Posted by My Bomber Jacket on 1st May 2023

History of the B3 Sheepskin Bomber Jacket

The B3 flight jacket is well known as the best flight jacket throughout history. It was first designed in 1920's by a man named Leslie Irvin. In 1926, Leslie Irvin opened his own manufacturing company in England and became the only supplier of B3 flight jackets to Royal Air Force during the period of World War II. However, due to high demand for the B3 jacket in those times, Irvin's manufacturing company engaged other middlemen in the production of those jackets. This resulted to different colors and designs of the B3 jacket.

On May 8th, 1934, The United States Army Air Forces took Irvin's original design and used it to create the B3 flight jacket. This jacket went through many series of changes throughout the years and became the B3 Sheepskin Bomber Jacket that we all know now. The aerospace technology improved and most aircrafts in Europe during world war II started operating at altitudes of around 25,000 feet while the surrounding temperatures dropped to more than 50 below zero degrees. The cabins of these aircrafts had no pressure and so the B-3 flight jackets were urgently needed to keep the crew members warm and comfortable.

In 1942 during autumn, the United States introduced the B-17 bomber plane that was known as 'Flying Fortress' in Europe. The B-17 was expected to help the members of the crew in winning the war. The men who flew the plane over the skies of Germany and France proved that they could cope very well despite all the problems. The members of the crew who were set out to win the war, flew in aircrafts whose cabins had no pressure and at altitudes of 30,000 feet. They were to fly for eight to nine hours and were expected to win the war despite the drop in temperature of negative sixty degrees.

This created a need for the B3 sheepskin jacket to help the members of the crew survive in cold temperatures. The B-3 jacket absorbs moisture from the body, traps air in the cotton spaces and prevents external water from getting in. The B-3 sheepskin jackets helped to regulate the body temperature of the members of the crew. Most companies nowadays strive to produce B-3 jackets, without altering its original design because it does not need any improvement.

With designs like this, it makes the modern B3 Sheepskin a great everyday jacket.