Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 309:
Description
Historic WWII AVG Flying Tigers Leather Flight Jacket. WWII AVG FLYING TIGERS – CAPTAIN ALLEN MURRAY WRIGHT ORIGINAL LEATHER FLIGHT JACKET – BURMA & CHINA 1941-1942. Offered is the privately purchased early-WWII leather flight jacket attributed to Captain Allen Murray Wright (1918-1943), a U.S. Army Air Corps flight instructor, instructor of Chinese Air Force pilots, combat pilot with Claire Chennault’s American Volunteer Group (AVG) – the legendary Flying Tigers – and later Captain with the China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC). The jacket is an early-1940s private-purchase leather flight jacket rather than a standard government-issued A-2 and is believed Wright acquired it while serving as an Army Air Corps pilot/instructor before departing for Asia. The exterior carries a large hand-painted leather Flying Tiger insignia. The original lining contains extensive wartime writing including Wright’s name, dates, locations, Chinese characters, AVG references and personal markings. Significant inscriptions include "ALLEN M. WRIGHT, " "TOUNGOO / BURMA / 1941," "KUNMING / CHINA / 1942," "AMERICAN VOLUNTEER GROUP, " and "PANDA BEARS." Together these markings create an extraordinary physical record of Wright’s service in Burma and China during 1941-1942. Wright originally went to Asia as an experienced flight instructor to help train Chinese pilots, accumulating more than 186 hours instructing Chinese Air Force cadets before transitioning into combat with the AVG. As a Flying Tiger, Wright flew the Curtiss P-40 against Japanese forces. His documented combat service is principally associated with the 1st Pursuit Squadron, the "Adam & Eves." He was credited with one Japanese aircraft destroyed and shared credit for another. Wright also survived a P-40 crash landing and fire, suffering a back injury. The jacket has severe localized deterioration to one shoulder and upper sleeve. A leather expert who previously examined it believed the damage appeared consistent with extreme heat exposure. Wright survived a fiery P-40 crash, making the connection intriguing; however, there is no documentation proving he was wearing this jacket during the crash and no such claim is being made. DIRECT FAMILY PROVENANCE: After the jacket was rediscovered, Dyersburg historian Earl Willoughby helped establish contact with Wright’s brother-in-law, Jere Ozment. When Jere learned the jacket still existed, he specifically asked to wear it again, prompting a trip to Tennessee. Jere personally recognized the jacket and stated that he had worn Allen’s jacket while attending high school after Wright’s death. He remembered that the writing inside the jacket was already present. Jere also recalled that Wright left the jacket at home when he returned to Asia to fly for CNAC and later signed a letter concerning the jacket’s authenticity. Wright’s surviving training books and documents demonstrate his habit of writing notes and doodling. Several writing characteristics inside the jacket appear similar to Wright’s surviving handwriting, although no formal forensic handwriting authentication is claimed. After the AVG disbanded in July 1942, Wright returned home and married Doris Ozment. He later voluntarily returned to Asia and became a CNAC Captain flying the dangerous Himalayan supply route known as "The Hump." On December 18, 1943, while flying CNAC aircraft No. 83 toward Iping, Wright’s aircraft struck Funganshih Mountain during a descent through heavy fog. He was killed at only 25 years old. CONDITION & DOCUMENTATION: The jacket displays substantial age, leather wear, lining deterioration, paint loss and localized shoulder damage consistent with an approximately 85-year-old artifact. These areas have not been cosmetically restored or concealed. Extensive research, photographs and provenance documentation accompany the jacket. This is not a later reunion or commemorative Flying Tigers jacket. It is presented as an early-1940s private-purchase leather flight jacket attributed through physical evidence, extensive research and direct family provenance to an actual combat pilot of the original American Volunteer Group. CAPTAIN ALLEN MURRAY WRIGHT – 1918-1943. U.S. Army Air Corps Pilot & Flight Instructor; Instructor of Chinese Air Force Pilots; American Volunteer Group – Flying Tigers; Curtiss P-40 Combat Pilot; 1st Pursuit Squadron "Adam & Eves" Combat Association; One Aerial Victory Plus Shared Victory; China National Aviation Corporation Captain; Hump Pilot; Killed December 18, 1943 – Age 25. We have had multiple experts review the jacket, and we are confident in its full authenticity. We will also provide the buyer with a full 90-day monet-back guaruntee. The consignor has agreed to discuss this item with any potential buyer.
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