Latest ebay purchse - Bill Kelso M422 in goat .... 44"

[chamboid]

Just want to point out the guy in the photograph on page 7, next to the m-444 on the right who has tucked the zipper of his up to make it shorter, you see this in quite a few period photographs, like the one posted previously in this thread. M-422a fitted longer than the later models, but this changed from maker to maker. out of the original W&G and G&F's I have, both fit surprisingly long in the body but it was not a waist length jacket like the A-2.

 

[thor]

The M-422/422a jackets were longer then A-2 jackets and certain manufacturers (maybe it was H&L Block? Fried Ostermann?) had jackets that were a full size larger then the tagged size. So if some WWII Navy aviator asked for a size 42 and his M-422 actually measured out to a size 44, it would be larger in the chest/shoulders as well as have an overall longer body length and he'd have a slightly oversized jacket (and probably look alot like Plumbline does in his BK M-422). Not a bad thing really, and most Navy aviators did not wear their jackets sausage-skin tight like some of the Army flyboys in their A-2's. Just my two cents Gentlemen about "proper" fit of wartime jackets.

 

[majormajor]

The M-422/422a jackets were longer then A-2 jackets and certain manufacturers (maybe it was H&L Block? Fried Ostermann?) had jackets that were a full size larger then the tagged size. So if some WWII Navy aviator asked for a size 42 and his M-422 actually measured out to a size 44, it would be larger in the chest/shoulders as well as have an overall longer body length and he'd have a slightly oversized jacket (and probably look alot like Plumbline does in his BK M-422). Not a bad thing really, and most Navy aviators did not wear their jackets sausage-skin tight like some of the Army flyboys in their A-2's. Just my two cents Gentlemen about "proper" fit of wartime jackets.

So "some WWII Navy aviator" asking for a 42 and getting a 44 - by mistake - is the same as PL deliberately (and happily) wearing oversize jackets?

If it works for you............

 

[Jeff M]

The M-422/422a jackets were longer then A-2 jackets and certain manufacturers (maybe it was H&L Block? Fried Ostermann?) had jackets that were a full size larger then the tagged size. So if some WWII Navy aviator asked for a size 42 and his M-422 actually measured out to a size 44, it would be larger in the chest/shoulders as well as have an overall longer body length and he'd have a slightly oversized jacket (and probably look alot like Plumbline does in his BK M-422). Not a bad thing really, and most Navy aviators did not wear their jackets sausage-skin tight like some of the Army flyboys in their A-2's. Just my two cents Gentlemen about "proper" fit of wartime jackets.

I suspect if the quartermaster handed a pilot a M422 that really didn't fit, the pilot would just ask to try the next size up/down and get one that was comfortable...regardless of the labeled size. Or trade with his buddies.
My experience with WW2 M-422's is that those manufactured by Edmund T Church and Gordon and Ferguson generally fit larger to size...ie, size 42's generally fit me like a size 44 modern sized jacket.
Ostermann's fit a bit smaller across the shoulders.


My BK is a size 44, my usual size. It fits fine across the chest and the shoulders.
The tunneling issue on my BK may be because of the stiffness of the leather.
It seems like the tenting at the body is an issue both of BK's design and the stiffness of the leather.
Vintage M422's/G1's that fit me across the chest and shoulders...regardless of labeled size...are more tapered in the torso and do not have as much tunneling at the cuffs.
Even those that are too large across the chest/shoulders don't balloon out at the torso like my BK.

 

[thor]

Body taper is another matter; Jeff M. you bring up a good point. I know that some of the early ELC A-2's had no body taper and the jacket would fit in the chest and shoulders but be way too loose in the body.

 

[thor]

So "some WWII Navy aviator" asking for a 42 and getting a 44 - by mistake - is the same as PL deliberately (and happily) wearing oversize jackets?

If it works for you............

Apparently it works for Plumline; it's his jacket and he's happy with it. To each his own, as they say

 

[majormajor]

To each his own, as they say 

Very true.

As the Dells sang back in 1968 - "Wear It On Your Face"

 

[Sloan1874]

:rofl:

 

[thor]

Ouch! LMAO!

 

[Plumbline]

I think it was " Wear It On Our Face" .....

 

[Worf]

If I had to have a couple of inches of leather dangling down on a jacket I was issued... I'd rather have it protecting me THERE (think codpiece) than any other place I can think of.

Worf