Original U.S. WWII 39th Fighter Squadron Distinguished Flying Cross Recipient Lt. William Mettler’s Patched A2 Flight Jacket & Crusher Cap - “Cobra in the Clouds”
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Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is the lovely A-2 Flight Jacket & crusher cap of Distinguished Flying Cross Recipient & Fighter Pilot Lieutenant William M Mettler Jr. of the 39th Fighter Squadron. Mettler flew 25 missions with the 39th in the Southwest Pacific. The 39th were equipped with long-range Lockheed P-38 Lightnings and deployed to Fifth Air Force in Australia, June 1942 under the command of the 35th Fighter Group. Began combat operations against the Japanese in the Lightning from their base in Sydney, Australia, 4 May 1942 then moving to Port Moresby, New Guinea, 22 Jul 1942. In late 1943 they converted to the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. Participated in offensives in the Netherlands East Indies, New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, Philippines and the Battle of Okinawa.
Mettler’s A-2 jacket has a gorgeous hand-embroidered 39th Fighter Squadron Patch on the left breast with his name tag over it, reading W.M. METTLER JR.. The interior retains the original data tag:
TYPE A-2
DRAWING NO. 30-1415
CONTRACT NO. W533-40-27752
ROUGH WEAR CLOTHING CO.
MIDDLETOWN, P.A.
PROPERTY
AIR FORCE, U.S. ARMY
36
Both shoulder boards have hand-sewn leather Lieutenant bars stitched on, a great detail. This is certainly a jacket worn on several of his missions. The knit cuffs & waistband are in good order and have not been replaced as is often seen. There is some tearing and material loss as shown with some past repairs, but it is overall in good order. The interior lining is also the original, and not later replaced. The zipper is the correct TALON and still works great. The leather has a small bit of stiffness but the past owner had stuffed the arms with paper towels to give them shape.
Also included is Mettler’s U.S. Army olive drab crusher cap, with heavy wear and the original leather chinstrap. The visor is correctly un-brimmed for crusher purposes. The interior has a maker label for Lauterstein’s of San Antonio. There is heavy wear and the sweatband has partial stitching loss. There is no size tag but it’s roughly a size 7.
William Maurice Mettler Jr. was born on July 11th, 1917 in Akron, Ohio, graduating from Oberlin College in 1939. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in January 1942, earning his pilot’s wings and joining the 39th Fighter Squadron. Mettler flew 25 missions in New Guinea and the Southwest Pacific. He was awarded the Air Medal for meritorious achievement in aerial flight between May 10th and August 7th, 1943. He was later awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for outstanding courage. After 18 months of service overseas, he returned stateside and was stationed at the Chico Army Airfield as an instructor for the rest of the war. Mettler passed away on July 22nd, 2000 at the age of 83.
This is an outstanding jacket & crusher cap to a combat-worn fighter pilot of one of the most sought-after squadrons. A few printed pages of research come with the set. Comes ready for further research and display.
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