Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 323:
Description
U.S. Navy/USMC M-422A or Early G-1 Style Goatskin Flight Jacket with Mouton Collar, Bi-Swing Back, Maker’s Tag Lost, circa WWII to Early Korean War Era Offered here is an original mid-20th-century U.S. Navy or Marine Corps flight jacket built to the M-422A pattern, the goatskin-and-mouton design that stands as direct ancestor to the later 55-J-14 and MIL-J-7823 G-1 series. The specification/maker tag has been lost from the neck lining, so no contractor, contract number, or precise date can be read from the garment itself; it is catalogued strictly on construction, materials, and pattern detail, all of which are consistent with issue Navy flight leathers of the period. The M-422 and its successor M-422A were adopted for Navy and Marine Corps aviators as cockpit protection against cold at altitude became critical in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. The bi-swing pleated back gave pilots the shoulder mobility needed to work stick and throttle in cramped fighter and bomber cockpits, while the genuine mouton collar could be turned up against the wind. Button-flap patch pockets, one with a pen slot, gave quick access to flight logs and charts. Jackets of this pattern were worn from carrier decks in the Pacific through the early jet age, and the type continued in Navy service with only minor modification into the Korean War; an example carrying this much honest wear speaks to genuine field use rather than parade-ground storage. The jacket is constructed of goatskin leather with the characteristic bi-swing back, front zip closure beneath a leather wind flap, and two button-flap patch pockets at the lower front. The mouton fur collar is original to the piece and shows natural thinning and loss of pile consistent with age. The rayon lining at the neck is torn and partially unstitched, exposing the collar’s underside construction and the void where the specification tag would ordinarily sit; no maker’s mark or size stamp is legible in the photographs. The ribbed knit waistband is heavily worn with snagging, fraying, and open holes along its lower edge, most pronounced at the front hem, while the knit cuffs remain comparatively more stable. No accompanying tags, papers, or additional insignia are present with this lot. Condition throughout is heavy: the goatskin shows extensive fine surface cracking, deep creasing, finish loss, and abrasion across the sleeves, torso, and seams. An honest, hard-worn survivor of the classic Navy flight jacket lineage, best suited to the collector prepared to stabilize or restore it, or to preserve it as found for study.
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