Luftwaffe 1943 - “Pips Priller” edition - goatskin & capeskin

The Mitchell Mfg. “Luftwaffe 1943” is an exact copy of the leather jacket Josef “Pips” Priller wore in 1943. The original was French made: a very short cut “Blouson Cycliste”, most likely made from goatskin.

In reproducing this flight jacket, Mitchell Mfg. once again went for authenticity. Original colour slides from 1942 and 1943 served as the reference, among other sources. Besides the characteristic leather-covered buttons closing the pockets and the cuffs, a leather button was used here to close the jacket instead of a metal buckle.

The zippers are reproductions by the German company “Zipp” and are stamped D.R.P. on the reverse, for Deutsches Reichspatent. Mitchell Mfg. deliberately did without a mix of materials with French “Eclair” zippers.

The jacket has a blue-grey satin lining and five pockets in all: two chest pockets with horizontal zippers, two small front pockets closed with the leather buttons, and an inside pocket that also closes with a “Zipp” zipper. The shape of the pockets has been reproduced down to the smallest detail.

The width of the jacket can be adjusted at hip height with O-rings and leather straps. The one concession to wearability is the length: the original was extremely short, and the length has been adjusted here. Even so the jacket is cut short. As on the original, the back is made from a single piece of leather.

Mitchell Mfg. jackets are not pieced together. The waste is correspondingly high, but there is no alternative when originality and quality come first. With the extremely soft lambskin it is comfortable to sit in more than just a FW 190.

Whether you are in the air or on the road: with the Mitchell Mfg. Luftwaffe 1943 “Pips Priller” edition you wear a piece of German aviation history.