![]() (The -5085 Spec covered all the Navy Z g-suits, and up to the Mark 2.) The Spec -5085 had a long life, running from 1950 until it was cancelled in June 1967, being replaced by the Spec that covered the Mark 2A G-suit, which started in 1963. (I am looking for this book and photo in my library, but cannot find it!!) The earliest photo of a Z-3 that I have seen, shows a Marine Corsair pilot wearing one in Korea, in late 1950. If any photos do show a type of Navy/Marine g-suit right after WW2, it is likely another series, which maybe came before the Z series. Now, there may be an earlier anti-g suit that the Navy used just after WW2, but it was not under the 'Z' series title. The Z series g-suits were developed for use by Navy and Marine aviators, and they saw wide use from Korea through Vietnam, into the late 1960s/early 1970s. This base -5085 Spec is the first of it's series, and is dated June 1950, well after WW2. My info reference is 'MIL-S-5085', which covered both the Z-2, and Z-3 suits. Mothers, wives, and sisters made the belts by petitioning other women to add one stitch each until there were a thousand.Ĭlick here to return to the Airmen in a World at War Overview.I can add some good technical info to this Navy G-suit topic.įrom my historical info, I can state that both the Z-2 and Z-3 suits were NOT used at the end of WW2, but rather, they first appeared in Fleet use in the late 1950 timeframe, just at the start of the Korean War. (Donated by Masajiro Kawato and the Nakata War Museum)Īlso known as a "Belt of a Thousand Stitches," it was supposed to protect its wearer from harm. Kapok is made from the buoyant fiber covering the seeds of the ceiba tree. The kapok-filled life vest is genuine and contrasted with the air-filled Mae West life vest that was used by the USAAF. This is a replica of a typical summer flying suit for an Imperial Japanese Navy fighter pilot during WWII. (Donated by Masajiro Kawato and the Nakata War Museum) The blue chrysanthemum on the sleeve marks him as a naval aviator. This is the uniform of a senior petty officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy. Imperial Japanese Navy Petty Officer's Service Uniform Later, as these experienced airmen became casualties of war, hastily trained pilots replaced them. Early in World War II, Imperial Japanese Navy pilots went through a rigorous and at times brutal cadet program. It was a great honor in Japan to become a naval aviator. ![]()
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