufacturing pilot and gunner belts, designing flight clothing

 

[Roughwear]

This is a fascinating find Vic. However, the label is actually from a pair of A-2 flying trousers, not from an A-2 at all. The label on the A-2 has been doctored with the 2 from the drawing number removed and the 5 from the order number removed. You can see the changes when you look at the photo of an A-2 trouser label. The drawing number should read 31-2413 and the order number AC 5515.

 

[Ken at Aero Leather]

Interesting.
It has the details of a 1932 A2 jacket but with double stitched pockets.

But the the label is wrong, it reads DWG No 31-1413 instead of DWG No 30-1415.

The jacket could have been relabeled and relined.

It is certainly a mystery.

The jacket shows none of the usual signs of being relined but the stitching of the label doesn't look as if it was done flat on the single piece of back lining, rather done when the jacket was completed?
Firm is still going, check with them
Nice A-2 whatever

 

[Grant]

Wow, great observation Andrew and good to have you back!

 

[Ken at Aero Leather]

Should have read the whole thread before replying..............looks like we are all pretty much in agreement then?

 

[Micawber]

Interesting.

 

[mulceber]

Great point, Andrew. I just went through the Eastman manual, and the double stitching is unattested across all contracts, so I don't THINK this is a case of someone trying to turn a fairly common contract into a unique one by adding a fake label. My guess is that Edward's hypothesis was correct: Switlik wanted to break into the A-2 jacket game, so they made a test jacket that they sent to the army. Rather than create a completely new label, they just took one of the labels that they used for their flying trousers and doctored it to look passable.