Original French WWI Early War Pilot’s Air Service Officer Uniform Tunic with Kepi
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Original Items: Only One Set Available. This is an absolutely stunning uniform set. This is a black wool French Pilot Armée de l'Air French Air Service Pilot Officer Uniform from the early war period, 1914-1915. At the start of the First World War, France led the world in aircraft design and by mid-1912 the Aéronautique Militaire had five squadrons ("escadrilles"). This had grown to 132 machines and 21 escadrilles by 1914, the same year when, on 21 February, it formally received a budget under the Ministry of War. On 3 August, Germany declared war against France.
The Air Service coat is single breasted with all 7 brass buttons down front. The collar tabs feature beautiful gold bullion and thread “winged star” insignia with vibrant color. The sleeves retain period-applied chevrons, three on the left sleeve denoting the service length, and two on the right sleeve denoting the times wounded, in this case twice. There are two stripes on each cuff likely denoting the rank of Lieutenant. The collar has a two hook & loop closure which still works great.
The interior of the tunic has a United Costumers stamp in the left sleeve, denoting that this uniform was likely used in a movie during the Post-War era. Indeed, the buttons have all been replaced with J.R. Gaunt of New York blank buttons, with the original French-made winged buttons in a bag in the pocket. There are four large winged buttons and four small winged buttons, all French-maker marked.
The included Kepi is heavily worn with good bullion braid work and a pilot’s eagle badge to the front. The cloth chinstrap has gold tape stitched to the front. The kepi shows heavy service wear with a great look overall that matches the tunic well.
This is an outstanding uniform set that will fit well into any WWI uniform collection. Comes ready for further research and display.
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