ORIGINAL H.L.B CORP N.Y. SPEC M-445A HEAVY WINTER JACKET

[Jorgeenriqueaguilera]

Gents,

Today I wanted to share a superb example of the Spec M-445A, made by H.L.B. CORP. N.Y. under Contract No. 98192 in 1942.

The Spec M-445 series was a flight jacket for the "Heavy-Winter” adopted by the USN in the 1930s, and was developed for the same purpose as the USAAF B-3. This jacket was used in combination with the Spec M-446 Flying Trousers series to form a cold weather flying suit. The rough design is similar to the "Light-Winter Spec M-444”, which uses slightly thinner shearing.

The Spec M-445A is the second model of the Spec M-445 series, and the improvement is that the end of the zipper is moved up and the front end is closed with a button. This design enhances maneuverability while sitting.

The condition of this example is superb and all parts are original to the jacket. The leather is very soft and supple. Talon zipper works perfectly.

Left chest shows the ghost stitching of a name tag removed at some point.

US stencil under the collar looks sharp.

Something particular about this jacket is that it even conserves the cutter tags on the back and inside the pockets.

Hard to believe this example is almost 80 years old!

That being said, enjoy the pics!

Regards,
Jorge

 

[Jorgeenriqueaguilera]

 

[Jorgeenriqueaguilera]

And of course, the fit pic...

 

[Flightengineer]

Jorge, every time you take out another treasure from your cave. Jacket looks like it was made yesterday, however the traces of the tag indicate that this jacket probably saw the cockpit.

 

[B-Man2]

Jorge
I’m running out of adjectives to describe your amazing jackets , so all I can come up with is
WTF!!.

 

[Jorgeenriqueaguilera]

Thanks, Dmitry! Yes, it might have been worn some time but I’m sure it was in the locker for the most part. The tag in the back is untouched.

 

[Jorgeenriqueaguilera]

Thanks @B-Man2, I’ll be posting more goodies in the next few days!

 

[mulceber]

Jorge
I’m running out of adjectives to describe your amazing jackets , so all I can come up with is
WTF!!.

Yeah, I’m gonna have to start reaching for a thesaurus someday soon. In the meantime, I’ll just say “incredible!”

Also, I notice that the spec label is in the lower front torso, instead of the upper back. Does anyone know why they did that?

 

[jack31916]

Took some time but you've finally found your daily wearer! What a stunner. Congrats!

 

[blackrat2]

Amazing Jorge
Can’t find a jaw hitting floor emoji

 

[mulceber]

That really should be one of our emojis. It's been growing more and more necessary ever since Jorge started posting.

 

[Saint-ex]

Jorge
I’m running out of adjectives to describe your amazing jackets , so all I can come up with is
WTF!!.

Indeed.

 

[Smithy]

As they say in NZ, "Sweet as bro!"

Bloody awesome!

 

[Jorgeenriqueaguilera]

Thank you guys! As much as I would like to, it is very risky to use these models as a daily wearer, and since this one has still the tag on the back, most likely it will just stay there. IMO it’s part of its uniqueness. Besides I can always find another without tags in good shape. Patience is my last name...

 

[ausreenactor]

Shearling is pristine. Amazing!

 

[mulceber]

Thank you guys! As much as I would like to, it is very risky to use these models as a daily wearer, and since this one has still the tag on the back, most likely it will just stay there. IMO it’s part of its uniqueness. Besides I can always find another without tags in good shape. Patience is my last name...

Or a repro that you can use and abuse without fear that you’re damaging something important.

 

[Jorgeenriqueaguilera]

Or a repro that you can use and abuse without fear that you’re damaging something important.

Or both lol... JK, I think there is no company reproducing this model currently.

 

[mulceber]

Wow, that IS a shame. And it’s such a great looking jacket! I’m surprised Eastman hasn’t taken a swing at it. It’s close enough to the AN-J-4 that it wouldn’t require much of a pivot.

 

[daw]

I see the word "amazing" a couple of times above-but what else can one say?

 

[London Cabbie]

Just created a separate bookmark file for your jackets, Thankyou @Jorgeenriqueaguilera