Posted by MyBomberJacket.com on 11th May 2017

A2 Bomber Jacket Modern Sizing

Sizing for a Leather Bomber Jacket and a G-1 Flight Jacket really does matter! So, get your size right. Have someone measure your chest for a really true chest measurement.

In the 40’s and 50’s, men’s chest measurements were around the entire “bottom’ of the chest”, around the lower region of the rib-cage. That was because the general population was coming out of the Great Depression and the area just under the arm-pits was not as large in circumference as the lower rib area. Double Breasted Suits, jackets, T-shirts, work-Shirts all went by this measurement.

Those fancy stylings also featured “padded shoulders” for many men’s jackets and suit coats. That extra styling was not there just for fun, it was there to make men look broader in the shoulders and feature a more “V Cut” to their upper body. World War II put a stop that with better food and military styling that was free of such silly fashions. The A-2 Bomber Jacket and the Navy’s G-1 Flight had no padded shoulders.

However, without intending, the U.S. Military design ended up arranging some of the most fashionable and desirable fit outwear in apparel history.

Three mainstays from that era have been responsible for the developing of most all jacket design in the modern world. The Army Air Corps’ Type A-2 Leather Bomber Jacket, The U.S. Navy’s G-1 Leather Flight Jacket, and the B-3 Sheepskin Bomber Jacket. The A2 Bomber and the G-1 have influenced many modern-day textile blend jackets. The Sheepskin B-3 has also held a devoted market share around the world and is the one jacket style that has not changed in cut or fit. The B-3 Shearling Bomber Jacket was made roomy back then and they are still roomy in the cut today. The sleeves are the same as always in the B3 Bomber Jacket

Yet, sizing for these jackets has changed. Men who wore the originals back when they were created were not as tall or heavy as today’s standard male. There were of course exceptions but they were rare. We are clearly taller, and we are much heavier in the shoulders, chest and waist as the normal guy enlisting in 1941. Everything about us today is larger. Even images from the War era show our intrepid air warriors wearing some good looking jackets, but you can tell these men did not have large chests or shoulders.

That Belly-Gunner on that B17 flying over Europe was fitted out with a B-3 Sheepskin, Chest Size 30 inches, perhaps 32 inches. On the average, the smallest males were assigned that Belly-Turret on the B17 Flying Fortress or the Consolidated B24 Heavy Bomber. Normal sized Air Crew Members might wear a size jacket, 34 inch to 38 inch, average chest sizes with 40-42 being considered large men. And we must recall that these chest measurements were sized for the lower rib area.

Today, chest measurement in America means the Upper Chest Region, across the nipples. The average fit for American Males for shirts and jackets has now reached the Extra-Large size (46) with 2-Extra Large (48) coming on strong in the market, much more prevalent than even 20 years ago. Large is still very popular, but Extra Large is expanding fast within the market each succeeding year.

Check out your local late winter and early spring sales racks and you will find on the average that the Small and Mediums are left over for the sales pickings, with every other size up to 3Extra Large sold out. Even 2-Extra Larges are hard to find.

There are Leather Bomber Jackets manufactured to the exact size specifications of the 1940’s, and we do mean they are made precisely to 1940 scale. Nice retro look – if you can get into the jacket. For today’s average male, the first thing you will notice is the tight squeeze in the shoulders, if you can fit into them, and that awful second thing you will realize is that you will not be able to zip close the front. In other words, you better be a small guy and on the skinny side. Regular guys can’t fit into those 1940’s specifications. What is the use of buying it if you can’t wear it?

Look for regular “civilian cut” for the best American Standard Size Fit. Another size choice is today’s modern Military sizes, which are far larger than the older makes. Right after the turn of the 21^st Century, the Military Brass finally got smart and ran a survey through all the pilots in the Armed Services. They got an ear full and an eye full in that survey from those who wear the A2 Bomber Jacket and the G1 Flight Jacket. Larger and roomier cut, more pockets, longer sleeves, and a better more workable lining became the order of the day. Guys complained vigorously about the small tight fitting styles and wanted roomier jackets that fit the modern military male.