Chaqueta de vuelo A-2 de las Fuerzas Aéreas del Ejército de EE. UU. de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, pintura trasera antifuerza aérea alemana, tipo 27753, cremallera CONMAR, talla 40

A wartime A-2 of the maker-ambiguous 27753 type whose back painting turns the Luftwaffe eagle into a scavenging vulture, propaganda in miniature from the European Theater. Ghosts of removed rank insignia and a name tag record a jacket that changed with its wearer.

The Piece

A rare and compelling wartime A-2, attributed to the maker-ambiguous “27753” group commonly associated in collector literature with Cable Raincoat, and distinguished by an unusually sophisticated satirical back painting directed against the German Luftwaffe. It is made in substantial seal brown leather with a functioning CONMAR zipper and retains notable structural integrity and a strong period silhouette.

The reverse reinterprets the Luftwaffe eagle in a degraded, vulture-like form, turning enemy insignia into an object of ridicule. Rather than a combat-victory scene, the painter undermines the adversary symbolically: the shift from eagle to scavenger is propaganda in miniature, performing contempt, humor and wartime confidence at once. The approach is characteristic of the European Theater, where painted jackets tended to sharpen around direct opposition, enemy emblems and grim humor, and here it is contextually coherent. A “B.T.O.” marking is read here as “Big Theater Operation”.

Traces of removed insignia add to the jacket's history: former epaulette rank devices and a left-chest name tag. These ghosts are evidence of change rather than loss, showing a garment that moved through time and identity rather than remaining fixed in one ceremonial state, a biography that cosmetically cleaner examples lack.

The 27753 shorthand describes a maker-ambiguous but collector-recognized, pattern-stable class of A-2 that cannot be explained by a neat contract chart and rewards discernment. The jacket suits the collector who already owns standard-contract examples and values painted narrative and cultural complexity over label orthodoxy: a museum-worthy artifact of combat-era aviation culture and anti-enemy visual rhetoric.

Details

• Maker: 27753 type, commonly associated by collectors with Cable Raincoat Co. (maker-ambiguous)
• Model: WWII USAAF A-2 flight jacket
• Era: Circa 1940s
• Theater: European Theater
• Material: Heavy seal brown leather, likely steerhide; horsehide not fully excluded
• Size: US 40
• Measurements: Shoulder 46 cm · Chest 52 cm · Sleeve 60 cm from shoulder / 45 cm from pit · Length 63 cm
• Hardware: Original CONMAR zipper, functioning
• Back: Highly refined one-off period-style anti-Luftwaffe satire, eagle-to-vulture transformation
• Markings: “B.T.O.”, interpreted here as Big Theater Operation
• Removed Elements: Epaulette rank insignia; left chest name tag

Condition

• Strong wartime survivor with excellent structural life for its category.
• Leather thick and healthy: substantial thickness, retained suppleness, no indication of collapse, age-consistent surface wear.
• Lining stable.
• Knits show wear and repair but remain coherent with the jacket's age.
• Ghosting from removed epaulette rank insignia and the left chest name tag.

Verification Notes

The painting determines much of the jacket's standing: whether the pigment has aged into the leather, whether crackle follows the same temporal logic as the wear, and whether the handling reads as wartime hand-execution rather than later imitation.

• Paint age under magnification and UV
• Leather oxidation consistency beneath painted zones
• Thread chronology around the removed epaulette insignia
• Internal pattern comparison against accepted 27753 examples
• Coherent aging across zipper, lining and knits

Authenticity & Care

Attributed to the 27753 type commonly linked by collectors with Cable Raincoat Co.; leather type (steerhide or horsehide) cannot be resolved from photographs alone, and the points below are recommended for verification. Every piece is examined and documented in Japan before dispatch and is offered with the Japonista authenticity guarantee.

Delivery from Japan

Packed by hand in Japan and shipped insured and tracked by EMS or an equivalent express service. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Returns follow our published policy.

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