Original Item: Only One Available. Development of protective flight uniforms and equipment began with the advent of military aircraft in WWI and continued on into the Weimar and the Third Reich eras, resulting in three distinct one-piece combination pattern flight suits being approved before WWII and worn for the duration of the war with minor modifications. Regulations of July 4th, 1940 and April 24th, 1941 introduced two piece protective flight suits for fighter pilots designed to increase the wearers mobility and not be as restrictive in the close confines of a cockpit. The two piece flight suits consist of separate jacket and pants and were commonly referred to as the "Kanalanzug", (Channel Uniform).

This is a very nice service used condition heavy winter "channel" flight jacket, constructed from a blue twill fabric shell, with a brown fur lining and lay down collar. This extends all the way through the sleeves as well, and really looks great. We do not see any signs of any past electronic attachments, which were usually not used with the fur jackets, only those lined with the blue / purple synthetic plush material. There are no internal pockets, just the two waist slash pockets, and another vertical slash pocket next to the main closure, probably for flight goggles. We checked all over the jacket, and were not able to find any type of maker markings.

The jacket has seen a good amount of use, and unfortunately most of the female snaps are missing. There is one still remaining, marked with PRYM, a known Luftwaffe supplier during the war. The main closure zipper is actually a bakelite example, which are quite rare, and unfortunately also prone to breaking. The teeth are all still intact, and the slider can still close the zipper, however the pull tab is missing, which is where the maker mark would have been. There are no zippers on the end of the sleeves, and the collar is secured by a leather strap and black bakelite buttons. There is an internal belt around the bottom of the jacket, however the securing straps have pulled back inside the sleeve and away from the adjusting buckles.

Condition is very good, especially considering the amount of service it saw. It shows wear to the exterior, especially around the bottom of the jacket and the sleeves. It has a great "been there" look that is simply impossible to duplicate. Ready to display!