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LOT 3449
Legendary World War II U.S. Army Air Forces A-2 Flight Jacket - This World War II USAAF
A-2 flight jacket was manufactured by
Bronco Mfg. Corp., is a size 42, and
has a Crown zipper. The maker’s label has the contract number “W535ac29191.” The left shoulder has USAAF
insignia. Adopted as standard issue in early May 1931, the Type A-2 leather flight jacket quickly gained fame
as the signature jacket worn by USAAF pilots and aircrews during World War II on every front, but wartime use was not limited to airmen alone. Despite massive popularity, the A-2 jacket was canceled in 1943 in favor of the nylon style jackets like
the B-10 and B-15. Nevertheless, later wartime aircrews never seemed to fail in getting their hands on the more popular A-2s. It was impossible to stop airmen from wearing the jacket. The popularity
of these jackets
remained high
well into the
Korean War as
most notably F-82
and F-86 fighter
pilots continued
to wear the World War
II issued A-2 jacket despite it from being
officially canceled a decade earlier. In 1988,
the Air Force officially reissued the A-2
jacket, a decision likely heavily influenced
by the popularity surrounding the 1986
film “Top Gun” where the main character
Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell wore
the U.S. Navy’s iconic leather flight jacket: the G-1.
CONDITION: Fine displaying scattered authentic wear and use with some heavier wear on the cuffs and at the collar. The USAAF shoulder insignia retains much of the paint. A well above average condition example of an iconic World War II A-2 flight jacket.
Provenance: The Putnam Green/ Sycamore Collection.
Estimate: 1,000 - 2,000
264
LOT 3450
Five U.S. World War II Bombardment
Squadron Uniform Patches - All
five patches are of a pattern used by
a U.S. Army Air Corps/Army Air Force
bombardment squadron during World
War II. 1) 486th Squadron (340th Bomb
Group) patch, embroidered on white
cloth, with a design of Bugs Bunny
preparing to throw a bomb. 2) 760th
Squadron (460th Bomb Group) patch,
carved and painted leather, with a
weeping vulture perched on a bomb.
3) 2nd Squadron (22nd Bomb Group)
patch, embroidered on white and
brown felt, with a red, white and blue
stylized bird on a white diamond. 4)
338th Squadron (96th Bomb Group)
patch, embroidered on blue felt, with a golden bomb being dropped straight into a brown barrel. 5) 436th Squadron (formerly the 88th Aero Squadron, 88th Observer Squadron, and 88th Reconnaissance Squadron, attached to 7th Bomb Group c.1936-1946) patch, leather-on-leather construction with a black bucking bronco with rider on a yellow field, over four black and seven silver stars.
CONDITION: All five are very good, with #3 showing some holes around the edges of the patch and #5 showing some cracking and edge tears. All retain good detail and strong color.
Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection.
Estimate: 2,000 - 3,000
LOT 3451
Grouping of Army Air Corps Uniform Items, Memorabilia, and Unit Patches - Case 1 contains items attributed to a Corporal Frederick S. Murphy, a photo lab tech with the Army Air force, and includes a set of dog tags and a Lowry Field Conduct Card for Murphy, badges for a air recon photo lab tech and M1 Carbine sharpshooter, “ruptured duck” honorable discharge patch, and two unit patches. One is painted leather, and the other is bullion embroidered with a leather border, both featuring a design of an eagle in a flight helmet aiming a recon camera mid-flight. Case 2 contains a group shot of the crew of the B17 bomber “Big Yank” (840th Bomb Squadron, 483rd Bomb Group, 15th Air Force), a bullion embroidered 15th Air Force shoulder patch, a Franklin Roosevelt presidential campaign pin, enamel Army Air Force pin, and two painted leather patches for the 414th Bomb Squadron. The patch design was inspired by an incident where a 414th bomber, “All American III”, nearly had its tail torn off in a collision with a German fighter while returning from a bomb run but successfully managed to return home and land; the plane was repaired and performed non-combat support service. Both patches feature a figure (a generic dog on one, Donald Duck on the other) sitting on the nearly-severed tail of the All American III in flight, in a position of prayer.
CONDITION: Very good overall.
Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection.
Estimate: 1,500 - 2,500