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WWII B-10 Flight Jacket worn by a POW in Stalag Luft I


KASTAUFFER
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I picked this up at the Show of Shows last week and thought it was extremelly cool even though the flight jacket collectors who saw it before me were not impressed with its condition.

 

This jacket was worn by a P-51 pilot from the 339th FG who was shot down New Years eve 1944 by an ME-262 near Hamburg Germany. It has his flight equipment stencil on the inside ( name and service number ) and USA painted in red on the outside and inside.

 

When the Russians liberated Stalag Luft 1 , many of the Americans painted USA on their clothes so the Russians would know they were " friends" .

 

The condition is not great, but I think after surviving a bailout and 5 months in a POW camp it looks good!

 

I also bought a few other items that came with it named to him.

 

 

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"... the flight jacket collectors who saw it before me were not impressed with its condition...."

 

There are those who collect wardrobe, and those who collect history. Congratulations!

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There are those who collect wardrobe, and those who collect history. Congratulations!

Agreed! This is a fabulous find and one to be respected & appreciated.

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Kurt,

You never cease to amaze me with the outstanding pieces that you acquire. Of course, I know that you are able to do this because you don't just look at the item, but you evaluate the piece completely. This is why it always seems like you are so "lucky" when you are out there hunting for historic militaria.

Thanks for sharing this piece!

Allan

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Great piece absolutely loaded with history. Who cares about the condition? This thing was used, and kept the pilot warm during some difficult times of their involvement in WWII.

 

Wish I'd have seen it at the SOS! What day did you pick it up?

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In case the link that hhc1stidf posted is lost, here's the picture.

 

Thanks! I should have thought of that sorry!

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"... the flight jacket collectors who saw it before me were not impressed with its condition...."

 

There are those who collect wardrobe, and those who collect history. Congratulations!

Well said.

Congrats.

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Thanks for the links and photos!

 

I found the jacket on Thursday late in the day. Some of the other items included was a small address book, a photo, an unused German Heinkel data plate, and the spoon he used in Stalag Luft 1.

 

Kurt

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Well that explains it... I didn't show up till Friday.

 

Next year, I'm going to be there on Thursday for sure!

 

I echo those sentiments as well, Longbranch!

 

Wonderful B-10, Kurt! Thanks for sharing. What a fantastic piece of history.

 

And gwb123, that may be the best quote I've seen regarding uniform collecting. Sums up my thoughts exactly.

 

Kevin

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  • 3 years later...
  • 10 months later...

A kind Forum Member contacted me with a lot of items that belonged to this POW. They turned up in the same town where he lived. After WWII he was in the New Jersey Air National Guard and some of these items are from that time frame.

 

Some are WWII.

 

 

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Condition? Damn, it looks pretty good to me for one that was in a POW camp for five months. And it has a very unique history behind it too. Good score!

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