ID’D WW2 US 9th Army Air Corps Air Force Officer Chocolate Brown Jacket Uniform

This jacket was worn by B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber and P-51 Mustang fighter pilot Friend Frank Wilson. Wilson was originally assigned to the 333rd Bomb Squadron and completed 26 missions as a B-17 bomber pilot. He later volunteered to fly a P-51 fighter for the 3rd Scouting Force. The Scouting Forces, a little known arm of the strategic bombing force, was intended to help the bombers form formation over England, lead the bomber formation to the target through bad weather, assist in keeping the bombers in tight formation to the target, and protecting the bombers from enemy fighters, including intercepting the Luftwaffe in advance. The 8th Air Force Scouting Forces were comprised of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd, and the ranks were filled with former bomber pilots due to their experience with bombing missions. Although the experimental scouting forces existed only for 6 months, they proved very successful. This jacket was once part of a grouping with a painted A-2 jacket. Here’s an opportunity to have a great piece of history.