A decorated WWII bomber jacket worn by a member of the 401st Bombardment Group
According to the history books, the 401st Bombardment Group Association made things kinda difficult for the Nazis during WWII (you have to specify the era with Nazis these days, sadly) . The group was utilized on an “as needed” basis and according to historians, it is noted that the 401st’s bombing accuracy was the best in the B-17 class in the entire Eighth Air Force. The group dropped a total of 17,784 bombs on their collective targets during their 254 missions. But I’m not here to talk about war—there’s enough talk of that in the news already. Instead, let’s take a look at the cheeky artwork that adorned the 401st’s bomber jackets back in the day which featured illustrations of sexy pinup girls along with the number of bombs that the individual pilots of the 401st successfully dropped on those dastardly, deplorable Nazis during their runs.
The standard-issue jackets worn by the airmen of the 401st were badges of honor for the airmen who took their jobs seriously. The National Archive thankfully cataloged photos of the pilots wearing their bombers, and I’ve posted a large number of images of the heroes wearing their slightly NSFW jackets in all their glory below.
More after the jump…
