The original design:
Designated 'Type D-1 Mechanics Shearling Jacket', this model came into service with the Air Corp in the mid 1930's.

It would seem a rather lavish material to be making a mechanics jacket out of, but the D-1 like all clothing and equipment issued to US servicemen was typical of the motto 'only the best will do'. Sheepskin at that time was the best material for protection against cold, with the highest insulative value; being a ground crewman was often a bitterly cold experience, working on aircraft on a windswept airfield in the middle of winter certainly required a warm jacket.

Similar to the shearling flight clothing the D-1 was made and issued as a two-piece suit - it's companion bottom half being the B-1 trousers. In fact, apart from its design it was produced in an identical way to the all the other shearling flight clothing, using the same quality materials and trim and often by the same manufacturers. The outer side of the garment was finished with a dark Seal Brown shade poyacrylate dye, just like the flight jackets.

It is an unfussy simple design, made from 1/4 inch fleece depth sheepskin, the same as the B-6, with two practical zippered front pockets. As the ground crew of the USAAF found, this is a very practical, every day wearable garment. Along with all the other timeless flight jacket models, this is a design classic.

Our reproduction:
We have been reproducing this famous style for more than 25 years, and we feel sure our model is the most authentic available. However, we are always striving to make improvements or release alternative models if possible. In this regard we are pleased to announce the introduction of our new and amazing 'broken grain', hand dyed sheepkin on this model.

A characteristic of the wartime jackets is that the skins often had a rugged, broken grain character to their leather. To match this type of character these days is very difficult due to the fact that most of the leather industry has been striving to produce more slick and uniform skins over the decades as this is generally what the market demands. Going back to more traditional methods to produce these authentic finishes is always a struggle.

However, as we have done with our 'War Horse'® Horsehide, we have now been able to do with our sheepskin. The outcome has been amazing! Using traditional hand dye and treatment methods of the skins we have recreated that true matte, rugged, broken grain appearance and handle that is so typically seen on original USAAF shearling garments.

Although spray dying was utilised during the war, it is evident after inspecting many original examples that hand dying was still being used on most of the USAAF sheepskin. This method of dye application, along with the other necessary pre-treatments of the skin is what gives this finish that amazing authentic WWII look.

The sheepskin material itself is of North American origin. There are many breeds of sheep throughout the world, each having their own wool characteristic, so it is essential that we use a fleece derived from the same breed that was used originally so as to ensure complete authenticity.

The Eastman D-1 is of course finished out with every other authentic detail that is necessary to make this garment 100% authentic: