Review of the Eastman 'Luftwaffe' jacket, NEW

[Danner]

Morning folks!

Just took some quick shots of my size 46 Luftwaffe Jacket. I own it for about five years and it kept me warm during countless bar and motorcycle trips
A saddler took 2,5" inch of leather on both sides out and 1" at the arms to give it a more tapered fit. The original fit is quite big!

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/5729/img0084v.jpg
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/631/img0095wq.jpg
http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/5963/img0087pr.jpg
http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/1124/img0093ru.jpg

Sorry for the poor picture quality! I used my mobil

 

[thor]

Hello Fellas.

There seems to be afew different schools of thought on how tight Luftwaffe (and other nation's Air Forces) pilots wore their leather flight jackets. The pilots did have to squeeze themselves into cramped cockpits and strap on a parachute over their flight jacket. It seems that the tighter the better as far as their leather jackets were concerned. Naturally, these same considerations don't come into play for us today as we wear our leather jackets for comfort, style and personal preference. I love the dashing pilot photos of WWII: tight leather jackets, necktie/scarf, and of course a crusher cap at a rakish angle!

Tally ho!

 

[johnnyjohnny]

der horseWaffe

legumeJacket (peacoat for the unitiated) was kind enough to alert me to a question about my own size 46 eastman luftwaffe jacket (thanks 'p')

the answer for chris is that the collar is not big and flappy at all like some of the real luftwaffe jacket collars, but nice and normal, laying crisp and snug to the neck, unlike many of the big ole flappy jacket collars today, like my experience with the schott cow leather version of this style jacket, which would overturn and flap rather than having a nice sharp fold as seen in danner's wonderful and true shots of eastman luftwaffe jacket...the collar neck to point is a perfect 3"

as for danner, your jacket having been taken in at the sides is a bit more ultra lean like the ones normally seen from the war, however those usually had short sleeves, and your lengthened sleeves look pretty cool...really like something tailored by wardrobe for a movie...i'm wondering if you had eastman do it, or if you did it local to you after you got the jacket...please let me know where you had it done and the kind of job they did

not been posting much as the waffe pretty much was my dream jacket, tho i did buy a couple of legit harley jackets, some harley dealer/sellers, if you look, have discount prices on ebay...and i did get a fab san diego leather replica of aero's highwayman that's on their website...the side pockets are a bit too high so getting your arms in them are like doing a high jump, but otherwise it's an amazing jacket for less than $300...aside from the pocks being about an inch too high, the jacket is almost (almost) as wunderbar as the eastman waffe...which is really by far the best jacket i can ever imagine

as for what danner did, i prefer the jacket just slightly comfie fitting, as it did come, and i do have a somewhat tapered torso but the side straps pull it in certainly enough for me...danner's looks supah cool, but i doubt i'd be too comfortable living in that

and i didn't neglect you 'p'...thanks for alerting me of the ongoing nature of this thread...currently i'm spending a lot of time repopulating my vintage watch website as my sojourn into jacketmania left it rather paltry for awhile...i have a virtually mint ww2 elgin A-11 original that i finally got up on the site, but my true love (as will not be a surprise to 'p' or others who've read my posts over the waffenhorse) are the ww2 german issue luftwaffe and heer (army) watches i'll be putting up there. the website is one of those listed in my post signature.

thanks again 'p', i hope you are well and that your jackets aren't shrinking in the rain

p.s. 'p'...did you ever think of doing a gene kelly imitation on your cycle in your schott horse jacket in the rain, riding up a lightpost? totally kewl...think about it.

 

[Edward]

Regarding "correct" fit for historical accuracy.... You can't really go by a few photos of USAAF boys in tight fitting jackets, as they wore whatever the QM threw at them for the most part. The Luftwaffe boys in the earlier war years wore private purchase leathers, so while the fit of an individual's jacket is more likely to have been a deliberate choice, it is again difficult to identify a 'uniform' look as such. I like my leathers relatively neat fitting, but not skintight. If I can't fit into it in more than a T-shirt (I like to be able to wear a decent flannel shirt under an A2 or Halfbelt; if I need a sweater, it's already time for an Irvin or B3 anyhow), or it feels like a shirt itself, it's too tight. YMMV, of course. It does seem that many of the Luftwaffe boys favoured a 'shirt' fit.

 

[johnnyjohnny]

that German look

edward, i was talking about the german fliers, not the usaac (usaircorps), which when photos of the period are examined, the fits are surprisingly varied (as you astutely point out) as i found out on one fedlounge post that had a voluminous number of shots of ww2 u.s. fliers.

i was talking about the german fliers who seemed pretty much unflinchingly to favor the skintite look in what were indeed private purchase jackets for the summer leather ones.

hollywood has the luftwaffe looking pretty cool, like danner, in such flix as 'the battle of britain', however, the actors, as hollywood (or london) lean as they were, were more filled out then a surprising number of the skinny, and even gawky, luftwaffe pilots who looked a bit nerdy in jackets that appeared shrunken onto them...tho the pilot hans-joachim marseille, who has been compared on this forum to a pre-incarnation of jeremy irons, looked smashing, even if his jacket in this pic wasn't the classic zippered eastman look:

but yes, edward, as to fit, i do prefer a bit of comfort. my eastman luftwaffe is looser than danner's, much looser than marseille's and the other RLM pilots, but still a bit tighter than i normally wear...i'd say it's the perfect modern fit...often, as the hollywood version of ww2 shows, history is different than our visions of it ;D

 

[Danner]

Hey Johnny! I wore the jacket for about 2 years with the original Eastman fit...

Unfortunally these are the only VERY old pics I have of it from that time...

..... Ohh Boy....

.... Howewer, I have a great tailor in my area who is specialized on motorcycle and thick leather clothes and stitches it with one of these old saddling machines...
I waited for about 2 weeks with another try-on during the changing.

These are actual pics with me before going to university this morning.... (Do you see the enthusiasm in my dozy face

As you can see the jacket has a much tighter fit now with still enough room to wear a thick sweater underneath it. Combined with the superb moleskin lining it makes my favourite winter jacket!
Another reason for the change of the cut was motorcycling. The jacket tended to blow in the wind while driving, now thats completly gone!

So far for the history of my jacket Keep it comin'!

 

[johnnyjohnny]

the great escape

looks like you're tracking down steve mcqueen in the great escape in those top pix

wunderbar pictures! truly gives people an idea how great this jacket looks. mine fits like yours did in the top pix...since i gave up motorbikes after causing $1000 of damage to a new german made capri in 1972 on PCH here in santa monica, no damage to me or the bike, i decided not to push it and stopped riding within a few months...so i'm a poser when it comes to my motorcycle jackets, and i certainly don't fly a messerschmitt...that's why i can live with the slightly looser fit.

superb shots, thanks.

 

[Peacoat]

legumeJacket (peacoat for the unitiated) was kind enough to alert me to a question about my own size 46 eastman luftwaffe jacket (thanks 'p')

the answer for chris is that the collar is not big and flappy at all like some of the real luftwaffe jacket collars, but nice and normal, laying crisp and snug to the neck, unlike many of the big ole flappy jacket collars today, like my experience with the schott cow leather version of this style jacket, which would overturn and flap rather than having a nice sharp fold as seen in danner's wonderful and true shots of eastman luftwaffe jacket...the collar neck to point is a perfect 3"

as for danner, your jacket having been taken in at the sides is a bit more ultra lean like the ones normally seen from the war, however those usually had short sleeves, and your lengthened sleeves look pretty cool...really like something tailored by wardrobe for a movie...i'm wondering if you had eastman do it, or if you did it local to you after you got the jacket...please let me know where you had it done and the kind of job they did

not been posting much as the waffe pretty much was my dream jacket, tho i did buy a couple of legit harley jackets, some harley dealer/sellers, if you look, have discount prices on ebay...and i did get a fab san diego leather replica of aero's highwayman that's on their website...the side pockets are a bit too high so getting your arms in them are like doing a high jump, but otherwise it's an amazing jacket for less than $300...aside from the pocks being about an inch too high, the jacket is almost (almost) as wunderbar as the eastman waffe...which is really by far the best jacket i can ever imagine

as for what danner did, i prefer the jacket just slightly comfie fitting, as it did come, and i do have a somewhat tapered torso but the side straps pull it in certainly enough for me...danner's looks supah cool, but i doubt i'd be too comfortable living in that

and i didn't neglect you 'p'...thanks for alerting me of the ongoing nature of this thread...currently i'm spending a lot of time repopulating my vintage watch website as my sojourn into jacketmania left it rather paltry for awhile...i have a virtually mint ww2 elgin A-11 original that i finally got up on the site, but my true love (as will not be a surprise to 'p' or others who've read my posts over the waffenhorse) are the ww2 german issue luftwaffe and heer (army) watches i'll be putting up there. the website is one of those listed in my post signature.

thanks again 'p', i hope you are well and that your jackets aren't shrinking in the rain

p.s. 'p'...did you ever think of doing a gene kelly imitation on your cycle in your schott horse jacket in the rain, riding up a lightpost? totally kewl...think about it.

J2, I see you haven't lost your . . . . well, your enthusiasm for being yourself. Welcome back.

 

[Edward]

edward, i was talking about the german fliers, not the usaac (usaircorps), which when photos of the period are examined, the fits are surprisingly varied (as you astutely point out) as i found out on one fedlounge post that had a voluminous number of shots of ww2 u.s. fliers.

Yeah, I could have been clearer there - I was thinking out loud, really, putting this in the overall context of the usual debate on 'correct fit' - the A2 - and why it might be possible to draw different conclusions with regards to the Luftwaffe boys, pp jackets by their very nature as pps allowing for the fit to be a choice rather than coincidental.

i was talking about the german fliers who seemed pretty much unflinchingly to favor the skintite look in what were indeed private purchase jackets for the summer leather ones.

Yeah, got that. It would be interesting also to compare photos of contemporary German civilians in leather jackets; I've often wondered to what degree it was a fashion choice (as opposed to utilitarian considerations) for the LW boys to wear 'em that tight - after all, their cockpits were no tighter, that I can see, than what the USAAF boys had to contend with in their occasionally loose A2s - or, for that matter, the RAF chaps in Irvins in Spitfires and Hurricanes in '40!

hollywood has the luftwaffe looking pretty cool, like danner, in such flix as 'the battle of britain', however, the actors, as hollywood (or london) lean as they were, were more filled out then a surprising number of the skinny, and even gawky, luftwaffe pilots who looked a bit nerdy in jackets that appeared shrunken onto them...

Heh, yeah... some of them remind me of those early Ramones photos, especially Joey and Dee Dee.... lol

but yes, edward, as to fit, i do prefer a bit of comfort. my eastman luftwaffe is looser than danner's, much looser than marseille's and the other RLM pilots, but still a bit tighter than i normally wear...i'd say it's the perfect modern fit...often, as the hollywood version of ww2 shows, history is different than our visions of it ;D

All too true! I do love a trim fit in a jacket, but not so tight as some of the Luftwaffe boys favoured them.... then, while not big per se, I'm not exactly what you'd call skinny anymore either!

 

[Smithy]

after all, their cockpits were no tighter, that I can see, than what the USAAF boys had to contend with in their occasionally loose A2s - or, for that matter, the RAF chaps in Irvins in Spitfires and Hurricanes in '40!

Actually Edward, if we are talking fighters there were differences in cockpit size. The mainstay fighter of the Luftwaffe was the Me109 (throughout the war for that matter) and it's cockpit was more cramped than even a Spitfire. American fighters tended to have roomier cockpits than their British built equivalents. Have a look at the P-47s. Most Ex-Eagle Squadron 4FG members were genuinely shocked by the size of this aircraft and the room in the office.

In terms of RAF Fighter Command pilots wearing Irvins in Spitfires and Hurricanes, yes this did happen but became virtually non-existent after 1940 and it wasn't quite as common as what we think. Even early in 1940 there were instances of squadron commanders forbidding their pilots to wear Irvins into combat due to the greatly reduced visibility the jacket gave over the shoulders and behind even with the collar down. One Spitfire pilot I am in contact with told me that he considered wearing an Irvin into combat in a Spit "a bloody stupid thing to do" because as well as the reduced visibility he said the sleeve and bulk could catch on the trimming controls.

 

[johnnyjohnny]

i love you mannn

have to say i do love this forum, especially when i've been off it for awhilst

smithy shows the fascinating oblique bits of information that add so much to what our main themes are about...where else can you find this kind of info added in at the right time to enlighten a point

and, of course, edward's very elegantly sincere conversing...and all the others that at various times join in

and then, notably, my forum friend, p-man...who i believe may understand my inner workings quite well...which is not something i'd wish on anyone

fun sharing thoughts and info with you guys!

 

[Smithy]

have to say i do love this forum, especially when i've been off it for awhilst

smithy shows the fascinating oblique bits of information that add so much to what our main themes are about...where else can you find this kind of info added in at the right time to enlighten a point

and, of course, edward's very elegantly sincere conversing...and all the others that at various times join in

and then, notably, my forum friend, p-man...who i believe may understand my inner workings quite well...which is not something i'd wish on anyone

fun sharing thoughts and info with you guys!

Thanks Johnny. Good to see you back. I've always enjoyed your posts and your enthusiasm for leather!

 

[johnnyjohnny]

:]

that's appreciated smithy!

 

[kyboots]

Danner I think you did a great job on the jacket!! Fabulous look!!- John

 

[Danner]

Thanks ky! Yes nice jacket, nice thread

Btw, these first pictures were taken on a fun visit to the Panzer Museum Munster (Germany) a loooong time ago. The people there kinda looked strange at us but it was fun

 

[Peacoat]

and then, notably, my forum friend, p-man...who i believe may understand my inner workings quite well...which is not something i'd wish on anyone

Yes, that is quite the scary thought.

This thread started out in one direction, and it has taken an interesting twist, thanks to Smithy and a few others.

 

[Stearmen]

Luftwaffe Spain

Getting back on topic, any good photos of Luftwaffe pilots wearing leather jackets in Spain?

 

[Smithy]

Sorry, I think i came of a little snide on my reply!

No worries Stearmen, all is good!

And yes, I think we better let the Luftwaffe jacket chaps have their thread back.

Once again apologies to Johnny and others for going seriously off topic there for a bit.

 

[thor]

The Eastman Luftwaffe jackets are very nice indeed! There is a company called Noble House in Germany that also does a nice Luftwaffe style jacket (even has a blue linen lining...not as nice as moleskin like in the ELC, alas!). And Spearhead Militaria sells a Luftwaffe and a "Erich Hartmann" style leather jacket made of goatskin that looks interesting (made in China, though).

I'm sure that neither one comes close to the quality of the Eastman. Side note: on the ELC website, they state that the Hartmann style jackets are now made of sheepskin nappa (instead of the tougher steerhide as in years past). I wonder how it holds up when climbing into an Me-109....or a Jeep Wrangler, for that matter?

 

[andreasmario]

Ok ,This review helped Mr. Eastman to one more customer. i ordered one Luftwaffe / Black in 48 , ad 1 inch to the arms and 1/and1/2 to the body, that is the extend of customization Allan Eastman is offering. Perhaps i write more about it after i get the Jacket , Mr. Eastman told me on the phone less then 4 weeks.