Description:

(FLYING TIGERS) PILOT'S WARTIME B-10 FLIGHT JACKET WITH INSIGNIA
A very rare war-date Army issue B-10 flight jacket owned and worn by Flying Tigers pilot First Lt. Ronald Shepherd during his service in China. The jacket clearly was used by Shepherd extensively. The left breast bears a 4.25 x 5.25 in. woven silk patch displaying the emblem of Shepherd's 81st Fighter Group. It shows a fire-breathing winged dragon, but is quite tattered at top and bottom. The zipper to the jacket is gone, and the vertical seams at the front of the jacket have burst along their length, but there is no loss of fabric and a new zipper could be retrofitted. The stretch ends of the sleeves are also worn from use and the pockets, although intact, lack buttons. The jacket has a fully intact brown wool collar, though the brown lining is worn at the top. The maker's label is worn, and the tag used to hang the jacket is worn-through. Within the jacket are the remnants of a silk blood chit originally tacked to the garment. It is now largely lost, though the Chinese Nationalist flag and a few Chinese characters remain. This is about as 'salty' a piece as one could find, and clearly it has seen a lot of action. First Lt. Ronald Shepherd, A.A.C. (13112468, born 1920) was a native-born Englishman from Yorkshire who moved in his youth to the Philadelphia area. Part of his extensive fighter pilot training was at Maxwell Field, Alabama until he was activated on Jan. 7, 1944 to serve with the 92nd Fighter Squadron, 81st Fighter Group, 12th Air Force, considered part of the later ‘Flying Tigers.' The squadron served extensively in China supporting the Nationalists, as well as in India, and it operated from bases in Karachi, India, 22 Mar 1944; Kwanghan, China, 15 May 1944; and Fungwanshan, China, 12 Feb 1945.

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December 4, 2024 10:00 AM EST
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $999,999 $10,000
$1,000,000 $1,999,999 $50,000
$2,000,000 + $100,000