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Old September 18th 03, 02:06 PM
Michael
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(Corey C. Jordan) wrote in message .. .
On Wed, 17 Sep 2003 17:26:34 -0400, Cub Driver wrote:



I may investigate Airborne Leathers! Which is the "Flying Tigers"
jacket, the G-1 or G-2? If I'm going to buy fake, I want the most
authentic fake that money can buy.


Looking at their website, I wouldn't buy anything from Airborne
Leather.

I have photos of the AVG guys taken during February of 1942.
Most are wearing G-1 jackets,


They are wearing the WWII version of the G-1, the M-422 or M-422A.
The G-1 designation wasn't adopted until '47. The "G-2" never was.

with a few A-2s as well. Several of
them managed to get themselves the joint service AN-J-4 jacket
too.


The AN-J-4 wasn't standardized until mid '43, and didn't reach flyers
until '44. The AVG guys are wearing USN M-445s.

However, the G-1 was the most common jacket among them simply
because so many were former Naval Aviators.


The M-422 was worn buy the AVG because when the Chinese bought flight
gear to outfit them, they bought USN gear.

You can purchase a replica silk blood chit and sew it on the back of
a G-1 for the correct AVG look. These are available from U.S. Wings
at
http://www.military-jackets.com/patches.asp $23.

So for around $150, you can make your own AVG jacket, or you can
buy one from http://www.flightsuits.com/leather_a2_avg.html for a whopping
$828!! Not only is it expensive, but it's an A-2 jacket, less common in the
AVG than the G-1.


Over priced, and it isn't even done up as an AVG jacket, it's a 23rd
FG jacket.

If I wanted to make a reasonably priced and pretty authentic AVG
jacket, I'd get a Flight Suits (now called Gibson and Barnes) M-422A
and one of their silk blood chits to sew on the back. Eastman Leather
Clothing and The Real McCoy's also make excellent reproduction M-422s,
but they start at $600.

~Michael