WWII PAINTED A-2 FLIGHT JACKET 380TH BG 529TH BS

WWII painted A-2 Flight Jacket from a member of the 380th Bomb Group. The grouping consists of Sgt. A. W. Perry named A-2 Flight Jacket that is adorned with two painted squadron insignia to the front. The insignia is of the 529th Bomb Squadron and the 380th Bomb Group. Both insignias are hand painted directly to the A-2. The reverse of the jacket is adorned with a beautiful B-24 Liberator dropping its payload. The jacket has a functioning Talon Zipper. The jacket has suffered over the years with drying and several repairs and cuts to the leather as seen in the photos. The grouping also has a 380th Bomb Group History, where Sargeant A.W. Perry tipped in information regarding himself or the unit. History: The squadron was activated at Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona on 3 November 1942 as one of the four original squadrons of the 380th Bombardment Group. After training with Consolidated B-24 Liberators, the squadron moved to the Southwest Pacific Theater in April 1943.The air echelon arrived at Manbulloo Airfield, in the Australian Northern Territory by the end of April. For the remainder of its stay in Australia, the squadron and the rest of the 380th Group would be attached to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). It trained RAAF crews on the operation of the Liberator. Its initial combat operations were in May, when it flew armed reconnaissance missions. From its home in Australia, the 529th attacked Japanese installations in the Netherlands East Indies and the Bismark Archipelago, including airfields, ground installations and factories. In August 1943, it participated in a series of raids on oil refineries in Balikpapan, Borneo in what at the time was the longest bombing mission flown by an Army Air Forces bomber unit. For this mission, the squadron was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC). During April and May 1944, the unit conducted a series of raids on enemy airfields in western New Guinea to support landings in the Hollandia area, for which it was awarded a second DUC. The squadron was relieved from attachment to the RAAF and moved to the Philippines in February 1945. Operating from Mindoro, the squadron provided air support for ground forces on Luzon, and attacked industrial targets in Formosa, ground installations along the China coast and transportation targets in French Indochina. It also continued its attacks on refineries in Borneo. In August 1945, the squadron moved to Okinawa. Following V-J Day, the squadron flew reconnaissance missions over Japan and flew prisoners of war from Japan to Manila. The squadron became nonoperational and moved to Fort William McKinley in November 1945. It was inactivated there in February 1946.History: The history of the 380th dates back to 28 October 1942 when the unit was established. The 380th Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated on 3 November 1942 at Davis–Monthan Field, Arizona. Originally, the 380th Group consisted of four squadrons, the 528th, 529th, 530th, and 531st Bombardment Squadrons. Shortly after being activated, the group moved to Biggs Field, Texas, where it underwent extensive combat training. After completing training, the 380th moved to Lowry Field, Colorado, to undergo final combat training. The 380th was part of Fifth Air Force, and was known as the Flying Circus and as the King of the Heavies. The 380th went overseas in April 1943 to become the second Consolidated B-24 Liberator unit in the Fifth Air Force at that time after the 90th Bomb Group. The other heavy bomber unit (the 43d Bombardment Group) flew Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses. The group arrived at Fenton Airfield, Australia, and also encompassed a part of Western Australia at Corunna Downs Airfield, a top secret airfield in the Pilbara, north of Perth, Western Australia in the Royal Australian Air Force's North-Western Area Command area of responsibility. The Command's purpose was to engage in destroying Japanese strongholds in the Pacific. The group later moved to RAAF Base Darwin. Here it was placed under the Australian Northwest Area Command operating out of Darwin, Northern Territory. It was the only B-24 Liberator unit attached to the RAAF. The group was assigned to train RAAF personnel on the B-24 and to secure Australia's safety against a threatened Japanese invasion along its northern coast. Upon its arrival in Australia, the group immediately began combat operations. It was the only heavy bomber unit available to cover the whole of the Dutch East Indies (1,000,000 square miles) from July 1943 until late in 1944. At that time the successes in the New Guinea campaign had brought the other Fifth Air Force units close enough to the East Indies to join the 380th in that task. During April and May 1944, the 380th engaged in the most intensive and sustained operations since arrival in the southwest Pacific, neutralizing the rear bases through which the Japanese might reinforce their air force in the Wakde-Hollandia area of the Netherlands East Indies. From the end of May 1944 until it moved to Murtha Field, San Jose, Mindoro, Philippines in February 1945, the 380th concentrated on neutralizing enemy bases, installations and industrial compounds in the southern and central East Indies. In April 1945, Far East Air Forces relieved the 380th of its ground support commitments in the Philippines. During the month, the Group flew the first heavy bomber strikes against targets in China and French Indochina. In June 1945, the 380th was placed under the operational control of the 13th Air Force for pre-invasion attacks against Labuan and on the oil refineries at Balikpapan in Borneo. For nearly two weeks, the Group's Liberators kept these targets under a state of aerial siege. After the Borneo raids, the 380th flew its last combat missions to Taiwan. After the cessation of hostilities, the 380th moved to Okinawa and flew reconnaissance patrols over the Japanese islands. The group ferried released prisoners of war to Manila. On 18 October 1945, the unit was transferred to Seventh Air Force in the Philippines, where it moved to Clark Field on Luzon, and participated in the Sunset Project, the return of B-24s and their crews to the United States. Although some aircraft and crews were flown back to the United States, most of the aircraft from inactivating units were simply scrapped at Clark and personnel were returned via Navy ships from Manila. In its service with the Australians, the 380th served longer under the operational control of an Allied country than any other Air Force unit (from June 1943 until February 1945). The 380th Group was inactivated on 20 February 1946.