The Real McCoy's
MJ25103
Cotton Sateen
150 OLIVE
The TYPE B-9 REAL McCOY MFG.CO is constructed with a cotton sateen outer shell and lined with smooth rayon sateen. It features a warm sheepskin collar and is insulated with premium French duck down for optimal cold-weather performance. Authentic details include wool ribbing at the cuffs and hem, a 1940s-style bell-shaped brass front zipper with cotton tape, and durable construction using cotton sewing thread.
Introduced at the height of World War II, the original B-9 Flight Jacket marked a pivotal shift in military cold-weather gear. Rather than relying on heavy shearling like the B-3 and AN-J4 that came before it, the B-9 incorporated quilted down insulation, which the U.S. Army had been exploring since the 1920s for its lightweight warmth and compressibility.
As American military operations extended into the extreme cold of the Aleutian Islands campaign, the need arose for outerwear that could perform in subzero conditions while also offering emergency flotation support. The result was the Cold Weather Buoyancy Flight Suit, an ensemble consisting of the down-insulated B-9 Parka and A-8 Flight Pants. It was engineered to keep aircrew warm while sitting still for up to three hours at -70°F, and to keep a person and 25 pounds of gear afloat for up to 24 hours. This design passed rigorous thermal and buoyancy tests and was approved for use by both the U.S. Army Air Forces and Lend-Lease partners.
Early wartime versions of the B-9 used a 40/60 down-to-feather ratio due to material shortages, as military demands for down in sleeping bag production exceeded supply. This modern version corrects that limitation by using 100% French duck down fill, restoring the full loft, resilience, and insulation the original engineers intended.
The B-9 was designed to be worn with matching A-8 flight trousers, and although its silhouette is sometimes mistaken for the earlier B-7, it was a fundamentally different garment with a new mission profile. Its development also reflected growing collaboration between military procurement and outdoor gear manufacturers, a relationship that helped influence postwar civilian outerwear. After the war, commercial versions of the B-9 brought military-grade design and materials to the broader public.
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