Help me understand what WWII US Army pilots wore in flight (?)

[BigBrother]

I've been trying to piece this together, and am confused.

There seem to be three general categories of what a US Army Air Corps officer/pilot would be wearing in general on the ground, but I'm not sure though how it all interplays and what was actually worn in flight...

1. Class As (or at least Class A components). You see lots of pics of bomber crews with (I think) some Class A components on, most notably chocolate shirts and possibly chocolate trousers, also perhaps some pink elements. But I'm not sure if those are actually just Class Bs (see below). I know the Class A tunics were certainly not worn in anything action-heavy like flight. Leather jackets obviously abound.

2. Class Bs. I (think I) know that there were OD and khaki equivalents of the Class A shirts and trousers for officers. Perhaps "equivalents" is the wrong word, but I've certainly seen and collected work wear for officers- OD wool shirts with shoulder loops, OD wool trousers, and cotton khaki for same, similar in design to the Class A components. I get the sense that maybe these made up the flight wear, but not sure.

3. Flight suits. I'm really not sure how these fit in (or on ). Were they worn atop Class Bs, with then leather jackets sometimes atop them?

I'm sure there were many variants and it depended on plane type, mission, altitude, etc., but I'm basically trying to get a general understanding of how and when Class As, Class Bs, and flight suits were worn. Note that for flight suits, I'm just talking the single-layer simple coveralls, not the B1/B2/B3 outfits of high altitude bombing or the electric heated ones, though I suppose it'd be nice to learn what went beneath those as well.

Thanks all!

 

[Peacoat]

Doubt you will get many definitive replies. That was, at a minimum, 77 years ago. The guys who were pilots then are mostly dead.

I believe flight suits came along after WWII. I don't know what the other pilots wore under their flight suits, but I wore undershorts with a white T-shirt showing at the neck. Never saw a pilot wearing anything other than a white T-shirt visible at the neck.

 

[photo2u]

A4,AN6550,M-426a Flight suits were available during WW2, I have owned and repair several.

 

[BigBrother]

A4,AN6550,M-426a Flight suits were available during WW2, I have owned and repair several.

Right. I’ve seen them quite a bit. Would love to get some info on how all these pieces fit together.

 

[Peacoat]

If you want to know what pilots wore in flight, think warmth. It's cold at altitude whether one was flying out of England with the 8th Air Force or involved with the war in the Pacific. Also, above 10,000 feet, oxygen is required, which means an oxygen mask over the face.

The later model B-17s had a heated cockpit, so protection from the bitter cold at altitude wasn't necessary. To the best of my recollection, none of the B-17s had pressurized cabins. That meant, unlike the movies, an oxygen mask was required in the cockpit, and elsewhere.

 

[EngProf]

If you want to know what pilots wore in flight, think warmth. It's cold at altitude whether one was flying out of England with the 8th Air Force or involved with the war in the Pacific. Also, above 10,000 feet, oxygen is required, which means an oxygen mask over the face.

The later model B-17s had a heated cockpit, so protection from the bitter cold at altitude wasn't necessary. To the best of my recollection, none of the B-17s had pressurized cabins. That meant, unlike the movies, an oxygen mask was required in the cockpit, and elsewhere.

One big fault of the TV series "Twelve O'clock High" was that they often didn't wear oxygen masks at bombing altitude (over 20,000ft).
I think this was so you could better see the "star's" faces.
(Only B-29's had pressurized cabins.)

 

[BigBrother]

If you want to know what pilots wore in flight, think warmth. It's cold at altitude whether one was flying out of England with the 8th Air Force or involved with the war in the Pacific. Also, above 10,000 feet, oxygen is required, which means an oxygen mask over the face.

The later model B-17s had a heated cockpit, so protection from the bitter cold at altitude wasn't necessary. To the best of my recollection, none of the B-17s had pressurized cabins. That meant, unlike the movies, an oxygen mask was required in the cockpit, and elsewhere.

But that really doesn’t help me. I still have loads of photos and the questions above. I’m trying to get down to the nitty-gritty, to the shirt and tie level. The pictures seem to be fairly consistent across the same type of mission/theater/plane, but I could use a document or reference to understand what’s actually being worn.

As just one example, what went under the summer-weight flight suits? Etc.

 

[EngProf]

But that really doesn’t help me. I still have loads of photos and the questions above. I’m trying to get down to the nitty-gritty, to the shirt and tie level. The pictures seem to be fairly consistent across the same type of mission/theater/plane, but I could use a document or reference to understand what’s actually being worn.

As just one example, what went under the summer-weight flight suits? Etc.

There are several good reference books on the exact topic you are asking about - WWII uniform regulations and use.
.
They give things in such detail that you can find out that black ties were pre-1942 regulation and khaki ties were used after that.
Sam Browne belts for officers went away shortly after the war broke out, etc.
They get into the details of use of OD3 ("khaki") and OD7 ("olive drab").
Khaki was worn in the Pacific much more than in the ETO, for example...
You need to acquire a small reference library on the topic. The usefulness of the information is well worth the moderate cost.