Here's a terrific, unusual A-2 from
Poughkeepsie Leather, 30th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, WWII.
Unusual because the very Dark Russet (virtually Chestnut) is a
remarkably supple, unfaded Horsehide of
an intense, almost Goatskin pebbled grain. At first we thought it was
Goatskin and we still argue about it, believe it or not. And we know
hides! But it's Horsehide.The printed leather squadron patch is a vibrant, brilliant
design and also shows virtually no wear.
Routinely, Poughkeepsie examples are virtually
identical to those of nearby (family related?) Aero Leather, Beacon N.Y. This one
is very different in hide, pigment and definition but the exception proves
the rule and one can't make definitive, wide-ranging conclusions about a
particular contractor, contract, etc. -- well, some do, but ignorance is
bliss. Further, original A-2s did not come with markedly contrasting
thread. Cotton thread, including ours, and as on this example, fades
rapidly and disproportionately with use and exposure. Some components of
the brown fade more quickly and intensely than others, leaving a faded
thread color that could be khaki, tan, even yellow sometimes. The proof?
Examine areas of an original A-2 that have been more or less protected
from ultraviolet light: stitching under the collar, stitching inside pockets. Same
color thread as exterior of jacket? We've examined, for example, LW black
horsehide motorcycle jackets after just a couple of years of use in which
what started as black thread was now light charcoal! The fading occurs
more rapidly and markedly in climates with a lot of salt in the air --
just like in WWII, for every theater, ETO, MTO or Pacific. Moreover, we
suspect that salt in body perspiration and ultraviolet light fades the Tobacco Brown liner to
the very common (as above) yellowish, mustard colors because scraps of the
lighter brown lining are always much darker on the reverse. |