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WWII AAF Type B-4 Parachute Seat Pad


Phfly1010
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Looking for info about when the b-4 seat pad was used to ensure it works with my usaaf ww2 figther pilot gear. Hope someone can say years and theaters when this version was used. Reference books say b-4 was the last kit developed in ww2, with b-2 much more common. Couldn't find much detail online for production years and use in both theater. My current gear is for ETO fighter pilot and PTO. Hopefully try to buy stuff that works for both pilot gear setups. Thanks.

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The B-4 kit is a bit of interesting snippet. It was adopted to integrate and supersed the Types B-1 and B-2 kits, being a universal kit for all climates. In its linage, it got caight up in a bureauacracy in several faucets. By the time things settled down there was a release of procurement for only 25,000 kits, this being a one time purchase to temporarily satisfy servcie demands. It did not become available until the close of 1943, through 1944 and into 1945. So it was used later in the war with the B-2 being used more based solely off the numbers available, 350,000 B-2 kits versus 25,000 B-4 types. As for it being the last kit developed, that's not true, after it came the C-1 vest and B-5 kit. It was the development of the C-1 that killed further procurement of the B-4.

Individual or parachute emergency kits were issued in all theaters of the war, ETO, MTO, CBI, and PTO. It would be appropriate for representation for any USAAF pilot or aircrew for 1944 and 1945.

That's the basic run down, and should answer your basic questions.

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As usual, your response is highly informative and much appreciated. Either I am not looking in the right places on the internet for information like this or, and I suspect this is true, you have expert knowledge and access to resources that are beyond reach for most people. Thank you for helping me to stay accurate in my collecting pursuit and for educating all of us in the facts that impacted the lives of so many servicemen during World War II.

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