Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 345:
Description
Scarce Large Size 44 WWII US Army Air Forces Type A-4 Summer Flying Suit, Drawing No. 30-732, A.C. Order No. 42-16473-P. This lot presents an original World War II US Army Air Forces Type A-4 flying suit, the one-piece olive drab summer coverall worn by American pilots and aircrew across every theater of the war. The woven contract label stitched to the interior collar identifies the garment precisely: TYPE A-4, DRAWING NO. 30-732, A.C. ORDER NO. 42-16473-P, PROPERTY AIR FORCE U.S. ARMY, with a separate size tab reading 44 – a size rarely encountered among surviving examples of this pattern. The A-4 traces its lineage to 1930, when the Army Air Corps standardized an olive drab summer flying suit for its pilots, a garment that remained in service through the early and middle years of World War II before gradually giving way to the AN-6550 series and later lightweight twill K-1 suits. Practical and purpose-built, the pattern featured an integral cloth belt with friction buckle to cinch the waist, a concealed center-front zipper for quick donning over uniform clothing, an angled chest pocket sized for maps or checklists, and zippered lower leg openings with an oversized cargo-style leg pocket allowing the suit to be pulled on and off over flight boots. These were the suits worn in the cockpits of American aircraft by the men who flew them into combat over Europe and the Pacific, and while great numbers were manufactured under Army Air Corps and Army Air Forces contracts, the overwhelming majority that survive in collections today fall within the smaller 36 to 40 size range, making a genuine size 44 example a notably uncommon find for collectors. The suit is constructed of olive drab cotton twill in the recognized A-4 pattern, with the integral cloth waist belt and friction buckle intact, the concealed front zipper and snap closures present, the angled chest pocket at the breast, and both lower leg zippers and the oversized leg pocket assembly intact. The woven contract label with its separate "44" size tab remains legible and firmly attached to the collar interior. The fabric retains a good, even olive drab color throughout with honest overall wear consistent with period use and long storage. Distinct small fabric tears and moth or wear holes are visible to the lower legs, most notably at the left thigh and knee area and along the right shin near the cuff, along with lesser wear near a lower cuff; these are areas of fabric loss rather than staining and are shown clearly in the accompanying photographs. A genuinely scarce large-size example of the classic USAAF Type A-4 summer flying suit, its contract-marked collar label and size-44 tag making it a worthwhile addition for any collector building a run of American WWII flight clothing.
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