Schott – A-2 Brown Leather Flight Jacket

Product Specs

• Schott A-2 Aviator Jacket
• Style: 574
• Available color: Brown
• Size: S-2XL
• Waxy Natural Pebbled Cowhide
• Classic men’s fit
• Two front patch pockets
• Made in the USA

The A-2 leather flight jacket is an icon of American style. 

Following their completion of basic flight training, the Army Air Forces (USAAF) issued each new pilot an A-2 jacket. Thus the jacket was a treasured item to the airmen.  When they were stationed in different locations, airmen, added squadron patches and their plane’s nose art to the back of the jacket. This created a piece unique to each servicemember, based on their individual wartime experience. The airman would add a bomb design to the jacket for every mission flown as a way to number the missions.

About Schott

Schott is a fourth-generation run, family-owned business. The company began in 1913 when two immigrant brothers began selling their raincoats door to door. Today Schott is perhaps best known for their Perfecto motorcycle jacket. Introduced in 1928, it is considered the first true motorcycle jacket and gained popularity in the 1950s when Hollywood stars Marlon Brando and James Dean began wearing them. The Perfecto has remained popular with musicians, including The Ramones and Bruce Springsteen, and Hollywood stars through the years. During World War II, Schott made bomber jackets and pea coats for the United States military. Today when it is estimated that over 95% of apparel sold in the United States is made abroad, Schott still manufactures leather jackets and pea coats in their New Jersey factory. 

A Wisconsin Veteran’s Story

Frank Schaeffer, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, wore his A-2 flight jacket when he served with the 44^th Bombardment Group, 506^th Bomb Squadron, known as the “Flying Eight-Balls” in the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II.  Schaffer enlisted in the Army Air Corps in September 1942 and went on to serve as the Engineer/Top Turret Gunner aboard the B-24 “My Peach.”  In 1944, Schaffer’s plane lost two engines and a third caught fire, forcing the crew to bail out 60 miles east of Paris.  With the help of the French Resistance, S/Sgt. Schaffer evaded the German Army hiding in the woods near Orbais-l’Abbaye.  Eventually, after twenty days, he was rescued by the 3^rd Army. The Wisconsin Veterans Museum holds Schaeffer’s A-2 flight jacket in its collection. Every veteran is a story.

About the Wisconsin Veterans Museum

Thank you for visiting the Wisconsin Veterans Museum website. We tell the stories of Wisconsinites who have served their country since the Civil War. Since 2013 the WVM has been a proud Smithsonian Affiliate. In addition to award-winning exhibits and in-person events, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum has a strong online presence. With Facebook posts and virtual programming, the Museum is able to reach a far broader audience than ever before. We are located at 30 West Mifflin Street on Capitol Square in downtown Madison, Wisconsin. Prior to that time, the Museum was housed in a small room within the State Capitol building itself.

Our mission is simple: To acknowledge, commemorate, and affirm the role of Wisconsin veterans in the United States of America’s military past and present. The WVM is an educational activity of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. All purchases, both here online and in-person help us to fulfill our mission. Thank you.