One quick question... that triangle patch.

[Cooper A-2]

My favorite one...
Here a USAAF P-47 pilot, wearing an A-2, RAF leather helmet, A-14 oxy. mask, USAAF goggles,
USAAF gloves and a Luftwaffe live vest, ( the neck part and one side gives it away...)

 

[Otter]

We used to have that trouble all the time. Guys coming back from exercises with the wrong cammo, wrong webbing, even the wrong rifles!

 

[Cooper A-2]

We used to have that trouble all the time. Guys coming back from exercises with the wrong cammo, wrong webbing, even the wrong rifles!

Love this!

 

[Otter]

You have no idea the headaches! One time I brought back a small arms round from the ranges of a size we didn't use. OMG the paperwork !!

 

[rocketeer]

That's sweet .... and looks in great nick .... so many of the US shearlings suffer from sheepskin rot
I'm loving the turned up cuffs .... this is how I wear my Eastman which is very similar to this ( stud fastening on the pockets etc. )

So did this one. At the shoulder it appeared a bit fragile so this and all my original sheepskins went up for sale. Better for someone else to deal with them.
Yes the turned up cuffs are great. I have Eastmans first design too the pocket snaps look so much neater than the buttons. And "no", they won't do snaps as an option.

I could use this tab and a lot of others to clip my (the ) ID badge on it whilst working in a restricted or controlled area.
Nice jackets BTW.
Great posts as well, enjoying it.

Never thought of that. But that is about the only thing I could see it being used for. You must work in a fairly cold environment to need an Identification tab on a sheepskin.
Come on Worf! What about some photo's eh?

 

[Cooper A-2]

So did this one. At the shoulder it appeared a bit fragile so this and all my original sheepskins went up for sale. Better for someone else to deal with them.
Yes the turned up cuffs are great. I have Eastmans first design too the pocket snaps look so much neater than the buttons. And "no", they won't do snaps as an option.


Never thought of that. But that is about the only thing I could see it being used for. You must work in a fairly cold environment to need an Identification tab on a sheepskin.
Come on Worf! What about some photo's eh?

I work in Security business, right now in East of France... minus 5degC...most of the time wearing Civies ( casual ) not formal. Only if protecting/ guarding VIP's it becomes formal , dressed in suits and coats. Important is the the Kevlar jacket fits underneath unseen.
However, I dont own this AN-J-4 jacket ( yet).

 

[HPA Rep]

View attachment 63879 My favorite one...
Here a USAAF P-47 pilot, wearing an A-2, RAF leather helmet, A-14 oxy. mask, USAAF goggles,
USAAF gloves and a Luftwaffe live vest, ( the neck part and one side gives it away...)

Superb photo! Yes, the pilot is wearing a 1st-model RAF "C" helmet, AAF B-7 googles and A-14 ox. mask with the special RAF-AAF wiring, but I'm sorry to disagree on this: the life vest is RAF and not Luftwaffe. Please note the extreme differences between the two and the telltale signs on this vest that make it RAF: two, light-shade olive-colored web straps on pilot's left side (running horizontally), the large collar with kapok insert and the overall fullness of the exposed areas of the vest front protruding from under the parachute harness that also have kapok inserts inside. The Luft. kapok-filled life vests are much fuller and have individual kapok compartments looking like long sausage links, while the Luft. inflatable life vests are significantly smaller and have no collar at all.

It is true that some RAF crews used Luft. life vests, most notably Guy Gibson on the famous "Dambuster" raid in May '43, and one of my dad's squadron mates, Les Krause (314th F. Sq.), wore a Luft. ox. mask in Italy and later in France, but these are largely unique instances where Luft. flying gear was used by Allied airmen. It's more common, though far from common, to see Luft. airmen wearing AAF flying clothing.

It is noteworthy to A-2 junkies that the A-2 jacket in the pic has a collar stand, thus this is limiting the production to an early Aero or J. A. Dubow contract, or Cooper, Rough Wear, Perry Sportswear, or Werber.

Cheers!

 

[HPA Rep]

View attachment 63868

Two other ( Moskito ) RAF pilots who prefered " Made in Germany" life preservers...

There you go! Awesome photo: Indeed, two Luftwaffe 10-30 B-1 Schwimmwesten! The B-1 production was early, as evidenced by the metal tip on the rubber inflation tube, which was converted to a plastic mold in the B-2 model to preclude the freezing metal from sticking to or burning the lips at high altitude. Later in the war, the metal fitting at the base of the rubber tube and where the ox. bottle connects were also changed to plastic to save critical metals.

Please note how extremely different in design these are from the RAF life vest worn in the photo of the P-47 pilot you've attributed to wearing a Luft. vest.

 

[HPA Rep]

Correct with the icing problem on the early versions of the A-8 oxy masks.
The A-14 oxy masks were much better and fitted with US and RAF plugs and sockets.
Correct with some RAF gear and equipment if they flew on British made planes like the Moskito or the later version of the Spitfire ( high altitude recon. version).
Also, some RAF crews flew in B-17's , PBY Catalina and P-51 ( plus others) ...so again mixed gear.
My Gran' Pa flew ( 1949-1953) a Bearcat in the Indochina war, they used all kind of gear from the USAF ( issued after a lend lease contract dd 1944) from the RAF, plus his beloved Luftwaffe made Schwimmweste ( life west) ... a left over from the German's when they "departed " from occupied France ( BTW many RAF pilots wore it as well, since very handy and reliable if compared to their own gear... a welcomed gift from downed LW pilots or retaken airfields)

Extremely interesting about your Gran Pa!!! Any photos of him???

Absolutely correct! Great work!!!

 

[HPA Rep]

here is just one happy fellow with the Luftwaffe Schwimmweste.

Awesome pic of the 10-30 fullback Luft. Schwimmweste in RAF use! Thanks.

 

[Peacoat]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Lock

Interesting read. Thanks for the link.

At first I wondered how neither he nor his plane was ever found, even though searched for on several different occasions. Then I looked at a map of Pas-de-Calais. The town of Calais is right on the English Channel. The answer is pretty straightforward. Lock was hit by ground fire while strafing. Rather than attempt a landing on dry land close to the area where he had been strafing the enemy, and risk capture by them, he decided to head for home across the English Channel. At that point it is only about 20 to 25 miles to Dover with a flight time of 4 to 5 minutes in an undamaged aircraft. Unfortunately, his Spitfire was mortally wounded. It wasn't up for the crossing. Flight Lieutenant Lock and his Spitfire came to rest on the bottom of the English Channel, only one of hundreds of casualties of the war. As the water there is relatively shallow (around 200' to 300'), perhaps the wreckage will one day be discovered.

No mention of what happened to his widow, Peggy Meyers.

I think it is most interesting that 76 years after his death we are on an international forum discussing his fate. Long live the internet. RIP Eric Lock.