Bomber Boys WWII Flight Jacket Art Book
“Bomber Boys – WWII Flight Jacket Art” by John Slemp is the most comprehensive visual record of A-2 jackets ever produced. Slemp, an award-winning photographer, has captured the tactile beauty of the leather and the artwork that adorns the jackets in archival quality. Over 100 jackets representing all World War II theaters from both museums and private owners, along with artifacts and personal accounts, reveal a visual diary of a man’s service in the U.S. Army Air Corps.
The 12 x 12 coffee table book captures the imaginations of those unfamiliar with this seldom seen genre of military folk art. The highly individualistic art depicted on World War II “bomber jackets” continues to fascinate, educate, and entertain to this day. Painted on the back of leather A-2 work jackets, these collectible uniform items depict the attitudes of young airmen subjected to the vagaries of modern warfare in the sky, and the successes, failures, and eventual triumphs of surviving 35 missions over stubbornly defended enemy territory.
By John Slemp. Published by John Slemp, 2022. Hardcover, 377 pages.