Bomber Jackets
January 6, 2012 4:07 PM Subscribe
A gallery of personalized bomber jackets from WWII with descriptions.
The US Air Force Museum in Dayton has a collection of these, too. It's great fun seeing them all in person.
(The pages linked to by individual jacket names include photos and information about the donors, their history, etc.)
posted by SMPA at 4:32 PM on January 6, 2012
(The pages linked to by individual jacket names include photos and information about the donors, their history, etc.)
posted by SMPA at 4:32 PM on January 6, 2012
Here's one crew member's jacket in 1945, and here's a current photo of a different crew member's jacket from the same plane! Amazing!
posted by Hey Dean Yeager! at 4:42 PM on January 6, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by Hey Dean Yeager! at 4:42 PM on January 6, 2012 [2 favorites]
Someone who's been looking for the perfect tattoo design just hit the motherload.
posted by codacorolla at 4:47 PM on January 6, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by codacorolla at 4:47 PM on January 6, 2012 [1 favorite]
i am really curious about the connections b/w these and outsider motorcylce culture, and outsider motorcycle's cultural connections to nascent leather scenes.
posted by PinkMoose at 4:52 PM on January 6, 2012
posted by PinkMoose at 4:52 PM on January 6, 2012
Marvelous pictures!
This now has be wondering what, if anything, would happen in a POW camp. Were these taken from them for any reason - all I can think is a large number of guys wore these in German camps.
posted by fluffycreature at 5:38 PM on January 6, 2012
This now has be wondering what, if anything, would happen in a POW camp. Were these taken from them for any reason - all I can think is a large number of guys wore these in German camps.
posted by fluffycreature at 5:38 PM on January 6, 2012
Man, war was so much cooler back then. All we have to show for our wars now are pictures of dudes kneeling naked in a pile of their own piss with a vicious dog barking in their face, or of a chubby pug-nosed chick pointing her thumbs at a bunch of prisoners.
posted by ReeMonster at 6:44 PM on January 6, 2012
posted by ReeMonster at 6:44 PM on January 6, 2012
If each bomb means one complete mission, what do the parachute symbols mean? That you jumped and lived? This guy's got two of them.
posted by vibrotronica at 7:10 PM on January 6, 2012
posted by vibrotronica at 7:10 PM on January 6, 2012
i am really curious about the connections b/w these and outsider motorcylce culture, and outsider motorcycle's cultural connections to nascent leather scenes.
From my studies of costume history, and the evolution of style tribes, It's basically some of those people became those initial bikers. Then spread in the groups as years went on, etc. I'm sure you could dig up more detail, but that's the skinny of it. Interesting side note, look at Japanese biker gangs from post war on (bosozoku) and you can see they tended to have a similar evolution, with connections to their military style.
I wish these were in color, while cool, i bet even more stunning in color. I'm also curious who did them, how, etc. Was there one guy in the group or did they each do their own? I've painted a leather jack in my time or two, or ten, bt the style is so similar that it got me even more interested.
posted by usagizero at 7:10 PM on January 6, 2012 [1 favorite]
From my studies of costume history, and the evolution of style tribes, It's basically some of those people became those initial bikers. Then spread in the groups as years went on, etc. I'm sure you could dig up more detail, but that's the skinny of it. Interesting side note, look at Japanese biker gangs from post war on (bosozoku) and you can see they tended to have a similar evolution, with connections to their military style.
I wish these were in color, while cool, i bet even more stunning in color. I'm also curious who did them, how, etc. Was there one guy in the group or did they each do their own? I've painted a leather jack in my time or two, or ten, bt the style is so similar that it got me even more interested.
posted by usagizero at 7:10 PM on January 6, 2012 [1 favorite]
If each bomb means one complete mission, what do the parachute symbols mean? That you jumped and lived? This guy's got two of them.
That accounts for Fancy Nancy I and II, so did he ride Fancy Nancy III all the way to the ground?
posted by rlk at 7:25 PM on January 6, 2012
That accounts for Fancy Nancy I and II, so did he ride Fancy Nancy III all the way to the ground?
posted by rlk at 7:25 PM on January 6, 2012
Snickelfritz
My Amish aunties used to call me Snickelfritz. They'd say, "you little snickelfritz, always snickelin!"
posted by charlie don't surf at 9:36 PM on January 6, 2012
My Amish aunties used to call me Snickelfritz. They'd say, "you little snickelfritz, always snickelin!"
posted by charlie don't surf at 9:36 PM on January 6, 2012
Someone who's been looking for the perfect tattoo design just hit the motherload.
Row-of-bombs lower back tattoos are gonna be all the rage.
With a woman that sorta looks like your mom in a pointy bra on your chest. - You sure you want that mister? These thing don't come off.
posted by the noob at 10:03 PM on January 6, 2012
Row-of-bombs lower back tattoos are gonna be all the rage.
With a woman that sorta looks like your mom in a pointy bra on your chest. - You sure you want that mister? These thing don't come off.
posted by the noob at 10:03 PM on January 6, 2012
I'm always fascinated by the almost naive humor and sexuality expressed by such art (jackets, nose art, etc.) of that era. It somehow actually seems far richer than what today's culture would engender. One wonders what blunt, pornographic horrors would be emblazoned across their jackets today.
posted by Thorzdad at 3:55 AM on January 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Thorzdad at 3:55 AM on January 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
My Amish aunties used to call me Snickelfritz.
Heh. My German grandpa called all his grandkids Snickelfritz, too.
posted by Thorzdad at 3:56 AM on January 7, 2012
Heh. My German grandpa called all his grandkids Snickelfritz, too.
posted by Thorzdad at 3:56 AM on January 7, 2012
Nancy really got around didn't she? I'm imagining what happened when two pilots ran into each other at the officer's club and discover they each have the same girl on their back.
These are awesome. I wonder how many of these still exist in some old pilots closet, waiting to be discovered.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:30 AM on January 7, 2012
These are awesome. I wonder how many of these still exist in some old pilots closet, waiting to be discovered.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:30 AM on January 7, 2012
GAPOSIS?
posted by stinkycheese at 10:56 PM on January 7, 2012
posted by stinkycheese at 10:56 PM on January 7, 2012
My grandfather was a bombardier on a B-24. He stripped off his jacket and handed his duffel bag with all of his war gear to the first homeless person he saw when he disembarked from the troop ship that brought him home. He was just sick of the whole thing. It would be nice to know whether or not he customized his jacket and what his design was.
His first crew was shot down with all hands while he was on medical leave, so maybe that had something to do with it.
posted by snottydick at 10:45 AM on January 11, 2012
His first crew was shot down with all hands while he was on medical leave, so maybe that had something to do with it.
posted by snottydick at 10:45 AM on January 11, 2012
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