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LOT 3407
Historic World
War II U.S. Army
Air Force A-2
Flight Jacket for
the 548th Night
Fighter Squadron
with Book and
Documentation
- Per an included
letter of
authentication, this
flight jacket was the
personal property
of Edward F. Jones
of the 548th Night
Fighter Squadron.
Established in
1944, the 548th
operated the P61
Black Widow,
America’s first
dedicated night interceptor, and would provide protection against
night attacks over Saipan and Iwo Jima, later advancing to Lejima
as the war progressed, where they would perform their interception
defense role as well as performing night penetrations and weather
observations over the Japanese Home Islands in support of the
strategic bombing campaign. While the 548th would score relatively
few kills, they were extremely effective at keeping their operational
areas safe at night; most Japanese bombers would dump their bombs
and head home once they knew they were spotted rather than try and fight their way through.
They are also credited with the final two documented American air-to-air kills of World War II. Jones’ history is fairly well documented, having retained a number
of personal documents from the war which were later provided to Eric Schulenberger, author of “Deny Them The Night Sky: A History of the 548th Night Fighter
Squadron”, with a copy of the book provided with the lot. Jones qualified as a pilot in March of 1944, initially training on the B25 Mitchell bomber before being
tapped for night fighter training. Flying with the squadron for most of it’s existence, he ended the war at the rank of First Lieutenant with one Air Medal to his credit, and would retire at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. The jacket is
brown leather construction, with a leather “E.F. JONES” name tag over the squadron patch (painted leather, featuring unit mascot “Scopey”, a cat armed with a flashlight and a smoking revolver) on the left breast, 5th Air Force patch
on the left shoulder, CBI patch on the right, painted Lieutenant bars on the shoulder, and a design of a black haired woman with a background of a ship on the ocean and red text “DRAGON/LADY” on the back. In addition to the
aforementioned book and letter, a number of supporting documents and photocopies are included, which include a narrative explaining why a CBI patch is on a Pacific Theater jacket (reportedly there was confusion about where
the Squadron would wind up, but once it was resolved Jones retained the patch because he liked the design), a letter from a crew chief identifying “Dragon Lady” as one of the 548th’s P61s, Jones’ flight log, and a set of three Army
Air Force instrument flight manuals (“Basic and Advanced”, “Instrument Trainer”, and “Techniques in Weather”).
CONDITION: Very good, as worn condition. Some of the patches are coming loose, with wear on the paint and leather.
Estimate: 5,000 - 9,000
LOT 3408
Six U.S. World War II Aviation Patches, Mainly for Fighter Squadrons - All six patches are round, and embroidered felt unless noted
otherwise. 1) 22nd Fighter Squadron patch, 4 3/4” diameter, featuring a bee with boxing gloves. Activated in 1940, the 22nd was assigned to
the Caribbean, spending the early part of World War II on anti-submarine duty and providing security for the Panama Canal. Moving to the
European Theater in 1943, the 22nd performed ground attack duty before and during D-Day, at St. Lo, the Battle of the Bulge and the push
across the Rhine. During the Cold War, the 22nd would be the home unit of future Apollo astronauts Ed White (tragically deceased in the Apollo
1 Fire) and “Buzz” Aldrin (second man on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission). 2) 826th Bombardment Squadron patch, 5” diameter, painted
leather construction, featuring a vulture perched on a belt-fed machine gun with a bomb in the background. The 826th spent the war in the
Mediterranean Theater, performing strategic bombing and supporting the push on Rome, Operation Dragoon in Southern France, and action
against Northern Italy. 3) 340th Fighter Squadron patch, 4 1/2” diameter, featuring a man in a cape with a machine gun riding a lightning bolt.
Active in the Pacific Theater, the 340th performed air cover and ground attack duty in support of the assault on New Britain and the liberation
of the Philippines. 4) 364th Fighter Squadron patch, 5” diameter, painted leather construction, depicting a Disney-style crow firing a Vickers-
style machine gun from the back of a hissing cobra. The 364th was a component of the 357th Fighter Group, aka the Yoxford Boys, which
received Distinguished Unit Citations for actions over Berlin and Derben, and participated in the “Big Week” actions against the German aviation
establishment. 5) 347th Fighter Squadron patch, 5 1/2” diameter, featuring a bucking donkey on a cloud in a lightning bolt “V”. Formed in 1942
and including Americans who volunteered for the RAF prior to Pearl Harbor and aircraft intended for French delivery prior to the German
invasion, the 347th was active in French Morocco, and supported the invasions of Sicily, Elba, and Southern France. An attached note indicates
the patch was made in Italy, and it uses what appears to be salvaged herringbone twill fabric as a backing. 6) 43rd Fighter Squadron patch, 5”
diameter, depicting a yellowjacket in flight, the 43rd was part of the Panama Canal Zone defenses leading up to Pearl Harbor, and spent the war
in Central and Southern America. Among other duties, they participated in the training of the 1st Brazilian Fighter Squadron, which fought with distinction in Italy.
CONDITION: Fine overall, with some wear, stains and moth activity.
Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection.
Estimate: 1,500 - 2,500