The Mighty A-2: A Guide to the Army Air Forces’ Leather Flying Jacket

[mulceber]

Rough Wear 23380 Example No. 2 continued:

More photos…

 

[mulceber]

Cable Raincoat Co. W535-AC-23382​

Contract Awarded: 29 December 1941 (EA2G plate 20) or January 1942 (WSC 558)
Date of Completion: April 1942 (WSC 558)
Quantity: 10,000 jackets (EA2G plate 20)
Leather type: horsehide/cowhide
Stitch color: medium brown
Zipper(s): We have only seen the Kwik M-40 nickel on this contract.
General Comments:
Identifying/Distinguishing Details:

• Cable contract features:
  • Large collar with softly rounded-off points (Acme Depot).
  • Simple, angular pocket flaps without scalloping (Acme Depot)
  • Big x-box stitching, which takes up around ⅔ of each epaulet. The lines of the X, however, do not cross the innermost of the twin stitch lines (Acme Depot).
  • Ring snaps on all contracts.
  • No collar stand on any of their contracts.
  • Mustard-colored lining (GW).
• Kwik M-40 nickel

Cable 23382 Example No. 1:

More photos…

 

[mulceber]

Perry Sportswear Inc. W535-AC-23377​

Contract Awarded: 31 December 1941 (EA2G plate 21) or January 1942 (WSC 2434)
Date of Completion: May 1942 (WSC 2434)
Quantity: 20,000 jackets (EA2G plate 21)
Leather type: primarily goatskin, also horsehide/cowhide (EA2G plate 21)
Stitch color: yellowish olive drab; medium brown
Zipper(s): The following have been observed, although others cannot be ruled out. They are listed in approximate order of the frequency with which they have been encountered:

• Crown M-41 nickel
• Conmar M-40 gilt
• Conmar M-40 nickel
• Crown M-42 nickel (may be a replacement slider for what was a Crown M-41)

General Comments:
Identifying/Distinguishing Details:

• Perry Contract Features:
  • Small collar with rounded points
  • Collar stand used on all contracts.
  • The underside of the storm flap on many Perry jackets is made up of three panels (Acme Depot).
  • “Soft and shallow curves to pocket flaps, with stitch lines which are spaced farther than typical from the edge of the flap.” (Acme Depot)
  • Rectangular reinforcement stitching on the pockets (Acme Depot)
  • No Perry has been found with a pocket tag (GW)
• Most often seen in a dark russet or very light seal
• Primarily goatskin - as far as we have seen, this is the only Perry contract to be made in goatskin

Perry 23377 Example No. 1:

 

[mulceber]

Perry 23377 Example No. 2:

 

[mulceber]

Perry 23377 Example No. 2 continued:

More photos…

 

[mulceber]

Cooper Sportswear Mfg. Co. W535-AC-23381​

Contract Awarded: 5 January 1942 (EA2G plate 22)
Date of Completion: unknown
Quantity: 5,000 jackets (EA2G plate 22)
Leather type: horsehide/cowhide
Stitch color: yellowish olive drab
Zipper(s): We have only seen Conmar M-41 gilt zippers on this contract.
General Comments:

• An interesting idiosyncrasy of Cooper jackets is the font and formatting of their spec. labels are identical to those of Rough Wear, and Chapman has opined that they had the same label maker. Given that Rough Wear was based in eastern Pennsylvania and Cooper in New Jersey, this is credible.

Identifying/Distinguishing Details:

• The number one identifying feature of this very rare contract is the Conmar M-41, which only appears on this contract.
• There is a slight bevelling on the corners of the pockets (EA2G plate 22), like one would expect to see on a Bronco or United Sheeplined A-2, only much more subtle.
• Like Rough Wear and Perry, Cooper made their A-2 contract with a collar stand.

Cooper Example No. 1:

 

[mulceber]

Cooper Example No. 1 continued:

Cooper Example No. 2:

 

[mulceber]

Cooper Example No. 2 continued:

More photos…

 

[mulceber]

Cable Raincoat Co. W535-AC-24759 42-10008P​

Contract Awarded: 19 January 1942 (EA2G plate 23)
Date of Completion: unknown
Quantity: 10,000 jackets (EA2G plate 23)
Leather type: goatskin (EA2G plate 23) primarily, but also horsehide/cowhide
Stitch color: light reddish-brown
Zipper(s): Conmar M-40 gilt, Kwik M-40 nickel; both appear quite commonly. An unknown Conmar with a straight pull has also been attested.
General Comments:
Identifying/Distinguishing Details:

• Cable contract features:
  • Large collar with softly rounded-off points (Acme Depot).
  • Simple, angular pocket flaps without scalloping (Acme Depot)
  • Big x-box stitching, which takes up around ⅔ of each epaulet. The lines of the X, however, do not cross the innermost of the twin stitch lines (Acme Depot).
  • Ring snaps on all contracts.
  • No collar stand on any of their contracts.
  • Mustard-colored lining (GW).
• Frequent use of goatskin - if it’s a goatskin Cable, it’s a 42-10008P.

Cable 10008P Example No. 1:

 

[mulceber]

Cable 10008P Example No. 1 continued:

Cable 10008P Example No. 2:

More photos…

 

[mulceber]

Part III: Arming for War – March - June 1942​

The effect of Pearl Harbor on U.S. production was not immediate (at least not when it came to flight jackets), because for the ensuing couple of months, contracting proceeded very much as it had in the past, albeit perhaps at a somewhat faster rate. But February and most of March 1942 were quiet months.

Then, in late March, Aero Leather Clothing was issued a contract for 50,000 jackets, an order almost twice the size of any that had been made before. At the end of April, three more contracts of equal size were issued to Dubow, Rough Wear, and Cable. In blunt terms U.S. industrial production was ramping up. In the middle months of 1942, American garment companies churned out more than half a million A-2 jackets (524,000, to be more exact). Combined with their two subsidiaries, Bronco and United Sheeplined (Chapman), I. Spiewak & Sons alone received orders during this period for 109,000 jackets.

Beyond just the extraordinary rate of production — Dubow 27798 was churned out at a rate of almost 3,000 jackets per week — the other feature that stands out about A-2 jackets produced during this period is the sheer diversity of zippers that were used on most contracts. In earlier phases of A-2 production, most contracts might be seen with one or maybe two zipper types. By contrast, on Star Sportswear’s lone A-2 contract, seven different zipper types have been identified! There are some orders, like Cable 27753 and Knopf’s sole A-2 contract that are more consistent in what zipper they used, but the impression one gets is that, much of the time, the government was scrambling to supply these manufacturers with the zippers needed to fill the contract.

Members of the 62nd Fighter Squadron pose in their jackets​

 

[mulceber]

Aero Leather Clothing Co. W535-AC-27435 42-15142-P​

Contract Awarded: 28 March 1942 (EA2G plate 24)
Date of Completion: unknown
Quantity: 50,000 jackets (EA2G plate 24)
Leather type: horsehide/cowhide
Stitch color: olive drab and medium brown
Zipper(s): Any that were current in early 1942. The following have been observed. They are listed in approximate order of the frequency with which they have been encountered:

• Talon M-41
• Crown M-41
• Kwik M-40 nickel fantail
• Talon M-42
• Talon M-39?
• Talon M-42 gilt?

General Comments:
Identifying/Distinguishing Details:

• Aero contract features:
  • Bottom pocket corners were frequently more squared-off than other contractors.
  • Relatively narrow epaulets (Acme Depot)
  • The x-stitch on the epaulets outer edge of the shoulders is off-center, so that it appears to go off the edge of the shoulder. There are other makers that do this too, like Perry and Cable, but it is a detail worth noticing.
  • Angular pocket flaps, normally rather wide, with some gentle scalloping.
  • Triangular reinforcement stitching on the pockets.
  • Ring snaps - seen on all of Aero’s contracts from mid-1940 onward.
  • Collar snap backs are concealed by the lining (Acme Depot)
• No collar stand, in contrast to pre-1941 Aero “Inc.” company contracts.
• Commonly seen with extreme dark-seal-to-russet fading - unique to Aeros.
• Mustard-colored lining (Acme Depot)
• Very commonly seen with red knits (Acme Depot).

Aero 15142-P Example No. 1:

 

[mulceber]

Aero 15142-P Example No. 2:

More photos…

 

[mulceber]

J. A. Dubow Mfg. Co. W535-AC-27798​

Contract Awarded: 25 April 1942 (EA2G plate 25; WSC 969)
Date of Completion: August 1942 (WSC 969)
Quantity: 50,000 jackets (EA2G plate 25)
Leather type: horsehide/cowhide and goatskin (EA2G plate 25)
Stitch color: medium brown and olive drab
Zipper(s): Conceivably any that were current in early 1942. The following have been observed. They are listed in approximate order of the frequency with which they have been encountered:

• Crown M-41
• Talon M-41
• Talon M-42
• Crown M-42 dull
• Crown M-42 nickel
• Talon M-39 - possibly a replacement slider
• Kwik M-40 nickel fantail (EA2G plate 25)

General Comments:
Identifying/Distinguishing Details:

• Typical Dubow contract:
  • The most noticeable feature of the Dubow contracts is their small collar, with pointed tips that taper with a recognizable curve toward the back of the jacket.
  • Epaulets are wide as is typical for all Dubow contracts. Dubows had the “fattest” epaulets found on A-2s.
  • Dubows are normally seen with knits that were a distinctive purple shade. They are the only manufacturer to have knits of this color.
  • Wide rectangular x-box stitching on the epaulets (Acme Depot).
  • Strong scalloping on the pocket flaps.
  • Arm holes in the torso are wide and the sleeves tend to be baggy.
  • Unusual pocket placement: equidistant from the outer edge of the storm flap, rather than the zipper. The result is that, if you pay attention, the pocket placement is not symmetrical.
  • Dubow zippers were normally installed so that a lot of zipper tape lay exposed between the teeth and the leather of the chest panel. This photo illustrates it well. It’s not that dramatic, but compare it to this Aero.
  • The knit waistband on Dubow jackets was frequently installed with very little tension, with the result that the bottom of the jacket not blouse like a normal A-2. This is evident in period photos as well as in surviving originals.
  • Collar snaps on Dubows were normally installed high on the collar and had a domed look, similar to the pocket snaps.
• The spec. label on this contract is noticeably larger than on other contracts, and is unique among spec. labels in that it actually has the size listed on it. Even if the label is missing, stitch holes may remain to identify the jacket.

Dubow 27798 Example No. 1:

 

[mulceber]

Dubow 27798 Example No. 1 continued:

Dubow 27798 Example No. 2:

 

[mulceber]

Dubow 27798 Example No. 2 continued:

More photos…

 

[mulceber]

Rough Wear Clothing Co. W535-AC-27752​

Contract Awarded: 27 April 1942 (EA2G plate 26; WSC 2703)
Date of Completion: September 1942 (WSC 2703)
Quantity: 50,000 jackets (EA2G plate 26)
Leather type: horsehide/cowhide
Stitch color: light olive drab and occasionally medium brown (Chapman).
Zipper(s): Far and away, Talon M-41 nickel zippers are the most common, although we do see a smattering of other zipper types, including:

• Crown M-41
• Crown M-42, with straight teeth, instead of the normal chevron teeth

General Comments:

• Present-day reproduction manufacturers tend to treat seal brown as the norm for this contract, and russet as an odd exception. Chapman has observed, however, that russet appears to be more common than seal.
• Likewise, while this contract is typically reproduced with the double-marked Talon M-42 zipper, we have not seen any example of an original made with that zipper type.

Identifying/Distinguishing Details:

• Rough Wears were very consistent across their six contracts. Among their features:
  • The epaulets have little taper, a narrow double row of stitching running along each edge and have square x-box stitching (Acme Depot).
  • Round pocket flaps that come to a rounded center point (Acme Depot).
  • Small retaining washers underneath the collar hook eyelets on the liner side. This was only done by Rough Wear and Monarch.
  • Rough Wear continued to make their jackets with a collar stand, although there is one attested example of a Rough Wear 27752 that was made without a collar stand.
• Olive drab thread or sometimes medium brown
• Most commonly Talon M-41 zippers, although Crowns have been seen as well.

Rough Wear 27752 Example No. 1:

 

[mulceber]

Rough Wear 27752 Example No. 1 continued:

 

[mulceber]

Rough Wear 27752 Example No. 2:

More photos…

 

[mulceber]

Cable Raincoat Co. W535-AC-27753​

Contract Awarded: 29 April 1942 (EA2G plate 27) or May 1942 (WSC 559)
Date of Completion: September 1942 (WSC 559)
Quantity: 50,000 jackets (EA2G plate 27)
Leather type: horsehide/cowhide
Stitch color: light reddish-brown (Chapman)
Zipper(s): We have only seen Conmar M-40 gilt on this contract
General Comments:

• The manufacturer is not listed on the spec. label for this contract. This identification is confirmed by similarities to other contracts manufactured by Cable (GW), as well as the Alphabetic Listing of Major War Supply Contracts (WSC 559). It was first identified as Cable in Eastman’s A-2 Guide (EA2G plate 27).

Identifying/Distinguishing Details:

• Cable contract features:
  • Large collar with softly rounded-off points (Acme Depot).
  • Simple, angular pocket flaps without scalloping (Acme Depot)
  • Big x-box stitching, which takes up around ⅔ of each epaulet. The lines of the X, however, do not cross the innermost of the twin stitch lines (Acme Depot).
  • Ring snaps on all contracts.
  • No collar stand on any of their contracts.
  • Mustard-colored lining (GW).
• Use of Conmar M-40 gilt zippers - if the jacket has anything else, it’s probably a different contract.

Cable 27753 No. 1: