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

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Rough Wear 23380 Example No. 2 continued:

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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:

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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:

 

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Perry 23377 Example No. 2:

 

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Perry 23377 Example No. 2 continued:

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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:

 

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Cooper Example No. 1 continued:

Cooper Example No. 2:

 

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Cooper Example No. 2 continued:

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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:

 

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Cable 10008P Example No. 1 continued:

Cable 10008P Example No. 2:

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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​