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Treasure Chest??
By way of introduction, I am new here, starting my first thread. I've been lurking long enough to believe that this is the correct place to post. Background: I am a gunsmith, and some unusual stuff comes into the shop from time to time. A few months ago a gentleman came in with some "stuff" from his uncle's estate. The uncle had been a WWII veteran of the Pacific. I bought several guns, some civilian and a couple of Japanese bring-backs. A couple of months later the same gentleman called and asked if I would be interested in some more "stuff" found in his late uncle's closet.
He showed up with this:
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...842a52_b-1.jpgFootlocker1 by jakefromclemson, on Flickr
Inside were a bunch of interesting (to me) trophies that I will try to post about as I can, primarily to get help with identification.
I'll start with what has been identified to me by one source as a Navy "Deck Jacket". I know the gentleman used it after the war as his hunting jacket. There was a Cutts Compensator tube and a wrench for it in one of the pockets. Unfortunately, he had managed to tear the jacket up one side. It was repaired with duct tape!
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...b0343f_b-1.jpgFootlocker3 by jakefromclemson, on Flickr
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...b7b554_b-1.jpgFootlocker4 by jakefromclemson, on Flickr
Can anyone confirm exactly what this jacket is? Thanks in advance. I'll post additional photos of this material as I get an opportunity.
Bill Jacobs
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Welcome to the forum Bill. If that flight suit is WW2 it is probably a valuable item because I don't recall ever seeing a WW2 Japanese flight suit offered for sale. Are there any labels inside?
I'm not sure about the naval jacket; are there any other labels inside giving a date?
Why not post a pic of the inside of the chest as someone may be able to identify it's original purpose and country of origin?
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There are no labels that I can see. The inside is lined with what appears to be rabbit fur. It is very lush and soft feeling. There is a mark, shown below, about the actual size of a dime. It is inside the zipper opening just below my hand in the photo and blown up in the second photo.
The suit is covered with zipper pockets and adjustments and has a snap-on leather tab inside that you can see in the photo. I have seen ebay auctions for Japanese "Flying Suits" that look like this one.
It shows wear on one leg and the seat, so it obviously saw service. I sure wish the descendants had questioned the vet about this stuff, but apparently they did not know it existed until after his death.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...06fa8c_b-1.jpgFlight Suit 4 by jakefromclemson, on Flickr
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...9700ed_b-1.jpgFlight Suit 3 by jakefromclemson, on Flickr
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It appears that the Japanese flight suit is a heated one, hence the plug hanging out on the right rear of the suit. I don't believe that they were all of the heated style. Correct me if I'm wrong.
