WWII Uniforms and Flight Gear (1)

WWII Uniforms and Flight Gear
Ed Nored Private Collection
photos copyright ©2006-2010 by Ed Nored, used by permission
Photo Shoot Bomber Crews 1 Bomber Crews 2 Bomber Crews 3 Bomber Crews 4
F-2 Booklet F-3 Booklet Dressing for a Mission Fighter Pilots

(1-1) Shown above is the M-1 full armored vest with the M-4 apron. The red strap shown is the emergency pull release. In one quick pull it disconnects the shoulder connections and the waist belt.

(1-2) Shown above are the 3 armored vest pieces broken down. The vest was made of small 2 inch squares of manganese steel plates.

(1-3) Shown above are the manufacturer's label on each piece. Also the weight of each piece is clearly stamped. Total weight 25 lb 10 oz! This vest was made by Fashion Frocks, Inc., who made quite an array of items for the war, including parachutes such as the AN-6513-1a. See an example on page 2.

(1-4) The above shot is posted more as a tip on how to display objects if you are a collector. Shown in the background is a foam core foldable display board I picked up at the local Office Depot store. They come in black or white. I photocopied some photos from different sources that show flak and flak damaged planes. In the top left photo there is a crew walking away from their B-17. One crewman is clearly shown carrying the same flak vest. The black color contrasts with the vest to make it stand out more and the photo authenticates the item displayed. The M-3 Flak helmet sits on top.

(1-5) Beginning with the above photo and a few others I will do my best to show you the gear that the early crews wore. Above on the left is the B-3 Mae West over the A-2 jacket with headset over officers crusher cap. On the far right is the B-3 jacket with B-6 helmet. If you have never seen the item in the center before, let me confirm that it is as blue as you think it is -- the famous F-1 "blue bunny" heated suit. To see examples of this suit go to the 359th Eisenhart Crew. Eisenhart is wearing an F-2 and is shaking the hand of Gen Travis, who is wearing the F-1. Another example is the Cogswell Crew. Look at S/Sgt Paul Davis. Also see the Fyler crew and Lt. Jackson in Lead Crew #75.

(1-6) You should understand that because new and improved flight gear arrived, it didn't mean that all of the early items of flight gear was thrown away. You can still see traces of it in 1945 including the F-1 suit. Two of the quickest items to disappear would have been the heavy leather shearling B-3 jacket and A-3 pants. Pictured above is the A-4 flight suit which in some cases would have been worn over the F-1. Go to Lead Crew Mission #191 and check out Lt Nance. In Lead Crew Mission #219, 1Lt Blythe is wearing the A-4 flight suit underneath the F-2 heated uniform.

(1-7) Over the F-1 and over the A-4 suit, if desired, came the A-3 leather pants, shown here without the A-4. After the pants, the B-3 jacket would top things off.

(1-8) Shown are the gloves that go with the F-1. The cords of the gloves that plug into the connectors at the wrist have been cut off and disposed of long ago. From a collecting aspect, the gloves and the booties that go with this suit are extremely rare. The cord and plug leading from the glove are nearly the same as the plug you have on any of your present day lamps or appliances. To see gloves hanging from the F-1, see Lead Crew Mission #30. The man with the gloves is wearing what appears to be the AAC B-1 flight suit. The yellow tag on the suit states this particular F-1 has been inspected and found to be "serviceable" and dated 1945. I will let the next owner of this suit determine if it works or not. Click on Dressing for a Mission to see a crewman donning the F-1 suit for a mission. See him about to plug in his glove to the connector on the sleeve of the F-1 and see him connect his heated shoes

(1-9) Shown above and below are the correct heated shoes for the F-1. The label inside shoe reads, "Shoe Pilot Electrically heated 24 volts D.C. Type D-1." After slipping the heated shoes on and plugging them into the suit, the wearer would then slip them into the A-6 boot.

(1-10) see the caption above

(1-11) Typical gear and look of the first year in England. The parachute would not have any red paint marking on it at this time, so overlook that please. Lead Crew Mission #24 has the chute as well as B-2 caps, throat mics, A-9 gloves and QAC harnesses. The HBT general purpose bags probably contained oxygen masks personal items etc. Lead Crew Mission #21 shows more similar items.

(1-12) In 1943 the 8th AAF acquired the R.A.F. parachute and harness referred to as the "Observer harness." It is shown above over the B-3 Mae West and A-2 jacket. Attached to the harness is the early style First Aid Pak. It contained the morphine syrette, tourniquet and a single bandage. This item is extremely rare and very hard to find, so I am happy to have it and be able to share it. This First Aid pouch was slowly replaced with the type you see tied to my harnesses in the photo shoot around "909", but I have noticed they still show up on fighter pilot photos late in the war, including Ace Kit Carson of the 357th FG. The crewman above also wears the B-6 helmet with the R.A.F. Mark 7 VII goggles. R.A.F. gloves lie unused in front of him, as well as another example of a B-2 cap with name tag on bill. To see parachute and harness, see the Moser Crew of the 359th BS. A standard issue G.I. helmet hangs from the harness. The crews removed the liner so it would fit over the flight helmet gear and any crewman was happy to get one. See the helmet as well as an early First Aid Pak in the 359th Campbell Crew photo. Also worth noting with this crew is that three of the men do not have the ear cups that hold the receivers to their flight helmets permanently attached. The are still using what appears to be the HS-38 radio headsets. Another example of the RAF harness, this time with the zippered First Aid Kit attached, is in Lead Crew #121. RAF Mark VII goggles can be seen on Lead Crew Mission #35. Another example of the harness and chute can be seen in the 359th Loughnan Crew.

(1-13) The man above is based on several of the men in the Vere A. Wood Crew of the 427th. I was surprised to see this crew still equipped with the gear typical of 1943, with the photo dated March 29, 1944. The man above wears an A-4 under the B-3 Mae West. An unmarked QAC has a A-8b oxygen mask hanging in front of it. My mask shown is a postwar example. A good condition wartime A-8b is extremely rare. The B-6 helmet is under the Mk VII goggles. He has A-9 gloves, the AN-6513 1a parachute, and across from it the K-20 camera. You can see the K-20 camera in the hands of 2Lt Wilson in the Lead Crew photo for Mission 142.

(1-14) The goggles are the AN-6530s. As mentioned earlier, the B-7 goggles are nearly identical when seen in photos of crews. The B-6 helmet displays a leather name tag and the parachute is attached to the harness.

(1-15) This is the classic look of the early days. The A-2 over the dark green A-4 suit with headset over the crusher. R.A.F. 1941 pattern gloves cover the hands and an early AN-6513 chute is attached to the QAC.

(1-16) There are a few items used that 1st year in England that I do not have examples of to show. In 1943 you see 3 types of chutes being used. The QAC harness, the R.A.F. harness and the B-7 backpack type chute. Refer to Lead Crew Mission #26: There's a good close profile of this early chute being worn by Captain Roller. Both Roller and LtCol Marion are wearing the B-2 cap. Marion has on a A-4 flight suit. A good example of the front of the B-7 is worn by S/Sgt Smith of the Roy C. Sanders Crew. Note the waist band, an interesting characteristic of this chute. By early 1944, the B-7 had been replaced with the B-8 chute. Another MIA item is a AN-H-16 flight helmet. It had considerable use by the 8th AAF. It showed up after the B-6 helmet and before the A-11. From a collecting point of view, it is a difficult item to find in good condition. To see the An-H-16, look at the 360th Christian Crew

(1-17) Based on 1Lt Vern Moncur, the B-3 jacket with officers hat.

(1-18) Shown above is another example of the B-3 jacket. This particular model has the more desired 2 tone leather for the pocket, trim and added shoulder pieces.

(1-19) Above are two examples of navigator cases. The hats in top row left to right are the B-1, the short billed HBT cap and the B-2 leather with shearling cap. Next row L-R the A-3 mechanics cap, overseas cap and the officers crusher cap. All hats except the leather B-2 can be seen in the Middlemas Crew of the 360th. The B-2 can be seen on all of the 5 men kneeling in Lead Crew Mission #191.

(1-20) Above are two examples of the B-2 cap. The left one is the most common one issued during the war and found today. The one on the right is very rare and is an earlier "redskin" with name tag sewn in.

(1-21) Here are a pair of A-6 boots made by the U.S. Rubber Company. Some boots have the Army Air Force logo or decal on them and some do not. Of all the A-6 boots I've seen, only about half have the logo. Often the rubber soles have turned hard as rock.

(1-22) Above on the left is another A-6 boot made by the U.S. Rubber Company. It has a different zipper then the pair above and the rubber sole is manufactured differently, possibly from a sub-contractor or change in manufacturing. The other 2 boots are late 44-45 A-6A boots made by the Converse Company. The straps were added in response to the problem of men losing their shoes as a result of the opening shock of a parachute during bailout. A leather name tag is also shown on one of the A-6A boots.

(1-23) Always a great find for any collector, a mint pair of A-6 boots in the box. On the right is the same pair shown previously. Both pairs are identical, including labels. The only difference is the straps have been added to the one. Both pairs made by the U.S. Rubber Company.

(1-24) Above are two examples of the HBT coveralls worn by the ground crew . The short billed HBT hat shows on the mechanic who has the 4 buckle overshoes under his right arm. The other suit hanging on the right is the early AAC B-1 flight coveralls. It should be pointed out that some of the aircrew at times would wear any of the HBT coveralls.

(1-25) Shown above is the D-1 jacket and B-2 cap worn by many of the ground crew and support personal. Sometimes the jacket will have pockets. The D-1 weighs about half that of the B-3.

[photos and comments copyright and courtesy of Ed Nored]

The uniforms and gear presented here are from the private collection of Ed Nored. Any reproduction or other use of these photographs is strictly forbidden. 303rdBG.com was granted exclusive rights to these photographs solely for historical purposes. These items are not for sale.