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Ever heard of the Major Jim Goodson Limited Edition A-2 ?

PADDY

I'll Lock Up
Bartender
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7,425
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METROPOLIS OF EUROPA
Heard of HIM...but not the jacket.

Never heard of it. He himself was a true hero, but I have no views on this particular jacket.

If you want a GREAT A-2, start searching the threads here, but a few of the better makers are Aero; Eastman Leather; Real McCoy; Buzz Rickson to start you off.
(Look in the Library section of the WW2 room, at the top of it, it's a permanent resource for all members and the A2 makers listed are there).
 

greyhound68

A-List Customer
Messages
362
Location
Manteca, CA
Have not seen one I have seen them on ebay. From discussions with other "jacket nuts" this jacket is made in China and is not of high quality.
 

Maj.Nick Danger

I'll Lock Up
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4,469
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Behind the 8 ball,..
It's true you get (usually) what you pay for. But you also get a book with the jacket. Autographed no less.
Maybe I will get one of these to paint and re-sell on ebay,....could be profitable for yours truly. :D
 

Alan Eardley

One Too Many
Messages
1,500
Location
Midlands, UK
Protech

Made by Protech in Massachusetts, owned by James Goodson Jnr, son of Colonel Jim Goodson. I used to have one in the late 80s before I knew better. In 1988 Protech had the PX catalogue contract for A-2 and G-1 jackets and were at the time serious rivals to Avirex. They also made jackets for other private labels. Protech made good bike racing gear, but I honestly couldn't recommend their A-2s as good reproductions.

Col. Goodson had an interesting career, being in England at the outbreak of war. The ship taking him back to the USA was torpedoed by a U-Boot and after being rescued he volunteered for the RAF. He reformed the 133rd Eagle Squadron which had suffered an almost total loss escorting daylight bombing early in the war. In September 1942 No. 133 squadron merged with others to form 4th Fighter Group USAAF and after 300 missions Col. Goodson spent 1945 in Stalag-Luft III.


Alan
 

SPAD

New in Town
Messages
40
Location
Northwest washington State
Goodson jacket

I have one of the goatskin Goodson jackets that I got out of the PX catalog in the late 80's. This is not the same one that is being advertised as a Goodson replica. The Goodson Replica they show now looks like the A-2 jacket made by Excelled Leather, which is not very good. The original one made by Pro-Tech that I got from the PX catalog in 87 or so is really not bad, mine is still in good condition, looks a lot better then Avirex or Cooper in my opinion. The fact of the matter is it is a sneaker, looks more like the WW2 jackets then most of the stuff out there now. The goat has a nice patina and is one of my favorite jackets. Ciao, SPAD:) ;)
 

Smithy

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,139
Location
Norway

Raymundo

One of the Regulars
Messages
109
Location
Michigan
If you sell the jacket, you will be lucky to get anywhere near what your wife paid for it. If it fits you might as well keep it.
 

Stony

New in Town
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47
Location
Northwest U.S.
The one thing I noticed about the description is that they credit Major Goodson with 30 confirmed victories. His "actual" tally is 14 and that is the official record of the American Fighter Aces Association and the government who relies on the Victory Credit Board for that information.

As for the jacket, not a good one IMO. I would buy an Avirex (ugh!) before buying one of these.
 

kools

Practically Family
Messages
680
Location
Milwaukee
The jacket arrived, and I'm not impressed. Most notable is the cheap thin leather & poor cut (real low armholes). I don't know anything about authenticity in A-2s, but this isn't a jacket I'm excited about wearing.
 

Zemke Fan

Call Me a Cab
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2,690
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On Hiatus. Really. Or Not.
No trash talk about Jim Goodson!

Stony said:
The one thing I noticed about the description is that they credit Major Goodson with 30 confirmed victories. His "actual" tally is 14 and that is the official record of the American Fighter Aces Association and the government who relies on the Victory Credit Board for that information.
His book "Tumult in the Clouds" is my favorite of all of the 8th AAF autobiographies. He's not just a true American hero, but one of the reasons why the 4th Fighter Group was one of the two most successful in the ETO. I suspect that the issue is planes destroyed in the air (14 or 15) versus total destroyed (air and ground). Goodson was one of the best strafers and as far as I am concerned, that duty was every bit or more hazardous. The 30 swastikas painted on his P-51 were very much deserved.
 

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