Item Description
Painted WWII American A-2 Flight Jackets have realized unprecedented prices in the past year. For example, jackets at Rock Island Auctions sold in 2022 for $32,000+ and $23,000+ respectively. They can be found at this link and this link. When comparing the Rock Island Auction jackets with the one offered here, one can easily see that our offering is an exceptional value!
Original Grouping. One-of-a-Kind. This is the phenomenal A2 Flight Jacket grouping of 1st Lieutenant Navigator William Charles Limpach who was a member of the crew on the Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress “Evasive Action” (Serial # 43-38657), 334th Bombardment Squadron, 95th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force. Limpach flew 35 documented missions as a Navigator over Germany between October 5th, 1944 and March 15th, 1945. He received numerous awards including the Air Medal with FIVE Oak Leaf Clusters before the war’s end. We have found two photos of Limpach with his crew online.
Photos of hi sB-17 Flying Fortress Evasive Action can be found at this link.
The group includes Limpach’s A2 Flight jacket which is one of the most beautiful we have offered. It’s painted gorgeously on the back with his B-17’s Nose Art, “Evasive Action”, and the front has both his 334th Bombardment Squadron patch and 95th Bombardment Group patch. Also included is his Officers Ike Jacket with his bullion Navigator’s wings, and a wood & glass display case containing his Air Medal, 5th OLC certificate, dog tags, insignia, and a copy of a photo of him.
The highlight of this group is of course the extraordinary A2 jacket, which is in amazing shape with the paint so miraculously intact. Limpach’s nickname, Limpy, is painted on the left breast, with his nametag, W.C. LIMPACH below it. Below this is the painted patch of the 95th Bombardment Group, which features a red feather over a shield & yellow cross with 95 BG at the top and a scroll at the bottom reading JUSTICE WITH VICTORY. The patch is in great shape but has some wear and minor paint loss. The right breast has a painted bomb with 35 in the middle, denoting Limpach’s 35 bombardment missions, and below this is the painted patch of the 334th Bombardment Squadron, featuring the Grim Reaper dropping a bomb from the sky, with red lightning bolts on the sides. The paint on this patch is rather worn, but has a lovely patina. The left shoulder bears a gorgeous painted 8th Air Force patch, a great addition. On the back of the jacket is the nose art from his B-17G bomber, “Evasive Action”, featuring a “Hula Girl” dancing very provocatively with flowers on her head and around her neck on a grass field, with the title to her left and right. Truly a gorgeous bit of art and the paint is in phenomenal condition for its age. Under the tag on the interior is his name, W.C. LIMPACH. The tag on the inside of the jacket reads:
TYPE A-2
DRAWING NO. 30-1415
A.C. ORDER NO.
1756
PROPERTY
AIR FORCE U.S. ARMY
36
The liner of the jacket appears to be original and is in great condition. This is one of the most well-preserved painted A2 Jackets we have ever seen.
Also included is Limpach’s Army Regulation Officers Ike Jacket which is in gorgeous condition, featuring a Bullion 8th Air Force patch on the left shoulder, 1st Lieutenant bars on the shoulders, US & Air Corps insignia on the collars, gorgeous Bullions Navigator’s wings on a blue felt background, and a two-ribbon bar below that with his Air Medal with a Silver Oak Leaf Cluster (He was awarded 5 OLCs in total), and a European-African-Middle Eastern Medal with two campaign stars, and a Ruptured Duck patch above the right breast pocket. The jacket is size 35R.
There is a case measuring 12 x 18 x 2” which contains a great deal of Limpach’s insignia, including three 8th Air Force Patches and one Army Air Forces patch, his spare nametag off of his A-2 jacket reading W.C. LIMPACH, his Air Medal (unengraved) with its original case outside of the case, his dog tags on the original chain, three sets of Sterling Navigator wings (two are double-pin backs, one is single pin-back), five Air Corps collar insignia, two of his Officer’s visor cap badges, two sets of his ribbon bars with Air Medal & European-Africa-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, his Presidential Unit Citation, one loose Air Medal ribbon, two 1st Lieutenant bars, his Air Medal 5th OLC Certificate, and a copy of a photo of him. Outside of the case is a small American 48-star flag and a couple silk pilot’s maps. A truly phenomenal A-2 Group!
William Charles Limpach was born on December 29th, 1923 in Napoleon, Ohio. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 20th, 1943 at Camp Perry, Ohio, and was assigned to the Air Corps, eventually realizing his proficiency in navigation. He would be commissioned as an officer and trained as a Navigator. He was shipped overseas and began his combat career in October 1944, flying 35 missions over Germany with the 334th Bombardment Squadron, 20 of which he flew in Evasive Action. He returned home around mid-1945 and worked as a Clerical worker in an Auto Motor Parts factory, living with his parents for much of his life. He appears to have never married, and passed away in his hometown, Napoleon, Ohio, on January 30th, 1997, at the age of 73. His gravestone features a B-17 Bomber, with the caption, Flying Home below it.
This is a truly phenomenal Painted A2 Jacket grouping with tons of display & research potential, to a combat-torn Navigator who flew 35 Missions over Germany during the worst conflict in history. The jacket is also one of the most beautiful examples we have offered. This group comes ready for further research and display.
The 95th Bomb Group was the only Eighth Air Force Group to be awarded three Distinguished Unit Citations. The first, shared by all four Bomb Wing Groups, was for the bombing of an aircraft factory under intense enemy fire at Regensburg on 17 August 1943. The second was awarded for a raid on marshalling yards at Munster on 10 October 1943 and the third for bombing a suburb of Berlin, on 4 March 1944, the first time the German capital had been bombed by USAAF. After VE Day, the Group transported liberated prisoners and displaced persons from Austria to France and England.
- Flew a total of 321 combat missions between 13 May 1943 to 20 April 1945
- Dropped 19,769 tons of bombs and 456.5 tons of food
- Completed 8,625 sorties
- Lost 156 B17s in combat, 36 in other operations
- 1,362 planes battle damaged and 61 forced to land on the continent
- Claimed 425 enemy aircraft destroyed, 117 probable, 231 damaged.
- Lost 569 men KIA and 3 MIA (assumed KIA)
- Lost 825 men as POWs, 61 internees, 61 evaders, 192 wounded in action; 63 killed in noncombat accidents
- Total casualties: 1,774
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle
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