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Japanese Naval Aviator's Heated Flying Suit

SOLD

Code: SOLD-776




By The Mitsubishi Manufacturing Co. Rare complete electrically heated suit in brown brushed cotton with a silk/rayon lining. Comprises the jacket with button front and elasticated wrists; trousers with tying tapes at the waist and ankles; rayon/silk gloves with knitted wristlets and brushed cotton bootees with tying tapes. All component parts are wired within the linings to provide warmth from an electrical current. The jacket and trousers are provided with connector pads having twin press stud fastenings for attaching the gloves or bootees to. There are also connection leads to link the jacket and trousers. A rubber covered @APOS@mains@APOS@ lead with a 3 pin socket exits the jacket and would have been plugged into the aircraft. Each part of the suit has a matching sewn cotton lable with Japanese Kanji. I believe that the suit is 1944 dated but cannot be sure of this as my understanding of the Japanese language is limited. The suit has seen little use and remains clean. The jacket even has the original Mitsubishi stores tag still attached. There is however, storage wear and moth damage. The jacket has some moth holes down the front/back to both sides and more extensively under the right arm. The sleeves (beyond the armpit damage) are generally good. The trousers are also generally good to the front with moth damage to both side areas of the bottom and some more nearer the ankle. The gloves are very good to excellent and the bootees have only minor mothing. All the electrical cables are supple but some of the connector pads have hardened a little. The entire suit comes with the original hard fibre case of issue fully marked with Japanese Kanji. This has reinforced corners, clasp fittings and rings for a carrying handle that is now missing. Although there is quite a bit of moth damage to this suit it is nevertheless an excellent display piece and extremely rare to find in this complete condition. The holes could probably be carefully repaired in places if so desired. Stock code S17420.