Original Items: Only Ones Available. This is a set of WWII US flight clothing that was recently uncovered “out of the woodwork”, purportedly coming from the former estate of a former AAF Officer. The lot consists of a private purchase example of a AAF B-2 Cap with an officer’s Army Air Force Winged Propeller Device pinned to the front that appears to have been there for decades. The cap does not have a label, and is lined with thin high quality wool with fold down earflaps.

The flight gloves are the A-9 pattern, with shearling lining. Each glove has a label, listing the size as “Medium”. Both the cap and gloves are in very good condition that show honest wear and age.

These are iconic pieces of WWII Army Air Force flight gear that are ideal for display

Glove making is an ancient art dating back at least to the time of the pharaohs, so one might suppose that by World War II the optimum type of glove would have already been developed for every requirement. Such was not the case. Considerable research and testing was conducted during the war to solve the problem of providing adequate gloves for Aviators.

The need for a solution to that problem was great since aviators at high altitudes regularly encountered temperatures below -50° F. The blast of air that came in through the waist gun windows of a B-17 or B-24 at that temperature could freeze a gunner’s hands after only ninety seconds.

As late as September 1943, 32 percent of the 1,077 casualties in the Eighth Air Force in England were frostbite of the hands. By the end of October 1943, however, the percentage had decreased by approximately one-half because silk and electrical gloves had been improved and had increased in supply. Silk or rayon glove inserts were worn under the heated gloves, and a pair of Type A-9, and later Type A-9A, gauntlet-type shearling gloves were worn over both the silk and heated gloves. An electrically heated muff was also developed and issued for crewmen to use aboard bombers if their heated gloves ceased to function. Both heavy winter and light summer gloves also kept the wearer’s hands clean and protected them from flash burn in the event of a fire.

A variety of materials for both the outer shell and the lining of winter gloves were tried over the years, but no material was completely satisfactory. Horsehide, calfskin, and pigskin were among the materials used for the outer shell. Linings were constructed first of a variety of furs and then of lamb’s wool, knitted camel hair, and wool fabrics.

During World War I many pilots wore one-finger coney-fur gauntlets with the cuff extended well up their arms to keep out drafts. Four-finger fur-covered types were also used. Both styles of gauntlets were usually constructed with a mitten-like cover or pocket over the ends of the fingers and a slit across the palm. The fingers could be extended through that slit to operate machine gun triggers or to make fine adjustments. This splitpalm type of glove was not very popular with pilots during the 1920s, however, as aircraft became more complicated and had additional switches and controls in the cockpit onto which the bulky gauntlets and mittens could accidentally hook. Still, coney-fur and leather gauntlets, which lacked type numbers, were used as nonstandard items throughout the 1930s and well into World War II.

In addition to these items of handwear, the Types A-1 through A-8 gloves were officially called gauntlets by the Army. According to the Type Designation Sheets, the first gauntlet to be standardized by the Army for aviators was the winter-summer Type A-1. It was made of wool and leather and was declared obsolete on May 27, 1926. The Types A-2 through A-5, which were experimental designs of various materials, were made and service tested during the 1920s. The Type A-6 was standardized for the Air Corps on October 25, 1929, and was still used as a limited standard during World War II. It was declared obsolete on March 27, 1944. The A-6 was a mitten-type leather gauntlet lined with lamb’s wool and had one separate finger. Like the A-6, the Type A-7 gauntlet was standardized on October 25, 1929, and was used as a limited standard until March 27, 1944. It was made of chrome-tanned calfskin, with baby lamb’s wool lining, external seams, and four short fingers. The Type A-8, a medium-temperature gauntlet, was also made of chrome-tanned calfskin, but it had a camel’s hair knitted-wool lining and four long fingers. The A-8 was standardized on October 20, 1930, and remained in use as a limited standard until it was declared obsolete on March 31, 1944.

The Type A-9 gauntlet was an improved Type A-6 incorporating a seal-brown pigskin outer shell with lamb shearling lining and a short cuff. It was standardized on April 22, 1935, and in December 1941 had its nomenclature changed to “Type A-9, Glove, Flying, Winter.” The A-9 remained in use until after the end of the war. An improved version, designated the A-9A, was standardized on April 11, 1944. It was a gauntlet type like the A-9, had a thumb and one finger, and was made of either goatskin or pony hide with a lamb shearling lining. The A-9A was later procured with a brown deerskin shell. It could be worn over electrically heated gloves in emergencies, provided that the mitten was a size larger than would normally have been worn. A rayon insert could also be worn for added protection.