Offered here is a highly unusual World War II painted USMC AN-6552 flight jacket. The distinctive VMF-111 “Devil Dogs” insignia is painted on the left chest. “BiLLY JO” and VMF-III are painted above and below the large “Devil Dogs” insignia. VMF-111 was one of the first USMC aviation squadrons. When Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941, VMF-111 was one of only two combat ready USMC fighter squadrons. In March 1942, the squadron arrived on the island of Tutuila with their Grumman F4F Wildcats and was the first USMC squadron to operate in the Samoans. The squadron was later relocated to Upolu Island in July 1942. In early 1943, the squadron transitioned to the famed Vought F4U Corsair and served as a replacement pool for other squadrons engaged in the Solomon Island Campaign. In January 1944, the squadron operated in the Central Pacific for the rest of the war. The “Devil Dogs” conducted the first bombing run with Corsairs in combat when the squadron attacked Japanese anti-aircraft positions on Mili Atoll. The “Devil Dogs” racked up leading numbers of tonnage of bombs dropped and miles flown in their close air support role. The back of the jacket serves for a very unusual backdrop for a painted combat scene titled “Screamin’ Debby,” which depicts a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk in AVG “Flying Tigers” paint scheme flying over two downed Japanese fighters. A World War II flight jacket with USMC fighter squadron insignia and Pacific Theater scene displaying a non-USMC fighter will certainly cause endless hours of debate. Could it be that the owner was associated with the AVG prior to joining the USMC? Perhaps the artist didn’t know the difference between a P-40 and a F4U? The consignor reports that the jacket was acquired by an English jazz musician while performing at a gig in the 1940s. The AN-6552 jacket was introduced in 1943 and was intended to be a multi-service flight jacket issued to the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Army Air Forces, hence the “AN” (Army/Navy) nomenclature. This model of jacket was only manufactured during a six month period through eight contracts and are rarely encountered with original artwork. This jacket was manufactured by Willes and Geiger Inc., is a size 36, and has a Talon zipper. The back of the collar is stenciled “U.S.” (faint). Includes a few documents from Sergeant Walter Charles Baltzell (1924-2005), a member of VMF-111. Although Baltzell served in the South Pacific with VMF-111, he is not associated with the jacket. Provenance: The Saloga Collection

Very good with authentic wear heavier on the shoulders and a few tears on the lining. The artwork retains much of the vivid paint. A rare work of World War II leather canvas from a noted USMC fighter squadron.