KASTAUFFER Posted April 12, 2014 Share #1 Posted April 12, 2014 I have collected WWII POW groups and Naval Aviation groups for a long time, but have never been able to get my hands on an A-2 I liked and not trade it away for more POW stuff! This is my latest attempt on keeping an identified and patched A-2 in my collection. I always wanted one with good history behind it and this one fits the bill. This jacket was owned by a Navigator who served with the 376th BS, 392nd BG ( nicknamed the "Crusaders" ). They were a B-24 unit that flew with the 8th AAF. The thing that drew me to this jacket is that the veteran wrote a 500 page book about his experiences called "Crewdog". I am part way through the book and it is well written. There is nothing better than talking to the vet yourself, but if that's not possible, a 500 page book will do the job. He flew 25 Missions from Oct 1944- March 1945 and earned the Air Medal with 3 OLCs and a DFC. The jacket looks all original to me and the cuffs and waistband have some wear. It does look like he tried to obliterate the AAF decal many years ago. Its nice that the leather rank insignia is still on it , since in many cases it got removed after the war. The patch is a 392nd BG patch painted on leather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted April 12, 2014 Author Share #2 Posted April 12, 2014 The cover to his book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kadet Posted April 12, 2014 Share #3 Posted April 12, 2014 I was looking at that one as well Kurt....you did well on it IMO. Can't go wrong with a nice named A2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
History Man Posted April 12, 2014 Share #4 Posted April 12, 2014 Very nice A2 jacket Kurt...the condition and look of it is great! I would say a 500 page book written by the man who wore the jacket is a good alternative when an interview with him is not possible. Philip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted April 12, 2014 Share #5 Posted April 12, 2014 Ticks all of the boxes. Nice personalized gold leaf (?) name tag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USdog Posted April 13, 2014 Share #6 Posted April 13, 2014 Awesome jacket! Always love the history behind your stuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRR Posted April 13, 2014 Share #7 Posted April 13, 2014 A book to go with the jacket is awesome. I would think this one would be tough for anyone to trade away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDK Posted April 13, 2014 Share #8 Posted April 13, 2014 That was a very nice pickup at a very fair price Kurt. I thought it was pretty cool that he had written the book as well. Nice purchase from a very well known bomb group! Congrats! JD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stony Posted April 14, 2014 Share #9 Posted April 14, 2014 Saw this one for sale and the price was fair as JD said. I've always liked that unit's patch and the biography is a big plus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparty On Posted April 14, 2014 Share #10 Posted April 14, 2014 Great jacket, Kurt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pablo10 Posted April 21, 2014 Share #11 Posted April 21, 2014 Kurt, you have got a really nice a2 at a really nice price-congrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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