Item Description
Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This is a fantastic A2 leather flight jacket issued to a member of the crew of the B-17 Flying Fortress # 42-31677 known as SATAN'S MATE which was assigned to the 548th Bomb Squadron, 385th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force. We have been unable to trace the exact airman as the name tag has been removed.
The left chest bears an original 548th Bomb Squadron insignia patch which is painted canvas and features the cartoon character Bugs Bunny riding on a bomb carrot in hand.
Of particular note is that the right chest has a 549th Bomb Squadron "Barking Devils" insignia patch. The patch is also painted canvas in full color and features the devil riding a bomb. Both the 548th and 549th bomb squadrons were assigned to the 385th Bombardment Group. However, one rarely encounters one jacket with two squadron patches. These patches alone without the jacket would sell for $1000 a piece.
The reverse of the jacket is hand painted with SATAN'S MATE in red above a B-17 that is flying through Flak busts with multiple bomb below which represent missions flown. Satan's Mate can be found on the 385th BG website at this link and also one the American Air Museum in Britain Website at this link.
Overall condition of the jacket is very good. The leather is still supple and does not have any major cracking or damage. There is some minor wear in places and a small split in the seam at the right armpit. The liner is original while the cuffs are replacements and the waist band is a wartime woven replacement of high quality. The zipper appears complete but is missing the pull. Data label has been removed but size is approximately US 38.
B-17 42-31677 was Delivered Cheyenne 6/12/43; New Castle 7/1/44; Presque Is 8/1/44; RAF Valley 16/1/44; Assigned 548BS/385B, Gt Ashfield 17/1/44; Salvaged n/battle damaged with Fleisher 14/6/45. THOROBRED aka SATAN’S MATE.
The 385th Bomb Group, who took the nickname "Van's Valiants" after their first Commanding Officer Col. Elliot Vandevanter, flew B-17s from Great Ashfield, Suffolk. The Group led the famous attack on the Focke-Wolfe aircraft factory at Marienburg on 9 October 1943, during which only two out of one hundred B-17s were lost and all of the buildings on the site were damaged or destroyed. They won two Distinguished Unit Citations. The first, awarded to all 4th Bomb Wing Groups, was for accurately dropping their pay load on an aircraft factory at Regensburg, on 17 August 1943 and the Group's second was awarded after leading a difficult long-range mission to destroy an aircraft repair works at Zwickau, south-west Germany, on 12 May 1944.
History of the 549th Bomb Squadron, 385th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force "Barking Devils": Activated in late 1942 as a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomb squadron, trained under Second Air Force. Deployed to England in the European Theater of Operations (ETO) during June 1943, assigned to VIII Bomber Command as a strategic bombardment squadron. Participated in the air offensive over NSDAP Germany and Occupied Europe until German capitulation in May 1945. Personnel demobilized in England and returned to the United States; squadron reassigned to Second Air Force and was programmed to be re-equipped with B-29 Superfortresses for deployment to Pacific Theater. Japanese capitulation led to units inactivation in September 1945, being neither manned or equipped.
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