Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This is an wonderful A2 leather flight jacket issued to LIEUTENANT ROBERT E. BEASLEY who was a B-24 Liberator bomber pilot in the 372d Bombardment Squadron, 307th Bombardment Group, 13th Air Force during WWII.

This A2 Flying Jacket features a leather name tag on left breast that reads a R.E. BEASLEY. Below the name tag is the 372nd Bomb Squadron "Scotty Dog" patch which is constructed of embroidery on felt and is attached to the jacket in white thread. Patch has a couple minor moth nips that do not penetrate. Neither the patch nor thread glow under a black light indicating that it is genuine period manufacture. Furthermore, the jacket has only one set stitch of holes occupied by the name tag and patch meaning this  is a single issue jacket to Beasley and not re-issued as was a common practice. 

Jacket has leather lieutenant bars on each shoulder, excellent manufacturer tag and perfectly working original Talon "bell" zipper. The waist cuff appears to be original but wrist cuffs are different color appear to be period replacements. The original jacket liner is fine condition with a visible AN (Army/Navy) ink stamp acceptance mark. Jacket retains all original functioning snaps on the pockets and neck closure. Manufactured by the Aero Leather Clothing Company it is a size 38R made in 1942.

Beasley is mentioned in official historical data documentation from the 372nd for actions that took place on June 15th, 1944:

HISTORICAL DATA
372ND BOMBARDMENT SQUADRON (H)
Office of the Commanding Officer
APO #7l9, % Postmaster, San Francisco, California
5 July, 1944
Subject: Historical Record
TO: Commanding General, 13th Airforce, APO #7 19

Attention: Historical Officer. (THRU: Commanding Officer, 307th Bombardment Group)

June 15, 1944 Five airplanes from this squadron participated in a bombardment mission over Dublon Town on the sixteenth of the month. The formation was led by 1st Lt. ROBERT E. BEASLEY, Squadron Operations Officer, and carried fifty-four 500 pound demolition bombs. The formation went over the target at 19,000 feet in a javelin down formation. About ten tons of bombs fell in the target area, the pattern starting off the shore at the east end of the town. The pattern continued through the Northeast 2/3 of the target with the last nine bombs landing in the troop contingent  area. Several building were hit. Three or four of the bombs fell in the water. Only a few bursts of heavy antiaircraft fire were noted and they were inaccurate as to course and altitude. Six to eight Zekes and one Hamp intercepted the formation. No damage was inflicted on the attacking fighters and only one of our ships was hit. That ship received a 7.7 in the tail turret, causing little damage.

The 372nd Bombardment Squadron formed as a heavy bombardment group in January 1942, trained in the Pacific Northwest under Second Air Force, with B-17 Flying Fortresses. Reassigned to Seventh Air Force in Hawaii, November 1942 and performed performing search and rescue and antisubmarine patrols until January 1943 while transitioning to long-range B-24 Liberator heavy bombers.

Deployed to the Central Pacific from Hawaii throughout 1943 for long-range combat bombardment operations against Japanese forces in the Central Pacific; New Guinea; Northern Solomon Islands and Eastern Mandates campaigns. Deployed to the New Hebrides in Melanesia and operated from numerous temporary jungle airfields, engaging in long-range bombardment operations during the Bismarck Archipelago; Western Pacific; Leyte; Luzon and Southern Philippines campaigns until the end of the war in August 1945. Assigned to Clark Field, Philippines after the war ended, demobilized with personnel returning to the United States, unit inactivated as paper unit in January 1946 in California.

This is an excellent condition named Captain's B-24 Pilot A-2 bomber jacket from the pacific theater of WW2 with an ultra rare patch and a known history. It doesn't get much nicer than this one!