Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 404:
Description
USAAF Type A-8-B Constant-Flow Aviator Oxygen Mask by Land Mfg. Inc., Dwg. No. 42G4764, P/No. 217, with Mounted Rebreather Bladder and a Separate Supple New-Old-Stock Reservoir Bag Offered here is a well-worn but complete example of the Type A-8-B constant-flow oxygen mask, the twin-valve oronasal facepiece that equipped American airmen from the middle years of the Second World War through the early Cold War. Its interest rests in its clearly identified type, its manufacturer’s markings, and the broader operational history of the equipment it represents. Standardized in 1940 as a refinement of earlier BLB-pattern rebreather masks, the A-8 series equipped bomber, transport, and training crews flying at moderate altitudes, where the simplicity of a continuous-flow system outweighed its limitations. The improved A-8-B configuration, seen here, added twin lateral exhalation-valve housings flanking the nose bridge and a socket for a flight microphone, while retaining the thin attached rubber bag that allowed the wearer to conserve scarce bottled oxygen by rebreathing a portion of each exhaled breath. Demand-flow masks such as the A-10 and A-14 gradually supplanted the A-8-B for high-altitude fighter and heavy bomber crews later in the war, the earlier design being prone to dangerous ice buildup at extreme altitude, yet the A-8-B remained in wide service for altitude training, transport flights, and hypobaric chamber work well into the 1950s. A surviving example such as this is therefore a tangible link to the everyday flight gear issued to thousands of aircrew. The green rubber oronasal facepiece remains soft and pliable, with clearly molded lettering reading ‘MASK, OXYGEN, TYPE A-8-B / DWG. NO. 42G4764 / LAND MFG. INC. P/NO-217’. The harness straps consist of elastic webbing and brown leather buckled extension tabs with black metal quick-connect fasteners. The mounted rebreather bag displays age wear and surface crazing, and a separate, supple New Old Stock unperished rubber bladder is included.
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