Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is a tremendous service-worn A-2 Flight jacket which was worn by a Lieutenant in the 63rd Bombardment Squadron, 43rd Bombardment Group, 5th Air Force. There is a small Christian religious pendant necklace in one of the pockets. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the squadron conducted antisubmarine patrols off the Atlantic coast, with the LB-30 export version of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator until January 1942, when it began moving to reinforce American forces in the Southwest Pacific Theater. 

The jacket is heavily worn overall with the sleeves showing weakness in the leather, with some small holes in spots. There is also some material loss in the collar. The front of the jacket bears a gorgeous Australian-made embroidered patch for the 63rd Bomb Squadron depicting a castle bearing 63 with wings within a large aerial bomb. Above this is a leather-printed set of Aircrew Wings. The left shoulder bears an embroidered 5th Air Force patch, and both shoulders bear cut-leather Lieutenant bars. The zipper is still fully functional. The knit waistband and sleeve cuffs are still intact, but the sleeve cuffs show heavy material loss and wear, while the waistband appears to be a different color and may be a period replacement. There is a small Christian religious pendant necklace in one of the pockets.

The interior lining appears original to the jacket, and the original manufacturer’s tag is still present:

TYPE A-2
DWG. NO. 30H1415
A.C. CONTRACT
ORDER NO. 42-15142-P
PROPERTY
AIR FORCE, U.S. ARMY
AERO LEATHER CLO. CO.
BEACON, N.Y.
36

This indicates the size as being 36. This is a tremendous example of a service-worn A-2 Flight jacket to a Lieutenant in the 63rd Bombardment Squadron with a gorgeous Australian-made patch. Comes ready for further research and display.

The squadron reached Australia via Cape Town in March 1942. It was originally equipped with B-17s for combat operations. The squadron operated from bases in Australia until January 1943, when it moved to New Guinea. Between May and September 1942 the squadron replaced its B-17s with Consolidated B-24 Liberators, believed to be more suited to the long ranges of many Pacific missions. It attacked Japanese shipping in the Netherlands East Indies and the Bismarck Archipelago. It experimented with skip bombing and used this technique during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea in March 1943. During this battle, it made repeated attacks against an enemy convoy bringing reinforcements to Japanese forces in New Guinea. For this action, the squadron was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation. During this period, the squadron also provided air support for ground forces in New Guinea. It attacked airfields and enemy installations in New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, Celebes, Halmahera, Yap, Palau, and the southern Philippines.

In November 1944 the squadron moved to the Philippines, helping the ground campaign on Luzon as well as conducting bombing missions against airfields, industrial installations and enemy installations in China and Formosa. In July 1945 it moved to Ie Shima Airfield, from which it flew missions over Japan, attacking railroads and airfields, as well as shipping in the Seto Inland Sea until V-J Day. After ceasing operations, the squadron sent its aircraft to the Philippines for reclamation and relocated to Fort William McKinley as a paper unit. It was finally inactivated in April 1946.