Original German WWII Luftwaffe Pilot Winter Weight Channel Flight Jacket – Kanaljacke 1944 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. Development of protective flight uniforms and equipment began with the advent of military aircraft in WWI and continued on into the Weimar and the Third Reich eras, resulting in three distinct one-piece combination pattern flight suits being approved before WWII and worn for the duration of the war with minor modifications.Regulations of July 4th, 1940 and April 24th, 1941 introduced two piece protective flight suits for fighter pilots designed to increase the wearers mobility and not be as restrictive in the close confines of a cockpit. The two piece flight suits consist of separate jacket and pants and were commonly referred to as the “Kanalanzug”, (Channel Uniform).

This particular example is of the later war variety which appeared circa 1943-1944. The Jacket is constructed of a cotton/rayon blend outer shell with natural fleece lining, and a large fleece outer collar. The cuffs feature large plastic RiRi Zippers, which are complete with their original leather pull tabs. The jacket is in good condition for it’s age, and shows some damage to the internal fleece lining. On the cuffs, the “male” ends of the zipper securing straps are either missing, or loose. The neck closure strap is broken, however it is included as it was found in a pocket. The original zipper was replaced at some point with an American “Talon” Zipper. The coat overall shows signs of honest wear and age.

The Jacket was most likely captured at a Luftwaffe depot by an American GI sometime during the end of WWII, while the Allied Forces were advancing into Germany. Of note, were two documents that were luckily found inside the breast slash pocket of the jacket. They consist of the original factory size tag for the Jacket, along with a “Ausschuss” Form dated June 5th, 1944. The handwritten note on the form indicates that this Jacket was considered a factory reject. This would explain how a GI ended up souveniring this particular jacket from a depot!

Measurements:                 
Chest: 24”
Shoulder to Shoulder: 24”
Collar to Shoulder Seam: 8.5”
Shoulder Seam to Cuff: 23.5”