by
douglas2496
Everything marked Army Air Forces pre-dates 1948, as the airforce became seperate from the army in 1947. These vests are nicely illustrated in Martin Brayleys book 'USAAF Airman, Service and Survival' He explains they were for fliers who might be shot down in inhospitable regions, especially over jungle. The contents were, sun hat, sunglasses, signal mirror, sharpening stone. fishing and sewing kits, spit and gaff, water canteen, knives (fixed and folding), toilet issue, bandage, matches, compass, fire starters, burning magnifying glass, whistle, oil container, .45 pistol, 20 rounds, first aid kit, survival manual, rations, flares, mosquito net, collapsible container for boiling water, and gloves. Its amazing what it fitted! He says the early models had slanted pockets (yours) and the late war types had straight pockets. He says they were usually carried in on an aircraft in an adapted Musette bag which would then be clipped to the parachute harness.
This was clearly a bargain.
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