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WORLD WAR TWO US ARMY AIR
CORPS ARCTIC FUR MITTENS - LIKE NEW, UNISSUED CONDITION:
As issued to the World War Two US Army Air Corps crews
who flew the relief missions over the Arctic Circle to
deliver planes, munitions, and supplies to Russia, this
pair of fur mittens is in like new, unissued condition.
Complete with the looped
neck cord (leading to the name “idiot mittens” for those
of you old enough to remember), these mittens feature a
fully furred body. I’m not sure if the fur is wolf or
wolverine as both were used in US military Arctic gear
due to the characteristic of both furs to resist
frosting, an important feature in that extreme climate.
In either case, the fur is in beautiful condition with
no hair loss and a full, clean loft to the hair. The
palms of the mittens, made of OD green leather, are
clean and supple with no crazing or surface loss and
only the most minor evidence of soiling due to storage
as can be seen in the photographs. The surface of the
leather on the left thumb is ink stamped “INSPECTOR No.
28, Q.M.C. SEATTLE, GENERAL DEPOT”, identifying the
Quartermaster Corps Depot from which the mittens
originated. Inside the cuff of the right mitten the
size tag is still present and legible. The interior of
the mittens are lined with OD green wool that is in
excellent condition with no mothing or soiling. The
adjuster slides on the neck cord are made of the same OD
wool. The cuffs of the mittens are edged with russet
leather binding which is in likewise excellent condition
with no crazing or wear. The neck cords, which secured
the mittens around the flyer’s neck to allow him to
shake the mittens off to operate his equipment and
prevent the loss of mitten which could result in the
eventual loss of his hand to frostbite in those cold
extremes, are full length and like the mittens show no
wear or damage.
These are not a
particularly common US Army Air Corps accessory and when
they do appear on the market are often well used or
showing excessive damage due to poor storage. This is a
beautiful pair that would make an interesting addition
to display with a leather flying suit. $195
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