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WWII Navy flight jacket question


shaef1944
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Hello folks. I am a longtime collector ( pre pre-SPR days, so I remember cheap stuff ) and now mostly into buying original source material such as manuals, books, etc.

My second hobby is digitally colorizing old B&W pictures, mainly WWII.

I am working on colorizing the picture below, and have a question for the experts. The two pilots in the foreground are wearing jackets with furlined collars, but they sure do not look like leather of any kind to me. Too " supple " and wrinkled in the sleeves in my opinion.

My question is what are these jackets ? They almost appear to be of the B-10/B-15 variety, but did the Navy issue or use these at all ? Only cloth-type jackets I know of Navy issued did not have the fur collars, or am I just looking at them wrong, and they are leather ?

I try to get my pictures colorized accurately, and need some help figuring out what colors these need to be.

 

If any of you would like to go through my pictures, I have them about 300 online in a photobucket album, and can post a link.

Thanks for any help !

post-55761-1316368566.jpg

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The Navy did have a one piece cloth coverall with a fur collar.I have seen one before and it was made by Eddie Bauer.More of a winter/Cold tepmerature fliying suit.I dont recall the model number.

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Also have seen fur collars added to the Deck jackets as well.

 

Thanks for the quick reply Doyler. I have not seen the coverall you mention, that's a real possibliity, as I think this pic was pretty late-war, and they would have been operating well north.

I thought about the deck jacket, but these have knit cuffs also, and I don't remember the deck jacket having that feature.?

 

Another possiblity I just thought of ... even tho this is a carrier ready-room, could they be Marine pilots flying from a carrier ? And what would Marines have worn in way of jackets such as these ?

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Thanks for the quick reply Doyler. I have not seen the coverall you mention, that's a real possibliity, as I think this pic was pretty late-war, and they would have been operating well north.

I thought about the deck jacket, but these have knit cuffs also, and I don't remember the deck jacket having that feature.?

 

Another possiblity I just thought of ... even tho this is a carrier ready-room, could they be Marine pilots flying from a carrier ? And what would Marines have worn in way of jackets such as these ?

 

 

I had an A1(?) or N-1? jacket once.Cant get a picture as I lost it in flood damage.It had brown knit cuff and a fur collar.The collar may have been added by the owner.

 

Marine Aviators pretty much wore the same that the Navy did.

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Hi :)

At picture you posted, Naval Aviators had leather jackets probably M422a under the nylon tropical flying suit...

Regards,

Jerry

Thanks fellas. I had not even thought of a flight suit OVER the leather jacket. Guess I'm too used to the A-2 over the suit as the AAF boys did it. If there had been a bigger opening at the cuff, where the suit and jacket "meet" it might have been simpler, but it looked to me like the cuff is/was part of the outer garment. Looking at the guy in front at the collar, it does appear there is a jacket underneath.

 

A couple have said they would like to see the pics I have been doing, so here is the link. I will also post the link in a new posting under the "pictures" forum for folks who don't read this thread. There are close to 300 now, and I add a couple a week, depending on free time and motivation.

 

So I'm going on the assumption these are flight suits, worn over leather jackets.

 

 

http://s217.photobucket.com/albums/cc314/S...lorizedBySHAEF/

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