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LOT 1307
Historic U.S. Lieutenant General’s Uniform Marked for Aviation Pioneer
Ira C. Eaker - The grouping consists of a tan “Ike” pattern jacket with a tailor
tag for Paul Snyder of Texas, a gray slacks with no label, matching belt, tan
garrison cap with black and gold piping, and a “crusher” style officer cap with
a faded San Antonio merchant mark inside the oilcloth inner lining. The jacket
features silver bullion “US” lapel patches, shoulder stars (three per shoulder,
attached directly to the strap), and pilot’s wings over seven rows of individually
applied ribbons. The internal breast pocket has a Paul Snyder label signed “Gen
Ira C. Eaker/7-3-46”, and the ribbons are consistent with the known awards
of General Eaker, including a number of his foreign awards like the Knight
Commander of the Bath and Order of the British Empire ribbons from Britain,
his Croix de Guerre with Palm from France, and others. Born in Texas in 1896,
Ira Clarence Eaker joined the U.S. Army in 1917, initially serving as an infantry
officer before retraining for aviation post-World War I. In addition to serving
in a number of leadership and staff roles between the wars, Eaker would
participate in the 22,000 mile Pan American Goodwill Flight in 1926/1927, served as the chief pilot on the record
setting six day endurance flight of the Atlantic-Fokker C-2A “Question Mark” (which also served as an early test
bed for midair refueling techniques, vital to future long range air patrol and bombing techniques), made the first instrument-only transcontinental flight in
1936, and helped plan the at-sea interception of the SS Rex in 1938. A Colonel in 1941, Eaker was promoted to Brigadier General and dispatched to England
shortly after America joined the war to command the Eight Air Force, where he was a major advocate of daylight precision bombing and the use of drop-tank
equipped fighter escorts. Later he would serve as Commander in Chief of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces, Deputy Commander of the Army Air Forces and
Chief of the Air Staff. Retiring in 1947, he would serve as a vice president of Hughes Tool Company, Hughes Aircraft, and Douglass Aircraft, as well as a weekly
columnist on military affairs, while being inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1970 and receiving the Congressional Gold Medal in 1978. At the
time of his retirement he was a Lieutenant General in the Army of the United States and a Major General in the Regular Army, receiving a retired list promotion
to Lieutenant General of the then-new U.S. Air Force in 1948 and a honorary promotion to four-star General in 1985.
CONDITION: Very good overall, with mild stains and wear overall, heavier staining and folding/crushing of the cap, and a damaged button and some loose
threads on the jacket.
Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection.
Estimate: 7,500 - 12,000
LOT 1306
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 welcome addition to any aviation collection.
Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection.
Estimate: 8,000 - 11,000