Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 306:
Description
WWII USAAF B-15 Jacket & Complete F-3A Heated Suit. WWII USAAF Type B-15 Intermediate Flying Jacket with Complete Type F-3A Electrically Heated Flying Suit – Meilman and Maged Heated Jacket, General Electric Heated Bib Trousers, and Matching Heated Shoe Inserts, circa 1944-45 Offered is a four-piece US Army Air Forces cold-weather flying ensemble: an olive-drab B-15 intermediate flight jacket worn over a complete Type F-3A electrically heated suit comprising a bolero-style heated jacket, heated bib trousers, and a pair of heated shoe inserts. The F-3A jacket carries its full woven data tag reading "Jackets, Electrically Heated, For Type F-3A Suit, Specifications No. 3213-B, Size Medium Regular, Stock No. 8300-470679, Contract W33-038-AC-8452, Meilman and Maged, Property U.S. Army Air Forces, " with an accompanying inventory tag numbered 5455. The bib trousers bear a matching General Electric label reading "Trousers, Flying, Electric, For Type F-3A Suit, Spec. No. 3212-B, Medium Long (38 to 40), Contract No. W33-038-AC-6243 (13212)." No named wearer, aircraft, or unit is established by the surviving tags or photographs; the record here rests entirely in the government specification markings. Standardized in 1944, the B-15 replaced the bulkier B-3 sheepskin jacket as USAAF outerwear, its cotton-twill shell, alpaca lining, and mouton collar designed for wear over – not instead of – an electrically heated inner suit. The F-3A system beneath it represented the maturation of Army Air Forces electrical flying clothing, following the earlier F-1 and F-2 patterns, with General Electric and its subcontractors wiring lightweight garments to draw current from the aircraft’s 24-volt system. Bomber crews aboard unpressurized B-17s and B-24s, operating at altitudes where outside temperatures could plunge to -40 degreesF or colder, depended on this layered system – jacket, bib trousers, and integrated booties – to keep gunners, navigators, and radio operators functional through long combat missions over Europe and the Pacific in the final year of the war. The B-15 jacket has a zip front, slash pockets, mouton fur collar, and knitted cuffs and waistband; its interior spec tag is not legible in the photographs supplied. The F-3A heated jacket and bib trousers retain intact woven data tags as noted above, along with visible internal wiring, snap connectors, and a power lead extending from the trousers. The pair of heated shoe inserts is stenciled with the USAAF winged-star insignia. Condition is mixed across the lot. The B-15 shows honest, heavy field wear: the mouton collar has extensive fur loss, rot, and fraying that exposes the backing material; the knit cuffs are badly shredded with notable textile loss at the wrists; the waist knit shows small holes and stretching; and the shell exhibits creasing, surface soiling, and light fading throughout. By contrast, the F-3A jacket, bib trousers, and booties survive in notably better order, with legible tags, intact wiring and snap fittings, and only light wrinkling, minor staining, and storage wear. Electrical function has not been tested, and no claim is made as to working condition. A rare surviving matched set that pairs a well-worn B-15 outer shell with the complete, clearly marked components of the General Electric F-3A high-altitude heating system.
Share this lot:
