A395
Dark brown horsehide flight jacket has the same snappy look of an A2, but in addition boasts a nice quilted red
synthetic lining. Jacket has two lower front patch pockets with concealed side-entry hand warmer pockets and
epaulettes on the shoulders. Front closure has period "CROWN" zipper which remains functional, reinforced by a snap
fitting on the bottom edge. Right front chest has painted 400th Bomb Squadron insignia depicting a pirate with a
bloody knife clenched between his teeth. Has hand-inked inscription on the insignia "400th THE BLACK PIRATES".
Wear on, around, and through the insignia consistent with the rest of the jacket reinforces my belief that the painted
insignia is a genuine wartime addition. Leather remains in good pliable condition and is Pecard-free. Interior has
several stains in the lining, tag in the collar reads "Genuine Horsehide". Though we have no name for the 5th Air
Force airman who wore the coat, we do have some of his personal items, including: Australian-made 5th Air Force
shoulder insignia, theater-embroidered AAF Air Crew wing badge, two photographs - one depicting this individual in his
enlisted service dress uniform with AAF insignia on the shoulder, and the other in his shirt and tie with 5th Air Force
insignia, both with Technical Sergeant rank chevrons visible. Group also includes four large BDA strike photos
including one against shipping, a souvenir booklet from Australia, a copy of "The Islands of the Pacific", and a
newspaper from the AAF Classification Center in Nashville, TN dated November 1942. The 400th flew B-24
Liberators out of Australia with 90th Bomb Group. Private purchase jackets are never quite as sexy to collectors as
the A2 itself, but any study of period photos will reveal that the pilots and aircrews harbored no such prejudice. II
$795
WWII AAF 5th Air Force 400th Bomb Squadron NCO's Private Purchase Flight Jacket
A396
Brown goatskin A2 has original brown cotton lining with AAF woven label listing the maker "Poughkeepsie Leather
Coat Co., Inc." and size "40". Flight jacket has good brown knit cuffs, almost certainly period replacements, with
typical heavily worn waistband exhibiting some sewn repairs. Leather remains in excellent pliable condition and has
never been subjected to any damaging 'preservative' treatments. Functional zipper. Left chest has 14cm 532nd
Bombardment Squadron insignia; a red chenille disc with black border features a white embroidered galloping Trojan
horse with wings, four engines, and lightning bolts shooting from it's nostrils. The 532nd Bomb Squadron (Heavy) was
assigned to 381st Bomb Group, 8th Air Force. They completed 297 combat missions in B-17F and G-17G's from June
1943
to April 1945 and earned a Distinguished Unit Citation for the 8 October 1943 mission to Bremen. The group
suffered the highest losses of all groups on the infamous first Schweinfurt mission of 17 August 1943. No name to
research, but an excellent original A2 from a hard-fought 8th Air Force unit. II
$1750
WWII AAF 532nd Bomb Squadron A2
A397
Brown steer or horsehide A2 has original brown cotton lining with AAF woven label listing only the contract number
"535-
AC-27753", but thanks to Gary Eastman's outstanding new reference, we know that this contract was from April
29, 1942
for 50,000 A2's from Boston's Cable Raincoat Co. Flight jacket has good brown knit waistband with typical
heavily worn cuffs. Leather is scuffed from service but remains in excellent pliable condition and has never been
subjected to any damaging 'preservative' treatments. Zipper is broken about just a bit further than the halfway point.
Left chest has had the name tag removed as is so often the case, but does retain a nice large 15cm diameter chenille
535
th Bombardment Squadron insignia. Reverse has blocked letter title "ME & MY GAL" over blue winged "8" with
B-17 flying in front of this insignia. The paint on the B-17 is quite worn, with perhaps 30% remaining, but the design
remains quite visible. A bit of web research reveals that this 535th Bomb Squadron B-17 was number 42-40017, flown
mostly by the 535th, but loaned to other squadrons in the 381st Bomb Group on a few occasions to make up for other
missing aircraft. The aircraft was twice salvaged, and renamed "Miasses Dragon" and "Assend". One of Me & My
Gal's close brushes with eternity was recorded in the war diary of the 381st Bomb Group on 30 May 1944: (photo
caption) "Lt Yates in "Me and My Gal", which came home burned out in the nose compartment and cockpit after
undergoing fighter attack with its same crew recently, maneuvered his ship nearly 20 minutes today so successfully
that an out-piloted pack of ME109's failed in their attempt to knock down a sure thing." Account: "The group's
target was Dessau, where 50 fighters hit the bombers just after the bomb run. After bombs smashed down on the tank
engine plant objective, gunners were hard pressed by the first wave of enemy fighters, which ultimately got three of
our ships. Yates was knocked out of position when fighters killed one of his engines in the first attack. He stayed out
nearly half an hour, diving, zooming, twisting and rolling his ship to evade attackers and set up his gunners for shots,
while the latter did the sort of firing that led them to claim three (evaluated: Vanderzee, one destroyed, Reno, one
probable). Escort picked them up in the nick of time, for a second engine went out near the end of the running fight.
"
Me and My Gal" came home all alone, far behind the formation, on only two, with her crew singing Lt Yates' praise.
Yates and S/Sgt Vanderzee, toggler today, who rode co-pilot after Lt Klutho, with S/Sgt Dixon, top turret, bailed out in
the heat of the first fighter attack, have been recommended for the Silver Star. Part of Vanderzee's citation will refer
to his actions on a recent mission, when he saved the navigator's life indirectly, and indirectly was largely responsible
for the safe return of "Me and My Gal" after 20mm shells from attacking Nazi fighters started a heavy fire in the
ship's nose compartment." The missing aircrew reports for Lt. Klutho and S/Sgt. Dixon include more information
about that harrowing fight. This jacket belonged to S/Sgt. Peter A. Haramzian, who was assigned to the squadron on
the 14th of July, 1944. His group includes an extra 535th Bombardment Squadron chenille patch, a photograph of his
crew (likely taken during the later stages of training, dated "May 1944"), and snapshots including the nose art of "In
Like Errol", several B-17 interior shots, several of B-17's on the ground, and several of B-17's flying formation. Also
includes a great shot of S/Sgt. Haramzian wearing this jacket with the squadron insignia clearly visible. Paperwork
includes a worn listing of all 35 missions completed by S/Sgt. Haramzian, starting 29 July 1944 with Merseberg and
ending 31 December 1944 with Pruem. Also included is his shipping ticket listing the issued material that he was
returning to the Army, with his A-2 flight jacket X-d out (as he was keeping it!) The volume of very detailed and
fascinating AAF history available at online research sites has grown by leaps and bounds just in the past year alone.
The 381st Bomb Group, of which the 535th was a component, flew their first mission on June 22, 1943. They
suffered devastating losses on the infamous August 17 Schweinfurt mission, and flew the second strike on that target
on October 14. They earned the Presidential Unit Citation for the Oschersleben strike on January 11, 1944. During
the week of the Normandy Invasion, the 381st flew 9 consecutive missions in 7 days. After their final mission on
April 21, 1945, the 381st was credited with 297 combat operations, including 20 trips to Berlin. They dropped over
22,000
tons of bombs on the Third Reich, and were credited with 223 enemy aircraft destroyed. Good jacket with
excellent 8th Air Force combat history! II
$4395
WWII AAF 535th Bomb Squadron Painted A2: Me & My Gal
