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WWII USAAF 8th Air Force B-24 A-2 bomber jacket belonging to Staff Sergeant William F. Stuckey, top turret gunner aboard ‘The Dreamer’ (754th Bomb Squadron, 458th Bomb Group), a Consolidated B-24 Liberator of the 2nd Bombardment Division who flew approximately 32 combat missions over Nazi-occupied Europe during the Normandy campaign and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for “ward[ing] off many enemy attacks” from his gun position. This handsome russet-brown leather issue jacket features a knit waistband and cuffs, a single front zipper with collar snaps, and classic wartime construction. The jacket, size 38, was made by Perry Sportswear Inc. of Newburgh, New York, under contract no. W535 AC-23377, with original label present.
The right chest exhibits an extensive hand-painted mission tally of approximately 32 yellow bomb symbols, signifying a completed heavy bomber combat tour, while the left chest bears an applied leather name strip, “W. F. STUCKEY,” above an embroidered emblem patch of the 754th Bombardment Squadron. The reverse is prominently embellished in light blue paint with the aircraft name “The Dreamer” above a stylized silhouette of a B-24 Liberator, and the left shoulder retains the original Eighth Air Force patch, confirming service with the strategic bombing force operating from England, specifically with the 754th Bomb Squadron of the 458th Bomb Group based at RAF Horsham St. Faith. The interior lining is clearly stenciled “W. F. STUCKEY / 18119071.”
Included with the jacket is a remarkable set of 30 original B-24 bomb fuse safety pins, each retaining its handwritten tag annotated by Stuckey with mission number, date, and target location, forming a chronological record of his combat sorties over France and Germany. Although the tags are present for all 32 missions, two pins are missing for missions 12 (Mulhouse, France, May 25, 1944) and 28 (Ludwigshafen, Germany, July 31, 1944). These tags effectively serve as a firsthand ‘flight diary,’ directly corresponding to the painted mission tally on the jacket and providing rare, mission-by-mission documentation of his operational service. These pins are further complemented by Stuckey’s wartime “A Soldier’s Diary” book, with four pages featuring his handwritten entries for each mission, including dates, targets, and flight durations, effectively duplicating and expanding upon the information recorded on the tagged pins. The diary also includes a personal note marking V-E Day (May 8, 1945), in which Stuckey notes that he “was on furlough” at the time of Germany’s surrender. In overall fine condition, with light wear to the jacket consistent with age and use.
Accompanied by a substantial archive of original wartime documents directly related to Stuckey, including his Honorable Discharge and Enlisted Record, as well as multiple Headquarters Eighth Air Force and 2nd Bombardment Division General Orders awarding the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, culminating in the Distinguished Flying Cross (August 10, 1944). Also included is a group of ten WWII-era U.S. Army and Army Air Forces insignia patches, comprising AAF shoulder sleeve insignia, enlisted rank chevrons, and unit emblems; Stuckey’s original WWII dog tags; U.S. Army Air Forces aircrew and aerial gunner qualification wings; and an AAFTS instructor insignia. Additional material includes a group of WWII-era U.S. sales tax tokens from states like Mississippi, Louisiana, and Utah; a group of WWII-era foreign currency, including a ‘short snorter’ signed by an unidentified aircrew; a WWII U.S. Army pocket compass by Wittnauer with ‘U.S.’-stamped case; and five period glossy photographs, including images of Stuckey in service, one depicting him with his flight crew while wearing the offered A-2 jacket with its distinctive bomb tally visible to the right chest.
