USN Blackout suit M-700

[P-59A]

I'm not up on USN flight clothing, can anyone shed some light on this?

[P-59A]

back

[P-59A]

tag

[P-59A]

cleaning tag

[Longbranch]

Flight suit designed to prevent the wearer from passing out due to high G forces. Yours is a fairly early version.

[pararaftanr2]

These anti-g suits were developed and used by the USN during WW2. With the label showing the "M-700" designation however, your suit is probably from a post-war contract. The contract number, if still on the label, probably starts with an "N383" contract prefix. The linked thread below from 2010 should give you more information:

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/66348-cold-war-usn-anti-blackout-suits/

[P-59A]

These anti-g suits were developed and used by the USN during WW2. With the label showing the "M-700" designation however, your suit is probably from a post-war contract. The contract number, if still on the label, probably starts with an "N383" contract prefix. The linked thread below from 2010 should give you more information:

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/66348-cold-war-usn-anti-blackout-suits/

There is no contract number. The tag is complete. I looked at that link and did not see this tag.

[pararaftanr2]

Here is what the complete label looks like. This contract from David Clark ran through October 1945. The suit itself is the Navy type Z-2. Earlier production suits are labeled as such, but without the "M-700" spec. on the label.

 

 

 

 

[pararaftanr2]

Here is a label from earlier in the contract run, without the "M-700" specification.

 

 

[P-59A]

I understand what you are saying. I do not see any indication of a sew line to the sides or bottom of the tag. It could be they were pulled for whatever reason, but the bevo looks like it was not cut at the bottom. If it was cut wouldn't the bevo have pulled itself out to nothing? Just asking, like I said I know nothing about these.

[pararaftanr2]

Maybe they ran out of thread on that one and just left well enough alone? I really have no idea, and can only tell you what I've seen in the past. For example, I've seen on older, conventional, Navy summer flight suits where the spec changed from M-426a to AN-6550 (which changed the pockets, zippers and other details on the suit), but they continued to use up labels from the older spec in the newer suits. Wartime expediencies were made at times, apparently, and the inspectors passed them through anyway.

[Bebel]

For what I know, type Z, Z-2 (first contract) and M-700 have been issued with the same contract: NoA(s)4761. The Z type was a little different from Z-2 and M-700. On the Z type, legs pockets had no zipper. They were snapped. And the rear leg pocket on the Z type was not on the Z-2 and M-700.

 

I don't know why the navy specification M-700 was labeled on certain suits instead of the type Z-2.

 

If interested, I can send you an article about anti-g suits I'd written (in french !) some years ago for a militaria magazine. The file is too big to be joined here. So let me know your email for sending it directly.

 

Franck

 

 

[BlueBookGuy]

hello,

if I'm not wrong, in addition to the leg pockets another difference is the breast pockets. In the 'Z' suit the left-side one is buttoned (like the right-side, smaller pocket), in the 'Z-2' it is zippered and only the right breast pocket is buttoned.