Dscn5691

WWll Identified A2 Flight Jacket W/Painted B17, 388th Group

Nice WWll, A2 jacket of S/SGt  James Boyd Hodgin of the 388th Bomb Group, Tail gunner  of Plane Ole Faithful B17. Standard Leather A2 Flight jacket with label intact with Type A2 Contract, Property Air Force US Army with contracted name & size 36 label. Jacket leather good with use. front of jacket has painted 8th Air Force emblem & leather tag  J.B. Hodgin. On the other side painted image which looks like a women but is faint. Cuffs have wear but intact. Zipper is missing. Collar has wear. On the back is large painted Ole Faithful & beneath is large B17 with 26 bombs dropping down & explosion at bottom with 26. On both sides of the bombs are the names of the 26 missions that Hodgin was in including Paris, Munich, Berlin, Nurnburg , Magdeburg, etc. Brown cloth at bottom of jacket in good shape. Inside lining is worn & has some seperations. Hodgin was in the 561st Bomb Squadron & was tail gunner on 26 missions. He was in the Gierach crew. On Sept. 28th 1944 on Flight over Merseburg, Germany in B17G Pan Handle Kid, the Gierach crew including James B. Hodgin  went down from Flak & had to crash land in Belgium. I have copies of the Missing air crew report. The crew was rescued. An historical, Painted, WWll A2 Jacket from a Tailgunner who flew 26 missions & luckly survived.