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Documented P-51 Mustang Fighter Ace 1st Lieutenant William H. Allen’s B-15A Flight Jacket and Visor Cap - Offered here is a USAAF B-15A flight jacket worn by American P-51 ace 1st
Lieutenant William H. Allen who was assigned to the 343rd Fighter Squadron, 55th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force. He was awarded the Air Medal with four oak leaf
clusters and Distinguished Flying Cross with one oak leaf cluster. On September 5, 1944, while returning from an escort mission, Allen and his squadron mates
flying the legendary P-51 Mustang ran into sixteen German aircraft over an airfield in Goppingen, Germany. When the dust settled Allen was credited with
shooting down five Heinkel He 111s, making him an ace in a day.
In the included 1997 dated notarized affidavit from William Allen attests that he acquired the jacket while serving in the USAAF during World
War II. In the accompanying 1998 dated letter addressed to our consignor Allen provided additional details, stating that the B-15A
jacket was “obtained by me during WWII. I am not sure of the exact date, but it was between November 1944 and the end of the war.” The jacket is
pictured and identified in Maguire and Conway’s “American Flight Jackets” on page 255. The jacket features a Conmar zipper and faint USAAF insignia
on the left sleeve. Originally the jacket had two leather triangle patches
sewn to the chest: one on the left side, the other on the right. Only the patch on the right remains. Includes Allen’s USAAF visor cap.
Personal effects worn and carried by World War II aces are becoming increasingly difficult to find. Perhaps no other aircraft conjures up the image of the fighter pilot better than the P-51. It was the lame duck that evolved into America’s most capable fighter once it was mated with the British Rolls- Royce Merlin engine. As a high performance, high altitude, long range fighter, the P-51 was invaluable to securing Allied air superiority in the European Theater. Mustang pilots have been credited for destroying 4,950 German aircraft, which
is more than any other Allied fighter. Perhaps the best praise
for the P-51 came from the 1944 report by the Truman Senate
War Investigating Committee, which stated the P-51 was “the most
aerodynamically perfect pursuit plane in existence.”They didn’t call it the
Cadillac of the Sky for nothing! Allen, flying his P-51 “Pretty Patty II,”
helped to solidify the Mustang’s place in aviation history, and now
you can own a piece of that heroic legacy.
CONDITION: Very good overall as a flight jacket worn by an 8th AF
ace, displaying authentic use with most of the visible wear near
and on the cuffs. Traces of the data label remain. The visor cap is
also very good with the sweat band partially detached. An original WWII B-15A jacket worn
by P-51 ace 1st Lt. William H. Allen that will be a welcomed addition to any aviation collection.
Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection.
Estimate: 8,000 - 11,000
Lieutenant William H. Allen
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