WWII USAAF Type A-2 Flight Jacket, Order 42-18246-P, Hand-Painted Dumbo Reconnaissance Insignia, Talon Zip

An original Type A-2 on order 42-18246-P, the so-called no-name contract, carrying a hand-painted leather disc of Dumbo peering through a telescope, the insignia of a wartime reconnaissance squadron.

The Type A-2, 1931 to 1943

The Type A-2 entered service with the Army Air Corps in 1931, cut in seal-brown leather to Drawing 30-1415, the number woven into every label. Its knit waistband and cuffs, snap-flap pockets, epaulettes and hooked shirt collar became the uniform of the American flyer, and crews personalised them with squadron patches and paint.

Its official life was short. In 1942 further contracts were cancelled in favour of cloth jackets, and in April 1943 the A-2 was declared limited standard. Every original therefore belongs to a closed population, made by a handful of contractors over little more than a decade.

Disney Goes to War

From around 1939 Walt Disney's studio designed insignia for American units free of charge, eventually producing some 1,200 designs during the Second World War. Donald Duck appears in more than two hundred of them. As the programme grew, the most famous characters were used more sparingly, and newer figures such as Dumbo found their way onto squadron patches. A painted Disney-character insignia on an original A-2 is one of the most direct links a collector can hold to that partnership.

The Piece

This is a wartime A-2 rather than a reproduction, and it has the patina to prove it: seal-brown leather worn to tobacco and caramel at every edge, a pale brown cotton lining and the dark green knit cuffs and waistband of the period. The woven label at the neck reads 'Type A-2, Drawing No. 30-1415, A.C. Order No. 42-18246-P, Property Air Force U.S. Army', with no maker's name. Jackets of this kind are known among collectors as no-name A-2s; the order number belongs to the same spring 1942 block as Star Sportswear's 42-18245-P, but the contractor has not been confirmed, and we describe it accordingly.

On the left chest is a leather-rimmed disc hand-painted with Dumbo, his ears spread like wings, his eye pressed to a telescope. The design is attributed to the 6th Reconnaissance Squadron, formed in 1942, and belongs to the family of insignia that Walt Disney's studio drew for American units during the war. Dumbo, a new character in 1941, was cleared for military use when better-known figures were being restricted, and a reconnaissance unit could hardly have chosen a better emblem than a flying elephant with a spyglass.

The hardware is all present: a Talon zip with its leather pull, the collar hook and the snaps on the pocket flaps and epaulettes. The leather remains supple rather than dried, which is the first thing a collector checks on a jacket more than eighty years old.

Measured flat, it corresponds roughly to a modern size 38: shoulder 40 cm, chest 50 cm, sleeve 66 cm, length 60.5 cm. The size label is missing.

Details

• Designer: US Army Air Forces issue, contractor not named on label
• Season: 1942 order
• Model / ref: Type A-2, Dwg. No. 30-1415, A.C. Order No. 42-18246-P
• Material: Leather; cotton lining; wool knit cuffs and waistband
• Colour: Seal brown worn to tobacco; dark green knits
• Made in: USA
• Tagged size: Size label missing (approx. 38)
• Measurements: Shoulder 40 cm · Chest (pit to pit) 50 cm · Sleeve 66 cm · Length 60.5 cm
• Included: Jacket only

Condition

• Heavy, even wear to the leather with a superb aged patina; the hide remains supple.
• Talon zip, collar hook and all snaps present and working.
• Lining worn through at the back of the neck, as photographed.
• Size label missing; the right side seam is slightly loose.
• Cuff and waistband knits differ slightly in shade; one set may have been replaced.

Condition grade B on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.

Authenticity & Care

The labels, materials, stitching, hardware and construction are examined together and documented in Japan before dispatch; anything that cannot be confirmed is stated plainly in the description. Every piece carries the Japonista authenticity guarantee. Keep it on a broad wooden hanger away from heat and sun, and leave any conditioning to a leather specialist experienced with wartime jackets.

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. Every sale is final; please ask anything before you buy, and see our published policy.

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