History

The Type A-2 flying jacket was standardized by the U.S. Army Air Corps as a successor to the A-1. The Type Designation Sheet lists the dates for Service Test as September 20, 1930, for Standard as May 9, 1931, and for Limited Standard as April 27, 1943. The specification number is 94-3040. The Drawing Number is given as 31-1415, but the spec labels in the jackets themselves show this as 30-1415.

The U.S. Army Air Forces Class 13 Catalog listed the A-2 as "Jacket, Flying, Type A-2," with Spec. No. 94-3040. It also describes the jacket material as, "seal brown horsehide leather, knitted wristlets and waistband (skirt)." Sizes were listed as ranging in even numbers from 32 through 54.

An anonymous donor, who contacted the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to obtain documents related to the A-2 Spec. No. 94-3040, has provided for hosting here a PDF of the pages he received. Some pages are duplicated due to including copies of both paper and microfiche. The documents indicate some very early contracts and production numbers along with many other interesting details. Have a look here (A2_SpecDocuments.pdf).

Wartime contract manufacturers of A-2 jackets were numerous and contracts ranged greatly in quantity. Some of the makers were:

Aero Leather Clothing Co., Inc.
Bronco Mfg. Co.
Cable Raincoat Co.
Cooper Sportswear Mfg. Co.
David D. Doniger & Co.
J.A. Dubow Mfg. Co.
Monarch Mfg. Co.
Perry Sportswear, Inc.
Poughkeepsie Leather Coat Co., Inc.
Rough Wear Clothing Co.
Spiewak & Sons
Star Sportswear
United Sheeplined Clothing Co.
Werber Sportswear

Despite the popularity and desirability of the A-2 among those who wore them, General H. H. "Hap" Arnold in 1942 destined the A-2 for obsolescence by cancelling any further contracts in favor of newer cloth shell jackets.

In the late 1980's the A-2 was resurrected as a U.S. Air Force issue item. This second incarnation, however, does not measure up to the original in either quality or appearance. The modernized "specification" calls for a fuller and less flattering fit, and the materials do not have the quality to match that of the originals. Purists may find this disappointing but, as will be described later, sources do exist for procuring excellent true-to-the-original replicas of the A-2.

A-2 Contract and Order Numbers

The following list of A-2 jacket contract and order numbers and manufacturers is derived from a list originally compiled and provided by flight jacket collector Greg Flibbert. Over the years, I have added new information and have also modified the categories to eliminate confusion arising from assumptions in the time sequence of contracts and orders.

Pre War Order Numbers
32-485	unmarked label (Security Aviation Togs?)
33-1729	Werber
36-1112 P	Werber
37-3061 P	Aero
37-3891 P	H.L.B. Corp.
38-205	Werber
38-1711-P	Aero
39-2951 P	Werber
40-3785-P	Aero
Contract Numbers
W535ac16159	Rough Wear
W535ac16160	Aero
W535ac18091	Rough Wear
W535ac20960	Dubow
W535ac21996	Aero
W535ac23377	Perry
W535ac23378	Monarch
W535ac23379	Dubow
W535ac23380	Rough Wear
W535ac23381	Cooper
W535ac23382	Cable
W535ac23383	unmarked label (Fried Ostermann)
W535ac27752	Rough Wear
W535ac27753	unmarked label (Cable Raincoat)
W535ac27798	Dubow
W535ac28557	Star
W535ac28560	Poughkeepsie
W535ac29191	Bronco
W535ac29971	unmarked label (David D. Doniger)
Order Numbers
42-1401-P	Rough Wear
42-1402-P	Werber
42-10008-P	Cable
42-15142-P	Aero
42-16175-P	Perry
42-18245-P	Star
42-18246-P	unmarked label (S.H. Knopf)
42-18775-P	Aero
42-18776-P	Spiewak
42-18777-P	United Sheeplined
42-21539-P	David D. Doniger
W33-038ac1755(11631)	Dubow
1756	unmarked label (Perry)
W33-038ac1761	Bronco

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