ACME DEPOT

Type A-2 Page
Introduction
History
Details, Part 1
Details, Part 2
Details, Part 3
Originals
Reproductions
Bibliography
A-2 P.A.Q.

Jacket Description and Details, Part 3

Type A-2 Jackets by Manufacturer, Page 2

Jackets Featured in this Section (listed alphabetically)

A concise list of distinguishing features is included with each maker. These lists are derived from observations and, due to the nature of jacket variations and to limited historical evidence, some features are provided as guidelines and not as definitive characteristics.

Monarch Mfg. Co.

• Long collar with rounded points.
• Shoulder seam centered under the epaulet.
• Softly rounded pocket flaps.
• Rotated inset sleeve seam.
• Collar snap backs are not riveted through the lining.

The Monarch A-2, contract W535-AC-23378, is distinguished by its long and rounded collar, by its typographically varied label, and by being the jacket worn by Chuck Yeager when he became the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound.

This particular example is a light russet brown which has faded over its life but maintains evidence of its original shade within its pockets and in a few other lesser exposed places. The hide is buttery soft and exhibits some deep and distinctive wrinkles in some areas. The zipper, not shown separately, is a triple-marked Talon. There is no triangular reinforcement stitching at the bottom of the zipper.

Images:

1. Jacket front.
2. The label shows much more typographical flair than most others in the unusually shaped letters of uniformly thin width on the top lines and the thicker letters in lower case on the bottom two lines. Oddly, there is a hyphen after "TYPE" and before "A 2", but there is no hyphen for A-2. This is not unique to this jacket; it is seen on other Monarch examples. There is a discrepancy in the label in that a contract number is shown but it is stated to be an order number. Note the darker shade of the hanger compared to the collar.
3. The long collar points and simple collar attachment are seen here. The AN inspectors stamp under the label has the inspector number U26 and measures 5/8" in diameter.
4. Another view of the collar shows the ball stud snaps and how the backs of the snaps are not riveted through the lining.
5. The epaulet has rather square box-stitching which is contained within the inner stitch lines of the strap.
6. Under the epaulet is seen the shoulder seam, which is centered underneath the strap and is top-stitched on one side of the seam.
7. The pocket flap is softly rounded in the corners and at the modestly extended point.
8. Evident in this open pocket view is the darker unfaded shade of russet brown. Not shown here is the snap reinforcement inside the pocket which is a separate tab of leather and not the more common folded over extension of the top of the patch.
9. Surviving after so many years is this pocket label of heavy paper sewn at the top of the right pocket on the patch side. Note the designations for "Sched." and "Size" rather than "Lot" and "Size."
10. This side view shows the rotated seam of the inset sleeve.
11. The name plate is a light natural shade leather.

Perry Sportswear, Inc.

• Collar stand for all contracts.
• Short, rounded collar points.
• Soft and shallow curves to pocket flaps, with stitch lines which are spaced farther than typical from the edge of the flap.
• Three-piece inner wind flap on some jackets.
• Open box-stitch reinforcment at top corners of pockets.
• Some jackets in goatskin.

[Perry A-2 photos supplied by a contributing reader.]

Perry Sportswear, like Rough Wear, continued to use a collar stand construction for all its A-2 jackets throughout the war, while makers such as Aero and Dubow transitioned to the simple collar attachment. It is not shown here, but the collar snap backs are riveted through the lining and covered with lining material. While this particular example, from order number 42-16175-P, is ostensibly of horsehide, Perry also produced A-2 jackets of goatskin.

Images:

1. Jacket front view. Note the short, rounded collar points.
2. Jacket back view.
3. Label. Note the AN inspector's stamp nearby.
4. The epaulet has rectangular box-stitching which is contained within the twin stitch lines. The collar stand is visible here, as is the shoulder seam placed behind the epaulet.
5. The pocket flap has a soft and subdued curvature.
6. Pocket reinforcement is a rectangular box stitch. Note the use of ball stud snap fasteners.
7. This very unusual three-piece inner wind flap would appear to make efficient use of scraps. Not all Perry A-2s are like this, but the owner of this jacket has seen it on another jacket of this same contract.
8. Conmar zipper.
Talon zips are also seen on Perry jackets.
9. No zipper reinforcement stitching is applied.

Poughkeepsie Leather Coat Co. Inc.

• Angular pocket flaps.
• Collar snap backs are not riveted through the lining.
• The Poughkeepsie A-2 design is fairly generic with no truly unique qualities, yet they are recognizable once you've seen a few. The combination of hide and thread color, along with the large ring snaps can be useful in identification.

This Poughkeepsie A-2 is from contract W535-AC-28560.

Images:

1. Jacket front view.
2. Label. Note the olive drab thread.
3. Neck view.
4. This second neck view shows the use of the large size ring snaps. The backs of the snaps are not riveted through the lining inside the neck.
5. The epaulet has box-stitching which is square and spans the full width of the strap.
6. The pocket flaps are angular with just a small amount of curvature to the center point.
7. This open pocket view again shows the large ring snaps.
8. This view of the thread down the windflap shows the O.D. primary thread and the brown bobbin thread.
9. The zipper is a Talon with only the puller marked.
10. The nameplate is not embossed but is lettered in gold.
11. AAF shoulder sleeve transfer.

Rough Wear Clothing Co.

• Collar stand for all contracts.
• Epaulets are relatively wide, have little taper, have narrowly spaced twin-stitch lines, and have square box-stitching.
• Pocket flaps are softly curved with a rounded center point.
• Triangular reinforcement stitching at the bottom of the zipper.
• W535-AC-18091 contract appears to be entirely goatskin.

This jacket is from the first Rough Wear Contract, W535-AC-16159, which is a pre-war production.

Images:

1. Jacket front view.
2. Label. Note that the size tab is sewn down with the label. It is not uncommon to see this on pre-war jackets. The hanger was not well-centered in the neck.
3. Neck view.
4. This second neck view shows the collar stand along with the ball stud snap and the snap back riveting through the lining and covered with lining material.
5. The epaulet is relatively wide with little taper to the neck and has very square box-stitching contained within the narrowly spaced twin-stitch lines.
6. The pocket flap on this jacket has been distorted a bit over time, but is consistent with the soft curves and rounded center point used by Rough Wear.
7. This open pocket view shows the ball stud snap and the very high stitch count and thin thread which seems to be typical of this early contract.
8. The pocket label is noteworthy not only in that his has survived all these years, but also because it indicates a very low serial number in the 200's.
9. The zipper is a triple marked Talon with rectangular puller. These pullers are not very common on A-2s but are seen in earlier production jackets. Other zips seen on Rough Wear jackets include Crown and the other Talon designs.
10. Nameplate and painted on squadron insignia. The insignia is of the 718th Bombardment Squadron of the 449th Bombardment Group.

The following jacket is from the contract W535-AC-18091, which is a pre-war goatskin production. The color is a classic russet brown. Interestingly, many of these jackets were re-dyed to a russet brown as evidenced by the much lighter caramel brown color remaining inside the pockets. Re-dying is more commonly associated with re-issue of jackets later in the war and to a much darker brown, so this often seen russet re-dye may indicate factory work.

Images:

1. Jacket front view.
2. Jacket label. Note the lack of a Property notice at the time of this contract.
3. The pocket flap is classic Rough Wear shape.
4. The zipper is a rectangular triple-marked Talon.

The following jacket is from final Rough Wear contract, W535-AC-27752. The color is more of a chocolate brown consistent with the darkening colors seen in the later produced contracts.

Images:

1. Jacket front view. Note the wide epaulets and very square box-stitching typical of Rough Wear.
2. Jacket label. Note the larger sized letter A in A-2. This was the only Rough Wear A-2 contract that had this, but it also appeared on other Rough Wear product labels such as their B-3 jackets. Also note that all the way through their final contract Rough Wear maintained a collar stand construction.
3. The pocket with the classic Rough Wear flap shape.
4. The zipper is an intermediate Talon with the marked slider bar and unmarked stopper box.

I. Spiewak & Sons

• Pointed collar shape.
• Angular pocket flaps.
• Shoulder seam centered under the epaulet.
• Rotated inset sleeve seam, and reversed body side seam.
• Use of goatskin, possibly for entire production.

This goatskin A-2 by Spiewak, from order number 42-18776-P, showed indications of having been re-dyed, as it exhibited a lighter shade of russet inside the pockets. The hardware on the jacket included a Crown zipper and the smaller sized ring snaps. Talon zips are also seen on Spiewak jackets. The bottom of the zipper was reinforced with the common triangular stitch pattern. The backs of the collar snaps on the jacket side were riveted through the lining and were covered with lining material. No AN inspector's stamp was in this jacket.

Images:

1. Jacket front view.
2. The label is unusual in that there is no hyphen in A-2. This is not due to wear; it can be found on other Spiewak examples.
3. This neck view demonstrates the pointed collar shape and simple collar attachment. The Crown zipper is just visible.
4. The epaulet has square shaped box-stitching which spans the full width of the strap.
5. Under the epaulet is seen the shoulder seam, which is centered underneath the strap and is top-stitched on one side of the seam.
6. The pockets have flaps with very angular shapes with just a small bit of curvature toward a sharp center point.
7. This side perspective shows a closer view of a pocket along with the rotated seam of the inset sleeve. Note that the top-stitching around the pocket flap is spaced further from the edge than the top-stitching on the rest of the pocket and on the other jacket seams. Also seen here is one other unusual example (the W535-AC-23383 being the other) of the side seam of the body being reversed from that of most all other A-2's, having the top-stitching on the side of the seam toward the front of the jacket.

1. Jacket front.

Star Sportswear Mfg. Co.

• Relatively long and pointed collar.
• Scalloped pocket flaps with extended and sharp center point.
• Rotated inset sleeve seam.
• Often seen in a darker than average hide color.

Other construction details include having the shoulder seam placed behind the epaulet, narrow tapered epaulets with square box-stitching which spans the full width of the strap, and a simple collar attachment. Crown zips, Talon zips and ball stud snaps are seen on Star jackets.

[The following Star A-2 photos were contributed by Richard Simms.]

Images:

1. Jacket front view.
2. Jacket back view.
3. Label.
4. The epaulet.
Note how narrow the epaulet is.
5. The pocket flap.
6. Open pocket. Note the unusual triangular reinforcement stitching in the upper corners of the pocket.
7. Size label inside the pocket.
8. This open collar view shows covered snap backs.
9. The pointed collar shape and ball stud fasteners are visible in this view.
10. Side view.
It is a little difficult to discern here, but the side seam is not aligned with the rotated inset sleeve seam.
11. Talon zipper with no reinforcement stitching applied.
12. Well-worn AAF decal transfer.

United Sheeplined Clothing Co.

• Pockets with beveled bottom corners and with scalloped flaps. Bronco A-2s also have pockets like this, but those jackets can be distinguished from United by checking the shoulder seams, which on the Bronco are situated behind the epaulet.
• Double top-stitched shoulder seam centered under the epaulet.
• Sleeves appear wider than normal as they have less taper toward the wrist.

This United Sheeplined horsehide A-2, from order number 42-18777-P, exhibits some interesting characteristics. At first glance, the beveled pocket corners and scalloped pocket flaps would seem to indicate that this is the more commonly found Bronco A-2. The epaulets, collar shape with simple attachment, and the smaller sized United Carr ring snaps wouldn't betray the Bronco notion either. Moreover, the sleeves, also like the Bronco, are fuller and with a notably less than typical taper down to the wrist.

Nonetheless, this is a United Sheeplined made A-2 and it does have what might be considered a distinguishing feature. Similar to a small number of other A-2's, the seam across the top of the shoulder lies centered beneath the epaulet rather than the more often seen position behind the epaulet. The differentiating aspect of this seam on the United Sheeplined A-2 is that it is top stitched on both sides of the seam rather than being stitched on only one side. This construction makes for a very pleasing looking seam, though kept from full appreciation as it is essentially hidden. Double stitching of the centered shoulder seam is also done by the maker of the 23383 contract.

The zipper, not shown, is a hybrid Talon with marked slider and unmarked stopper box. Conmar zips are also seen on United Sheeplined jackets. The bottom ends of the zipper tape are reinforced with the common triangular stitching. Thread color on this A-2 is a combination of both OD and russet. The AN inspector's stamp is found on the center area of the back of the lining. The cuff knits are replacements.

Images:

1. Jacket front view.
2. Label. Note that the label was sewn unusually high onto the lining, so that it is partly obscured by the leather hanger which has been pulled back for this image.
3. Open neck view.
4. Composite closed/open pocket view.
5. Epaulet. The box-stitch areas are square and are contained within the twin-stitch lines.
6. The double-stitched shoulder seam under the epaulet.
7. This image of one of the sleeves illustrates a patch of hide with some very deep wrinkling.

Werber Sportswear Co.

• Collar stand construction.
• Nearly square collar.
• Pocket flaps are softly curved with a rounded center point.
• Open box-stitch reinforcements on the top corners of the pockets.
• Rounded leather tongue reinforcement for the back of the snap inside the pocket.

This horsehide A-2 by Werber, from order number 42-1402-P, is of a pre-war contract contemporary with the Rough Wear 42-1401-P. The jacket sports a collar stand construction and has a Crown zipper with triangular reinforcement stitching (not shown).

[Werber A-2 from the collection of Charles E. DiSipio, History Preservation Associates, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, USA.]

Images:

1. Jacket front view.
2. Label.
3. Open neck view.
4. Neck area showing the collar stand, the nearly square shape of the collar points, and the ball stud snaps.
5. The pocket flap shape is gently curved.
6. This view of the open pocket shows the ball stud snap and the use of an open box-stitch to reinforce the upper corners of the patch pocket.
7. View inside the pocket shows a size tag and the tongue-shaped reinforcement for the snap.
8. The epaulet is relatively narrow but the parallel stitching lines are spaced widely, leaving a slim area in the center. The box-stitched areas are quite small and are contained within the twin-stitch lines.