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

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Werber 1402-P Example 1, continued:

 

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Werber 1402-P Example No. 2: zipper is not original to the jacket

More photos…

 

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J. A. Dubow Mfg. Co. W535-AC-20960 42-1403-P​

Contract Awarded: 8 August 1941 (EA2G plate 14)
Date of Completion: unknown
Quantity: 13,000 jackets (EA2G plate 13)
Leather type: horsehide/cowhide
Stitch color: dark brown (Chapman)
Zipper(s): The following zippers have been attested. Others are possible. They are listed in approximate order of the frequency with which they have been encountered:

• Crown M-41 nickel
• Kwik M-40 nickel
• Talon M-39 straight pull
• Crown M-40 (EA2G plate 14)

General Comments:

• From Eastman’s research, it appears that Dubow Mfg. was particularly eager to abandon the collar stand (EA2G plate 13), and it is unsurprising that future Dubow contracts, and even some examples of this contract, were made without it.
• This contract was worn by many of the Doolittle Raiders, including Jimmy Doolittle himself (GW).

Identifying/Distinguishing Details:

• The only Dubow contract to be made with a collar stand, although some 20960 jackets did not have one (EA2G plate 14).
• The shape of the collar itself is likewise quite different from later Dubow contracts, and is more akin to a Rough Wear or Werber collar (Chapman).
• The x-box stitching on epaulets is also noticeably more square than on any of Dubows other contracts.
• The knits on this contract were more of a medium brown, sometimes even a little bit lighter, as opposed to the purple hue that is typical of later Dubow contracts.
• Otherwise typical of Dubows, albeit maybe a bit slimmer in the lower torso (Chapman):
  • 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.
  • Epaulets are wide as is typical for all Dubow contracts. Dubows had the “fattest” epaulets found on A-2s.
  • 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.

 

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Dubow 20960 Example 1:

 

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Dubow 20960 Example 1, continued:

 

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Dubow 20960 Example 2: zipper is not original to the jacket

More photos…

 

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Rough Wear Clothing Co. W535-AC-21035 42-1671-P​

Contract Awarded: 15 August 1941 (EA2G 209)
Date of Completion: unknown
Quantity: Estimated to be 300, based upon contract value (EA2G 209)
Leather type: horsehide/cowhide
Stitch color: mid brown
Zipper(s): blackened straight-pull Talon M-39
General Comments:

• The contract was first noted in Eastman's A-2 guide, after he found the paper trail during his research, but it wasn't until Sept. 2020 that John Chapman located a survivor. He subsequently sold it to Gary Eastman.
• The zipper is unique to a RW contract, being a brown coated M-39 Talon No. 5, as also seen on the Fried Ostermann Co. contract W535ac-23883. There’s no obvious reason why the Air Force would need corrosion-resistant zippers. However, two larger A-2 contracts over the next few months, Monarch and Fried Ostermann, would also have blackened zippers, and this small contract was made around the same time that the Navy was ordering the M-422 (not to be confused with the M-422A), which also had blackened or brass zippers. The Navy found these zippers useful, as blackening improved their resistance to the corrosive effects of seawater (Sweeting 6-7), but this was not a concern for the Air Force. Why the AAF pursued blackened zippers in late 1941 remains a mystery.

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 throughout the period of A-2 production
• Blackened Talon M-39 straight-pull

Rough Wear 1671 Example 1:

 

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Aero Leather Clothing Co. W535-AC-21996​

Contract Awarded: 14 October 1941 through February 1942 (EA2G plate 15; WSC 26)
Date of Completion: February 1942 (WSC 26)
Quantity: 25,000 jackets (EA2G plate 15)
Leather type: horsehide/cowhide(?). The use of cowhide was detected by DNA test (EA2G plate 15), although it should be noted that the test for both this contract and Werber 39-2951P were inconclusive (EA2G 25).
Stitch color: olive drab and medium brown, sometimes on the same jacket
Liner color: mustard brown; typical of Aero contracts
Zipper(s): The following zippers have been attested. Others are possible. They are listed in approximate order of the frequency with which they have been encountered:

• Talon M-41 nickel
• Crown M-41 nickel
• Talon M-42 nickel
• Talon M-39 brass

General Comments:

• Beginning with this three-way partnership called Aero Leather Clothing Company (note the dropped “incorporated” designation) all of these contracts had a collar that was sewn directly to the body of the jacket, where the previous Aero “Inc.” company contracts had all used a collar stand.
• These jackets frequently show some extreme fading, and much of the jacket will have faded from a dark seal to a very reddish russet, although on some of them the undercolor of the leather appears to have been a light seal. It appears that leather of an originally-lighter color was sloppily re-dyed a very dark brown at some point before the jackets were assembled. This is the first Aero contract to show this unusual coloration, and it would appear on every subsequent contract that the company made, although not always exclusively.

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, especially on earlier contracts.
  • 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.
• Extreme dark-seal-to-russet fading - unique to Aeros.
• Mustard-colored lining (Acme Depot)
• Very commonly seen with red knits (Acme Depot).
• Crown M-41 or Talon M-41 nickel or M-42

 

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Aero 21996 Example No. 1:

 

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Aero 21996 Example No. 1 continued: