My dad was a P51D Fighter Pilot fighting the Japanese in WW2. It’s interesting to see what he would have worn. I remember he kept his leather helmet piece which I saw for the first time in the 1970s it was old with holes in it and very used. We still have it in our family today
Do you which Fighter Group he flew with? If you still have his helmet it would be worth getting a display head for it and using some good leather treatment on it to help preserve the leather. Eastman Leather clothings website has some good stuff which I recommend as it’s what I use on my flying helmets and boots once a year to help preserve them
@@WW2Wayfinder My brother has it in another state. It just sits in a box unfortunately with all his other memorabilia. Like his wings and a lot of civil aviation stuff. I remember him taking me up in Cessnas in the 70s and he used to wear it. I was 5-10 years old or something
Terrific presentation! You are literally bringing the everyday life of a P-51 pilot to life. The detailed description of each item and their specific functions are greatly appreciated. Looking forward to the next one!
Great series on the awesome P51 Mustang. I've never seen a video on the P51 pilots clothing & flight gear. Also, I never knew there was a pee tube on the P51. Always learning new things on WW2 Wayfinder!
GREAT video good sir! Thank you so much for giving us all the details and information that you do! I'm an Aircraft Mechanic, and I love seeing these video's on the ol' birds and the men that flew them! Much respect and support from Yuma, AZ. 👍👍
You’re welcome Ryan! Glad you’re enjoying it! These old aircraft just have so much character to them, and Louisiana Kid is a beautiful P-51, you’d love the Packard Merlin up front on her!
Thanks mate! Hopefully provides a bit of education and realisation as to what the guys wore back in the day! Far removed from the guys who fly fast jets these days!
Outstanding Part 2 of the P51 Mustang and the men who flew them. I have never seen a breakdown of the uniform and equipment before. Incredibly cool and interesting! Eighty-two years later and the uniform has not lost its appeal. As they say, "there is something about a man in uniform." I wonder if that saying started in WWII? I really enjoyed the details and learning more! Thank you for a great presentation - and in the cold! 👍👍⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you Sondra, it was a lot of fun to film despite the temps! And you’re right, the uniforms from WW2 definitely had a real style and class about them which has been lost today sadly! Thanks again for watching!
Another piece of vital equipment worn and used in flight was the bladder relief tube which was 'plugged in' like the O2 mask on entering the cock pit . The chutes were particularly comfortable as there was no padding in the seats of course . All in all a pretty comfy and normal situation even if on occasion it was " all f...ouled up ".
On my list to get a nice original one day, but my reproduction one keeps immaculate time as long as it’s wound up everyday. Glad you enjoyed the video and there’s another couple to go on the P-51 but next week is my last Battle of the Bulge episode filmed in La Gleize.
The watch worn appears to be an A-17. Not nitpicking but not an A-11 IMO. Of course the movement must be seen to determine. Looks like you know this stuff. Do you collect it as well? Great stuff!
@@WW2Wayfinderyou are most welcome! Did the pilots wear unlined tight or skin tight gloves so they could feel the controls better, or were they lined? Thanks!
@@edgaraquino2324 they had the option depending on choice/conditions to wear a thin silk glove with thicker leather gauntlet type gloves over the top. The RAF 1941 pattern was a favourite amount fighter pilots but the USAAF also had its own issue glove that more closely resembles a ski/snowboard glove today if that makes sense. I can’t remember the official designation but I think they were A-10 gloves but not 100% sure without looking
Pinks and greens are back as the Class "A" uniform in the modern U.S. Army. Many British items were obtained by the resourceful pilots and ground crews. These included goggles, oxygen masks, footwear, and even rear view mirrors! By the way, another invention that gave the P-51 edge was the G-suit for pilots, which came along in late 1944...
I love the eclectic mix of wartime USAAF flying equipment in photos. It’s so unique and the fact each pilot has their own unique setup speaks to the individuality of the fighter pilots who flew and fought in the Thunderbolts and Mustangs!
Thank you! Ray Bans were a civilian off-shoot of Bausch and Lomb who did supply the USAAF during the war by Ray Bans never appeared until post war. Other companies also supplied sun glassess as well but B&L is the main comnay I can think of.
Very interesting! Every detail was no doubt useful when needed. Must have been a tight fit in the cockpit and very restrictive to movement. It makes me wonder how it compared to what German pilots were wearing. Probably harder to find surviving examples of that though.
The P-51 isn’t too tight a fit and it’s helped by it being really well designed! Can’t speak from the German point of view but I believe the 109 cockpit was more cramped than that of the FW190.
Thanks so much for this! I’m looking to reenact and portray a P-51D pilot in 44-45 so this helps a lot to see these things in color and on video. I do have a question though regarding flight suits. I see you’re wearing your “pinks and greens” but did these pilots wear flight suits as well? I’ve seen images of them doing so but since you’re not does that mean that it was more common not to? If so, how would they wear flying boots and would they fit well under the pants legs? Please let me know. Thanks.
It was personal choice to carry one. I think most who flew escort missions didn’t bother as it took up space and ultimately would only be a gift to the local German officer in charge! I think the men who flew with the 9th AAF in the closed air support role especially after D-Day were more inclined to carry them as they stood a far better chance of making it back to friendly lines.
The wartime USAAF and RAF uniforms are some of the most stylish uniforms ever made in my opinion! Definitely an air of class about them that doesn’t really exist anymore sadly.
Outstanding Video...⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Except while listening to this every time I looked up for a split-second, I thought Billy-Bob Thornton was playing a British chappy dressed and dressed in Yank Pilot garb and gear. Kept thinking Drabbit he's got the accent down. If you think that's a shot Mate Thornton slayed women here in the States.
When I filmed it, it was so cold I need a warm cap! May has been really cold this year annoyingly! I wouldn’t want to try and go through the hassle of using the relief tube in flight, not with everything else going on in the skies above Europe or over Japan! Thanks for watching Garrett 😃
It was, it took bleed air from the engine which provided sme heat, although for high level escort missions especially in winter, cold weather flying clothing was essential for the pilots.
I think that the Oxygen mask was actually for breathing pressurized intake air from the engine. In other words, I don't believe they were loading compressed pure oxygen on fighters during WW2.
The oxygen tanks were located behind the fuselage tank and radios. Breathing oxygen has to be of a certain purity otherwise the effects could ultimately be fatal, the air also needs to be the same mix that would be breathed at ground level to avoid hypoxia. So yes, the P-51 and other fighters of the era had pressurised breathing oxygen cylinders for the pilot.
Great video, but you have some strange horizontal stitching on your A2 jacket above the pockets. I’ve never seen that on an A2 jacket. Could you explain why it’s on yours?
Its an Eastman A2 based upon the tpye worn by the 352nd Fighter Group who had rigger pockets sewn on the inside of their jackets so they could carry more items such as maps in case they were show down over Europe.
