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

(2-1) Shown above are the three items the B-17 and B-24 crews had to plug into. On the left is the Rheostat for the heated suits. There are about three different patterns or styles of the rheostat found today. The one above I believe is one of the earliest ones. In the middle is the Jack box BC-366 that the 2 commo lines plugged into. Far right is one of the several styles of oxygen regulators. This one is the A-12. The A-3 parachute harness is authentic and is made by the Cambell Company. The yellow markings are authentic and are not as bright as my photo suggests.

(2-2) Many air crewman would tie their service shoes to their harness, just in case they would have to '"walk back home" from their mission. The flight boots type A-6 or the F-2 felt were not practical for long walks or running from German soldiers and angry civilians.

(2-3) Sometime time during the first half of 1944 and probably in conjunction with the issuing of the A-3 harness, the 8th AAF began requiring that the older type Q.A.C. harnesses and the newly arrived A-3 harnesses be color coded, as well as each corresponding parachute. This was to eliminate any chance one might find himself trying to attach a red group parachute to a yellow group harness. I make no claim that I know the exact date when the order came down to mark the parachute equipment and can only speculate based on photographs here at the 303 website, other 8th AAF websites and related books. So keep an open mind to time periods that I may associate to flight gear or events that happened.

(2-4) Above is the A-3 harness constructed with olive drab webbing. On each side of the leg straps of all the A-3, red group, QACs and B-8 chute harnesses you find 2 "D" rings. They are there to attach to the C-2 type one-man life raft/dinghy.

(2-5) The A-3 harness.

(2-6) Above are two authentic WWII, A-3 type QACs. The harness on the right still has its risers tacked down. Once a man connects the chute, bails out and pulls the rip cord, the force and weight of the man acts against the opening shock of the canopy. This sudden jolt pulls and breaks the tacking, allowing the parachute container and risers to be in the position you see above on the left. One veteran described how, after the canopy opened he was relieved, but thought he was falling out of his harness when the risers popped free a few seconds later.

(2-7) A closer look at the tacking used to hold down the risers.

(2-8) Shown above are four examples of the A-3 parachute, with their original yellow paint. The top left pack is dated Feb. 10, 1944 and the top right pack dated Nov. 29, 1944. Both were made by the Reliance Company. The bottom left pack is dated Sept. 22, 1943 and was made by the Simmons Company. The bottom right pack is dated Feb. 22,1943 and was made by the Atlantic Rayon Company. All four have their canopies correctly packed. There are two examples of the A-3 chute in the 358th Garrett Crew photo.

(2-9) Shown above are three examples of the AN-6513-1A parachute and one AN 6514-1 (bottom, right). Three of the packs have their canopies correctly packed. The top right pack does not. The top left pack is dated Aug. 1943. No exact date is shown. It was made by the Hayes Manufacturing Company. The top right pack is dated Sept. 1943 (no day date) and was made by the Standard Parachute Corporation. The pack on the bottom left is dated July 9, 1943 and made by Fashion Frocks Inc. of Cincinnati, Ohio. The bottom right pack is marked Jan 1943 (no day date) and made by the Pioneer Parachute Company. This chute is marked AN 6514-1. I can't determine what the difference is between this one and the other packs. If you can help, please let us know. These red group chutes are hard to find and the airborne collectors are driving up the price because the AN-6513-1A was also utilized as a reserve chute for the Troop type harnesses used on D-day.

(2-10) Shown above on the left is an un-issued AN6513-1A Q.A.C. (quick attachable chest) harness. On the right a veteran brother of the same type.

(2-11) Shown above is a closer look at the additional webbing and tacking applied to the harness on the right. Note the addition of the two D-rings added to accommodate the life raft container at the bottom of the harness. The piece of white material sewn onto the back pad was used to indicate the pilot's name and/or the air field it was from. It's rare to find this example, so consider its presence the exception and not the norm for the thousands of harnesses that were issued to the men of the 8th and 15th AAF overseas.

(2-12) Shown above are two examples of the manufactures inked markings, which included the makers name and date. Both harnesses were made in 1943. On well used harnesses, the markings are usually worn off or faded. The back pads shown are the correct ones for the A-3 harness and the AN6513-1A, red group, Q.A.C. I have seen recent books about AAF gear showing the seat pack back pad with these 2 harnesses, which is incorrect. An excellent example of the correct back pad is on the photo "Battle Casualty" dated 21 November 1944. In this photo the wounded man is wearing the F-2, as well as the man with his back to the camera. Also note the heated glove still attached to the connector of the F-2 heated uniform.

(2-13) Shown above is a closer look at the red group QAC harness that the AN 6513 1a parachute connected to. Each man who was issued his harness would have tried the harness on. Then a person from the parachute department would have "tacked down" his chute for a snugger or more perfect fit. The harness shown above and below was recently obtained and still has its original "tacking" from the last person who used it. The red markings or lines you see were placed there by the parachute rigger while the pilot or crewmen wore the harness. Upon removing the marked harness, the rigger used a strong twine and a needle and placed the straps where marked, then secured or "tacked" them down.

(2-14) Shown above are examples of where the leg straps have been "tacked down."

(2-15) Shown above is the manufactures stamp. Vanity Fair is the manufacturer and it was made Sept. 1, 1943. Vanity Fair also made parachutes.

(2-16) Shown above from top to bottom; The B-8, A-3, and AN-6513-1A parachutes. Visible are the log book pouch and log books that all parachutes had. Repairs, repacks and alterations made to the parachute were noted and initialed by the person doing the work.

(2-17) The photo above is the 427th BS Edward J. Von Aesch Crew. The last type of Q.A.C. parachute harness to be issued was the A-4 "yellow group" harness. It showed up very late in the war and is shown above being worn by three of the crew. It is the American version of the RAF harness that you see many of the 303rd BG crewmen wearing in 1943. One, if not all, of the A-4s have yellow markings on them. The yellow markings are located high up on the risers. They can be seen most clearly on the crewmember kneeling at the far left. At this stage they were sewing long rectangular pieces of yellow material onto the harness. The round device in the center of the harness is called a "quick release" or "bang box." You would twist the knob from locked to unlock and give it a punch inwards towards your body. This would release the two leg straps and two shoulder straps all at once -- great if you land in water. In the photo, the man standing at the far right does not have the two leg straps connected to the bang box. The harness also had a safety clip that slid into the box that kept it from being opened -- just in case the dial was not turned to lock. You can see it on the same man. It is hanging at the end of a strap on the man's right at the groin area. Also note the zippered first aid kit on one of the A-3 harnesses. The risers on the A-4 did not have to be "tacked" down like they did on the A-3 harness. Metal holsters held each hook at the end of the risers. The parachute packs, A-3 and A-4, for both the A-3 and A-4 harnesses are 99% identical. The only difference in parachute paks is one has more handles sewn onto it.

(2-18) The above photo shows a crewman as if he has been called to aid a fellow wounded crewman. He has disconnected all of his heat and communication lines and has grabbed what they call a "portable" or "walkaround" oxygen bottle; Type A-4 with an A-13 regulator. With flak shrapnel still filling the air around his plane, he takes no chances and connects his AN6513 1-a parachute to one side of his harness. He has grabbed a first aid kit from the fuselage of the plane and moves with much anxiety to the wounded man's position hoping it isn't that bad.

(2-19) Shown above is another example of a portable oxygen bottle; Type D-2 with A-13 regulator.

(2-20) Shown above are 2 examples of the aeronautic first aid kits installed in aircraft. The one on the right shows up in some photos of fighter pilots sitting in their cockpit. The first aid kit can sometimes be seen directly behind the pilots head fastened to the armor plate. This kit is the rarer of the two to collect. The kit shown on the left is the most common one found today. Both kits had morphine syrettes in them. Notice the small strand of wire with a round lead seal attached, on the lower left of the kit. This is the security seal. One end of the wire was attached to the zipper and if opened the broken wire revealed tampering.

(2-21) Above are both kits opened, showing their original contents. I've removed the scissors from the kit on the right to show the manufactures name and 1943 date stamped on the underside of the top flap. The scissors in the kit on the left are still wrapped in their original reddish paper. Many of the kits found today still have a small envelope inside with four screw fasteners to mount the kit inside the aircraft. They are shown between the morphine and scissors.

[photos and comments are copyrighted 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 copyrighted photographs is strictly forbidden. 303rdBG.com was granted exclusive rights to these photographs solely for historical purposes. The items shown are not for sale.