A-2 jacket
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The Type A-2 leather flight jacket is one of the most classic and immediately recognizable articles of military clothing ever designed. It is most closely associated with World War II U.S. Army pilots, who often decorated their jackets with squadron patches and elaborate artwork painted on the back. Sometimes incorrectly referred to as a "bomber" jacket, its official designation was "Jacket, Pilot's (summer)," and its wartime usage was limited neither to pilots nor to bomber crews.
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[edit] History
The Type A-2 flying jacket was standardized by the U.S. Army Air Corps as the successor to the Type A-1 flying jacket. The Type Designation Sheet lists the dates for Service Test as September 20, 1930, and Standardized on May 9, 1931. A second Limited Standard was issued on April 27, 1943. The military specification number is 94-3040. The Drawing Number was given as 31-1415, but the spec. labels found in the jackets themselves show this to be 30-1415.
The U.S. Army Air Forces Class 13 Catalog listed the A-2 as "Jacket, Flying, Type A-2," with Spec. No. 94-3040. It describes the jacket's construction as, "seal brown horsehide leather, knitted wristlets and waistband (skirt)." Sizes were listed as ranging in even numbers from 32 through 54.
[edit] Design and construction
Although the actual design would vary slightly depending on the manufacturer, and even among contracts within a single manufacturer, all A-2 jackets had several distinguishing characteristics: a snap-flap patch pocket on either side that does not have hand warmer compartments, a shirt-style snap-down collar, epaulets, knit cuffs and waistband, back construction from a single piece of leather, and finally a plain silk or cotton inner lining with a military spec tag attached just below the back collar. Most pre-war and wartime A-2's are constructed of horsehide, which was either vegetable or chrome tanned. Some original A-2's were made from goatskin (like the Navy G-1 jacket), and others possibly from steer hide. Spiewak- and Doniger-made jackets are always goatskin, as are many Cable Raincoat Company, Dubow, Bronco, Perry, and Roughwear examples.
Wartime-issued A-2 jackets appear in a wide range of color tones and hues, although all are based on two distinct colors: Seal (dark brown to almost black) and Russett (light brown to pale red). Most seal jackets were russet jackets re-dyed during the war although some contracts like the Aero Leather W535 ac-21996 were dyed seal right from the start.
Early A-2's had linings made from silk, per the original specification. This was changed to cotton later on. A letter from the Materiel Division of Wright Field, dated 7 January 1939, states that the use of silk in flying jackets had been discontinued "as its procurement was found not to be feasible." The letter does not say when this happened, but it makes it clear that the vast majority of original A-2 jackets have cotton linings.
Zippers were made of steel or brass and some were nickel plated. Known zipper suppliers were Talon, Crown, Conmar, and Kwik, with Talon providing the majority of zippers used in wartime A-2 construction.
Unlike modern loose-fitting jackets, the A-2 was a rather trim-fitting jacket in both the torso and sleeves. It is designed to fit young men who are fit.
[edit] Manufacturers
There were many manufacturers of A-2 jackets during WWII, with a wide range of quality and fit. These include
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[edit] Wartime use
The A-2 jacket was awarded to an Army Air Corps pilot upon completion of his basic flight training, and always before he progressed to advanced training. No standardized system of distribution was used, though generally the flight officers were lined up in front of boxes containing jackets of various sizes and given the appropriate size jacket by the base quartermaster. Unlike other articles of military clothing each flight officer received only one A-2 jacket.
The A-2 was a treasured item to the flight officer and was worn with as much pride as his wings. As the pilots progressed through training and combat they often added and removed squadron patches, rank bars, and occasionally elaborate artwork depicting the type of aircraft they flew or a copy of the artwork painted on their airplane. Bomber pilots often added small bombs to the right front of their jackets indicating the number of missions they had flown. As a result, many jackets ended up with numerous stitch marks as patches of various sizes were removed and replaced when the pilot changed squadrons. Unlike Navy pilots, who often wore the patches of every squadron they had ever flown with, Army pilots could only display the patch of their current assignment. The emblem of the Army Air Corps. was often sewn or painted on the left shoulder, while the shield of the Air Force division was generally displayed on the right.
Despite becoming a symbol of the American pilot, in 1942 General H. H. "Hap" Arnold canceled any further contracts in favor of newer cloth-shell jackets. Even after the transition to cloth jackets it was impossible to prevent pilots from continuing to obtain and wear the stylish A-2 jacket, as demonstrated by the large number of photos clearly showing Korean War pilots flying F-82's and F-86's while still wearing the original A-2 jacket issued to them a decade earlier, or newer jackets made to fit their current sizes. Hap Arnold's popularity with the pilots was not improved by this decision.
It's important to note that although the A-2 is sometimes referred to as a "Bomber Jacket," in reality only the bomber's pilots generally wore them. The rest of the bomber crew--including navigator, bombardier, gunners, and so on--usually wore the heavier fleece-lined sheepskin Type B-3 or B-6 jacket, which was warmer and much better suited to standing in front of an open gun port and turret.
Some jackets had a map of the mission area sewn into the lining, which could be used (in theory) for navigation if shot down. Some jackets also had a "blood chit" sewn into the lining, printed on cloth, which promised certain rewards to civilians who aided a downed airman.
[edit] Theatre-made jackets
Throughout the War, as the A-2's popularity grew, so too did the demand for it. Because only pilots and other officers could obtain A-2 jackets through regular channels, a small "cottage industry" soon appeared, especially in England, to make A-2-style jackets for GI's who otherwise couldn't get one. This was especially true after the Army stopped issuing leather jackets in 1942, and disappointed pilots were sent to war in the less desirable cloth jackets, or were unable to replace A-2's they had lost or damaged. As a result, some war-era jackets used by WWII pilots are clearly not true to original military specifications, though this makes them no less historic.
[edit] Survivors
Original wartime issued A-2 jackets are rare but not unavailable. Tens of thousands were issued from 1931 until 1942, and some old stock jackets may have been issued even into the late 1940s long after the Type was discontinued as an article of military clothing. The value of such originals range widely depending on condition, known history, patches and artwork, and even size. Most originals used a sizing system considerably smaller than today's comparable sizes. In other words, an original size 42 might be closer to a modern 40 or even a 38 depending on the manufacturer. Expect to pay between $800 and $5,000 for an original A-2 jacket, with wearable examples generally running $1,000 and up.
The National Museum of the United States Air Force has an amazing collection of original A-2 jackets, most donated by the families of Air Force pilots. No less than fifty are on display at any time throughout the Museum, including many historic jackets such as Gen. Jimmy Stewart's A-2, an A-2 from the AVG "Flying Tigers," and an A-2 worn by one of the few pilots to get airborne during the Attack on Pearl Harbor.
[edit] The modern Air Force A-2
Years of effort by Air Force pilots to get the legendary A-2 jacket reissued finally succeeded when the Air Force began issuing them again in the late 1980s. The fact the Navy had never stopped issuing their leather flying jackets meant that an entire generation of Air Force pilots had missed out on an opportunity not lost to their Navy comrades. It's also likely that the popularity of the 1985 film "Top Gun," which depicted Tom Cruise wearing a stylish Navy G-1 jacket (with many sewn-on unit patches), and which dramatically helped Navy recruiting, might have played a role in the Air Force's decision to return the A-2 to its ranks. In any case, the A-2 now holds just as sacred a place among current Air Force pilots as its ancestor did half a century ago.
The modern Air Force A-2 differs from the original design in several ways: It is bulkier, made only from goatskin, and produced in only the dark seal color. Unlike WWII pilots, modern Air Force pilots are not permitted to paint their A-2 jackets, or disfigure them in any way. The Air Force explanation for this is that the paint would be flammable, and could pose a fire hazard. The goatskin used in today's A-2 is treated with a special fire retardant chemical. Finally, the pilot's name tag mounted on the left breast, and command patch on the right, are attached with Velcro, not sewn directly onto the jacket as they were during WWII.
In 1996 Cooper Sportswear was awarded a contract from the DSCP in Philadelphia Pennsylvania to redesign the A-2 jacket to be more functional and to improve the fit. Side entry pockets were added to the patch pockets and inside wallet pockets were added. The fit was enlarged via extra pieces under the arms and on the sides. The neck clasp was also eliminated.
[edit] Reproductions
Just as a cottage industry appeared during the war to meet the need for A-2 jackets, so too does such an industry still exist today. Because the A-2 never went out of style, production of it never really ceased. Over the years it has varied in style and accuracy relative to the original war-era design, but it has remained visible in popular movies and TV shows of the 1950s and 1960s. In the mid-1970s several small companies catering to purists began undertaking the job of designing and constructing authentic-style reproductions that were as close to the original war era A-2 as possible. Using correct patterns, often obtained through "reverse engineering" from dissected originals, and using correct vegetable-dyed horse hide, cotton thread, and even actual WWII-era-old stock Talon zippers, they have effectively recreated a wartime-era jacket that can be worn daily without fear of damaging a valuable original. Such authenticity doesn't come cheap, as such jackets can regularly cost $800 or more.
A-2 jackets made by the original contract manufacturers (such as Cooper) tend to fit athletic young men, with the chest much larger than the waist. Some former pilots have found that their old A-2 jackets no longer fit them. L.L.Bean makes a jacket called the "Flying Tiger Jacket," which closely follows the original design for the A-2, but is sized to fit middle-aged men. It is made of goatskin, not horsehide, and lined with a smooth fabric, but not silk. It has the knit cuffs and waistband, the leather storm flap over the zipper, the snap-down collar, and snap-down flaps on the patch pockets, plus added handwarmer pockets. It can be purchased in fleece-lined or insulated versions, as well as the "original," uninsulated version. These jackets are water-resistant, because they are made of goatskin. They are warm (sometimes too warm). They are frequently stolen.
[edit] The A-2 jacket in the media
A-2 jackets can be seen in virtually every WWII movie ever made, as they came to represent the American fighting man just as much as the P-51 Mustang and Colt .45 automatic. Seeing legendary actors such as Gregory Peck and John Wayne on the big screen wearing A-2's only reinforced their popularity. By the 1950s, the A-2 was moving into the role of the motorcycle jacket, which would soon evolve into its own distinct style. The jackets worn by Henry Winkler in the role of "Fonzie" in the TV show Happy Days were variations of the A-2 jacket. In the 1960s and 1970s, the A-2 would reappear in a new crop of big-budget WWII films such as The Great Escape and Patton, as well as being the wardrobe of choice for Bob Crane's character of Colonel Hogan in the popular TV series Hogan's Heroes. This same jacket, manufactured by the studio's costume department, would later be worn by Frank Sinatra in the film Von Ryan's Express. In the 1980s TV series The A-Team the character Capt. H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock (played by actor Dwight Schultz) almost always wore a ball cap, an A-2 leather flight jacket with a tiger on the back, and a pair of black Converse All-Star shoes. In the 1980s, two movies made flying jackets popular. The 1983 movie The Right Stuff, based on Tom Wolfe's book, featured Chuck Yeager in an A-2, both flying the Bell X-1 and the modified F-104, riding a horse, and just hanging out. The jacket is an integral part of his heroic image. The Tom Cruise movie Top Gun made the Navy G-1 jacket popular. Shops appeared in shopping malls, filled with "authentic Avirex G-1 jackets", with non-spec handwarmer pockets, non-spec removable fleece-lined collars, and numerous patches sewn on, including the ever-popular Gulf of Sidra Yacht Club patch.
