Item Description
Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This is an exceptional A2 leather flight jacket issued to 2nd Lieutenant Mark Jacoby the Bombardier of the B-24 Consolidated B-24 Liberator Naughty Nan (there were actually two Naughty Nan's the first 42-52594 crashed and was replaced by the second 42-51581).
2nd Lieutenant Mark Jacoby, 705th Bomb Squadron, 446th Bombardment Group, 8th AAF was the owner of this jacket, and according to his commanding officer pilot William "Bill" Davenport, Jacoby was one of the youngest bombardiers in the 8th Air Force completing 35 missions before his 19th birthday! We know this because included with the jacket is a folder with printed email correspondence between the jacket's previous owner and Bill Davenport himself. Bill also noted that "The painting on the jacket is not the same as on the aircraft. Mark was very artistic and painted several aircraft's noseart and a number of jackets for people".
The jacket is offered in very good condition the painting is cracked and faded in places, but overall quite clear for the age. The front of the jacket features MARK in yellow, black and red lettering inside a white bubble. The reverse features NAUGHTY NAN and a blond pin up girl in multiple colors. The original lining is still present and in very good condition and the exterior leather is in great condition with supple leather and a fully working zipper. Cuffs and waist band are in good condition with some nips and frays. Original data label reads:
TYPE A-2
DWG. NO. 30H1415
A.C. CONTRACT
ORDER NO. 42-18775-P
PROPERTY
AIR FORCE, U.S.ARMY
AERO LEATHER CLO. CO.
BEACON, N.Y.
46R
Of particular interest is a set of dog tags that accompany the jacket. The name on the dog tags is M. Jacaby (not Jacoby) and they do not appear to be an original set of Army issue dog tags as there is not a blood type listed but there is a P for protestant. Bill Donovan in an email from 2001 confirmed that Mark Jacoby was Jewish and used these dog tags for when he flew missions in case of capture by the Germans. It was not an uncommon practice for Jewish flyers to have an alias set of tags.
Also included with the jacket and dog tag is a wonderful research binder with more than 30 pages of of research, copies of photos showing Jacoby and the crew as well as the the B-24 Naughty Nan, and multiple emails from Naughty Nan's pilot Bill Davenport.
In one photo of four fliers the caption on this website reads: 4 lucky crewmen from "Naughty Nan" who flew their last mission on this day. Going home are: 1/Lt William Davenport, 1/Lt Haywood Nichols, 1/Lt James Pickett, and 2/Lt Mark Jacoby. Lt Davenport would later serve as President of the 446th Bomb Group Association and now serves as the group's official historian. According to Davenport the they completed their missions on October 25th, 1944.
The 446th Bombardment Group (Heavy) was constituted on 20 Mar 1943. Activated on 1 Apr 1943. Trained for overseas duty with B-14's. Moved to England, Oct-Nov 1943, and assigned to Eighth AF. Operated chiefly against strategic objectives on the Continent from Dec 1943 until Apr 1945. Targets included U-boat installations at Kiel, the port at Bremen, a chemical plant at Ludwigshafen, ball-bearing works at Berlin, aero-engine plants at Rostock, aircraft factories at Munich, marshalling yards at Coblenz, motor works at Ulm, and oil refineries at Hamburg. Besides strategic missions, the group often carried out support and interdictory operations. Supported the Normandy invasion in Jun 1944 by attacking strong points, bridges, airfields, transportation, and other targets in France. Aided ground forces at Caen and St Lo during Jul by hitting bridges, gun batteries, and enemy troops. Dropped supplies to Allied troops near Nijmegen during the airborne attack on Holland in Sep. Bombed marshalling yards, bridges, and road junctions during the Battle of the Bulge, Dec 1944-Jan 1945. Dropped supplies to airborne and ground troops near Wesel during the Allied assault across the Rhine in Mar 1945. Flew last combat mission on 25 Apr, attacking a bridge near Salzburg. Returned to the US, Jun-Jul. Inactivated on 18 Aug 1945.
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