Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 344:
Description
World War II U.S. Army Air Forces Type A-4 Summer Flying Suit, Size 42 – Drawing No. 30-732, A.C. Order No. 42-16473-P, a near-mint, uncommonly well-preserved example of an early-war USAAF flight garment. This lot offers an original World War II U.S. Army Air Forces Type A-4 flying suit, complete with its original integral cloth belt and metal slide buckle, presented in exceptional, near-mint condition. The suit’s sewn-in cloth specification tag is fully legible and reads "TYPE A-4 / DRAWING NO. 30-732 / A.C. ORDER NO. 42-16473-P / PROPERTY / AIR FORCE U.S. ARMY, " with a separate tab marked "42," confirming both the pattern and the desirable, harder-to-find larger size. The 42-prefix order number places manufacture under a fiscal-year 1942 Army Air Corps contract; the label does not identify a specific commercial contractor, and no individual recipient or unit association can be established from the garment itself – its story rests entirely in these surviving contract and specification markings. Standardized in 1930 as the "Suit, Summer, Flying, " the Type A-4 was conceived as a lightweight warm-weather garment, yet its sturdy olive drab wool gabardine twill construction made it practical for wear across a range of temperatures, and it saw widespread service among USAAF fighter pilots, bomber crews, and transport aviators in the opening years of American involvement in the war, including in the European Theater of Operations. Suits of this pattern were worn in cockpits and on flight lines from training fields in the United States to operational bases overseas, before being progressively phased out around 1943-1944 in favor of joint Army-Navy designs such as the AN-S-31 and AN-6550, and lighter cotton suits like the K-1. Clean, complete survivors of the Type A-4 in original, unaltered condition – retaining their belts, pull tabs, and crisp tags – have grown increasingly scarce on the collector market. The suit is constructed of olive drab wool gabardine twill with a stand-up collar, a front Talon zip closure fitted with its original leather pull tab, and snap-adjustable wrist and ankle cuffs each closed with a smaller zipper and leather pull. A patch chest pocket with flap sits at the left breast, and a larger flapped cargo pocket is set on the lower left leg. The integral cloth waist belt passes through a rectangular metal slide buckle, functional and free of significant corrosion. The interior specification tag remains crisp, dark, and fully legible, clearly identifying type, drawing number, contract order, and size. The wool gabardine shows rich, even olive drab coloration throughout, with no visible moth tracking, holes, tears, or staining apparent in the photographs. All Talon zippers appear functional with their original leather pulls intact, the snap fasteners at the cuffs remain tight and complete, and the metal belt buckle shows only light shelf wear consistent with careful long-term storage rather than active use. A scarce, remarkably well-preserved size 42 example of the early-war USAAF Type A-4 flying suit, offering collectors an outstanding, near-mint entry point into original American flight clothing of the period.
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