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LOT 3297
Documented Italian Painted World War II USAAF A-2 Flight Jacket Identified to a 460th Bomber Group, 761st Bomber Squadron Bombardier - World War II in-theater Italian artisan painted
A-2 jackets are highly prized pieces of aerial combat memorabilia. These extremely talented Italian artisans created some of the most elaborate artworks found on WWII A-2 flight jackets. Each jacket is unique, befitting the personality
of the individual airman. This example is documented to 460th Bomber Group, 761st Bomber Squadron bombardier William Cavanaugh. The
back of the jacket features
a stellar painted on canvas
image of Cavanaugh’s B-24
Liberator on the backdrop
of a waving American flag
and a flak filled sky. On the
left chest is a pilot’s wing
above a fantastic Italian
handmade tooled and multi-
colored 460th Bomber Group “Black Panther” leather patch. Cavanaugh’s name tag has been removed from the left chest (not included) where
the subsequently added pilot’s wing is currently located. A painted on leather 15th AAF patch with the addition of “460 BOMB. GP.” in a banner adorns the left shoulder. By Cavanaugh’s own account, the paintings were by in-theater Italian artisans who had set up shops near the U.S. air base. A photograph of Cavanaugh wearing this exact jacket sometime during the war is included. Also included are two photographs of 460th Bomber Group B-24s in combat taken by Cavanaugh. In an accompanying letter, Cavanaugh stated the photos were taken by him while returning from a mission. The jacket is pictured and identified in Maguire and Conway’s “American Flight Jackets, Airmen & Aircraft: A History of U.S. Flyers’ Jackets from World War I to Desert Storm” on page 272 where the authors also cite Cavanaugh’s war record: “Bill Cavanaugh was a Bombardier with
the 460th Bomber Group, 761st Bomber Squadron, 15th Air Force. He received 2 DFCs and was the lead Bombardier on a large scale mission that enabled the Allies to break the German lines in Northern Italy in 1945. The 460th took part in numerous missions against targets in Italy, France, and Germany, as well as all of Eastern Europe.”His heroics are also retold in included handwritten letters Cavanaugh wrote to our consignor in the 1990s. Additional information is taken directly from the included copy of the citation to one of Cavanaugh’s Distinguished Flying Crosses, awarded April 9, 1945: “Throughout many combat missions against highly
important and strategic
enemy installations,...
[William J. Cavanaugh]
demonstrated the
highest order of
professional skill,
heroism, leadership
and devotion to duty.
Despite heavy enemy
opposition encountered
on these long and
hazardous missions,
together with severe and adverse weather conditions, their outstanding leadership of personal example and tactical skill have contributed materially to the defeat of the armed forces of the enemy.”This lot also includes Cavanaugh’s white silk flying scarf featuring an embroidered 460th Bomber Group “Black Panther.”
CONDITION: Good, with absent liner, both front pockets have replaced
stitching, broken zipper and wear to the cuffs and waist band. The B-24
on canvas retains most of the vivid original paint. A great work of Italian artistry, this highly personalized A-2 flight jacket documented to a heroic B-24 bombardier will be a welcome addition to any private or public World War II aviation collection no matter how advanced.
Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection.
Estimate: 3,000 - 6,000 173