Considered one of the great air achievements of World War II, air crews supplying Allied forces over the Himalayas operated under stressful and difficult conditions, and the effort fell under the Air Transport Command. The Allied forces referred to the Himalayas as the "Hump", and pilots who flew over the "Hump" were known as "Hump Pilots". Flight jackets worn by these pilots often showed a lot of character, and this jacket is no exception. This identified World War II USAAF A-2 jacket (size 44) was manufactured by Rough Wear Clothing Co., worn by veteran Captain Forrest J. Bell and features a large multi-piece leather India-China Wing, Air Transport Command patch (ICWATC) on right chest, sterling silver clutch back pilot wing above leather name tag “FORREST J. BELL” in English and Chinese on left chest, multi-piece leather CBI patch on right shoulder, multi-piece leather AAF patch on left shoulder, sterling silver captain bars on both epaulets, and Crown zipper. The back of the jacket carries an American ID flag on silk and a multi-piece blood chit. The jacket is pictured and identified in Maguire and Conway’s “American Flight Jackets, Airmen & Aircraft: A History of U.S. Flyers’ Jackets from World War II to Desert Storm” (2nd edition) on pages 70-71. Note the two blood chits sewn to the jacket lining as pictured on page 71 have since been removed from the jacket. Comes with Bell’s Aviation Cadet Club ID card. The ICWATC was one of nine overseas transport wings of Air Transport Command’s Air Transportation Division to air transport supplies, personnel, equipment and aircraft within the borders of Indian and China. By war’s end, ATC aircraft had made 159,977 eastbound trips, delivered approximately 650,000 tons of material to China, and lost 373 aircraft. The ATC was the first non-combat organization to receive the Presidential Unit Citation. Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection

Good, with some wear to cuffs and waist band, a broken zipper, and supple leather with small tear below ICWATC patch. Most of the silk ID flag remains. The leather patches and blood chit are good to very good. A very interesting WWII A-2 flight jacket showcasing a variety of original insignia.