Help ID: unlabeled 1930s–40s half-belt leather jacket, possible Soviet WWII pilot provenance

[_diver]

Hi all, first post. I’m hoping the experts here can help me identify a jacket that’s been in my family for a while.


The story: This belonged to my late father (1948–2016) in Ukraine. He got it from a friend, whose father was said to have been a Soviet pilot in WWII. I wore it in Ukraine while my dad was still alive and later brought it with me to the US. I don’t have documents or photos of the pilot wearing it, so please treat that part as family lore.


What I can see:

• No label and no label stitching anywhere
• Grain leather shell (horsehide or cowhide?), with heavy wear and a lighter undercolor showing at the collar and cuffs
• Full suede lining, with olive cotton-twill pocket bags (torn) and an old hand-stitched patch inside
• Heavy separating front zipper that stops short of the hem, with the hem closed by a two-snap tab
• Cast slider with a dome rivet, a flat bar pull, and a wire loop added through it. I couldn’t find any markings on the slider, pull, box, or snaps
• Zipped chest pocket and two slash hand pockets
• Pointed shirt collar and two-button shirt cuffs
• Princess-seamed back with a half belt and double D-ring side adjusters
• Darker leather underarm gussets with brass vent grommets
• “Time is Money” hand-painted on the back, in English. The jacket stayed in the USSR/Ukraine until I brought it to the US, so I assume a later Soviet owner added it

My questions:

1. Does the hardware and construction look German or Central European, French, or something else? Given the Soviet history, I’ve wondered whether it could be a 1945 “trophy” piece brought home from Germany.
2. Any idea of the era or the type of maker?
3. Roughly what would something like this be worth?

Photos:

1. Front
2. Back
3. Back side and sleeve
4. Front, collar and pockets
5. Hem, zipper end and snaps
6. Lining and pocket bags
7. Inner facing and snaps
8. Zipper slider, front
9. Zipper, side view
10. Zipper slider, back
11. Half belt D-rings
12. Underarm gusset grommets
13. Zipper pull bar

Thanks in advance for any insight!

 

[coolhandluke_7]

Hi all, first post. I’m hoping the experts here can help me identify a jacket that’s been in my family for a while.


The story: This belonged to my late father (1948–2016) in Ukraine. He got it from a friend, whose father was said to have been a Soviet pilot in WWII. I wore it in Ukraine while my dad was still alive and later brought it with me to the US. I don’t have documents or photos of the pilot wearing it, so please treat that part as family lore.


What I can see:

• No label and no label stitching anywhere
• Grain leather shell (horsehide or cowhide?), with heavy wear and a lighter undercolor showing at the collar and cuffs
• Full suede lining, with olive cotton-twill pocket bags (torn) and an old hand-stitched patch inside
• Heavy separating front zipper that stops short of the hem, with the hem closed by a two-snap tab
• Cast slider with a dome rivet, a flat bar pull, and a wire loop added through it. I couldn’t find any markings on the slider, pull, box, or snaps
• Zipped chest pocket and two slash hand pockets
• Pointed shirt collar and two-button shirt cuffs
• Princess-seamed back with a half belt and double D-ring side adjusters
• Darker leather underarm gussets with brass vent grommets
• “Time is Money” hand-painted on the back, in English. The jacket stayed in the USSR/Ukraine until I brought it to the US, so I assume a later Soviet owner added it

My questions:

1. Does the hardware and construction look German or Central European, French, or something else? Given the Soviet history, I’ve wondered whether it could be a 1945 “trophy” piece brought home from Germany.
2. Any idea of the era or the type of maker?
3. Roughly what would something like this be worth?

Photos:

1. Front
2. Back
3. Back side and sleeve
4. Front, collar and pockets
5. Hem, zipper end and snaps
6. Lining and pocket bags
7. Inner facing and snaps
8. Zipper slider, front
9. Zipper, side view
10. Zipper slider, back
11. Half belt D-rings
12. Underarm gusset grommets
13. Zipper pull bar

Thanks in advance for any insight!

Beautiful jacket. I can't help, but I would suggest also posting this jacket on Vintage Leather Jacket forum. There are several European and Asian aviation enthusiasts there that may be able to ID it.

 

[_diver]

Beautiful jacket. I can't help, but I would suggest also posting this jacket on Vintage Leather Jacket forum. There are several European and Asian aviation enthusiasts there that may be able to ID it.

thank you, i'll try that forum as well. does it make sense to cross post here in WWII section?

 

[coolhandluke_7]

thank you, i'll try that forum as well. does it make sense to cross post here in WWII section?

You can try, but there honestly doesn't seem to be much interest in original flight jackets and gear on this site. I think your best bet is posting on VLJ.

FWIW, I'm mildly certain that the jacket is Russian. @Flightengineer on VLJ would be able to confirm.

 

[coolhandluke_7]

 

[_diver]

View attachment 818544

woah, that looks exactly like my jacket!

 

[_diver]

woah, that looks exactly like my jacket!

can you please share the direct link? there is no search on that forum and i'm not sure what subforum you found the post under. Thank you!