America's Munitions 1917-1918

by Benedict Crowell; United States. War Department

When the commander of an airplane squadron sends an aviator into the high altitudes, he sends him into climate that much of the year is colder and more severe than any known on earth, even at the North Pole. Not only is the temperature of the air likely to be many degrees below zero at the heights which war planes attained, but the flier must face this bitter cold in the gale of wind that is never blowing less than 100 miles per hour.

Consequently when we trained a corps of aviators to fly at altitudes of 18,000 to 20,000 feet above the western front, it was necessary for us to design and manufacture for them the warmest clothing ever made. They were dressed more warmly than any Polar exploration party that ever set forth, more warmly in fact than any other class of men in the world. For we not only gave them the protection of all the fine wool, leather, and fur that they could wear without hindering their movements, but in addition we literally wrapped them in flexible electric heaters.

The first purchases of aviators' flying clothes were made by the coordinated action of the Council of National Defense and the Quartermaster's Department. It was soon apparent that the design of such clothing was a special matter which the aviation authorities themselves should control, and purchases thereafter were all made by the Bureau of Aircraft Production. There were no standard styles at the time, so it became necessary for us to develop our own equipment. This development resulted in an output for the flier that became standard.

In moderate weather the flier wore upon his head a woolen hood, or helmet, extending well down over the forehead to the eyes, and around the neck to the shoulders. In cold weather, or for high-flight work, this headgear was augmented by a silk helmet of double thickness, having between its layers an electrically heated pad connected by copper wire to the electric generator on the plane's engine. Outside of this was worn a soft leather helmet lined with fur, extending down over the back of the head, covering the ears and cheeks, and fastening under the chin. Then the face was entirely covered with a leather face mask lined with wool and having an opening for the eyes, over which were worn a pair of goggles. When the pilot was also required to operate the radio system, in place of the fur-lined helmet he wore the radio helmet. This was of leather and resembled the other in appearance, but it contained the receiver of the wireless telephone, enabling the flier to hear what was spoken to him in an ordinary tone of voice several miles away.

In addition to this equipment the aviator who went up to the great heights wore the oxygen mask. This was of rubber, and, besides supplying oxygen, it contained a transmitter, allowing him to speak as well as to hear by wireless.

Over the body was worn a one-piece flying suit extending from the feet to the throat, belted and buttoned tight at the ankles and wrists. The outer material of this suit was waterproof, and when it was buttoned on there were no gaps through which the air might penetrate. This suit was lined throughout with fur.

It was a considerable problem to find a fur of extreme warmth with a pelt strong enough to withstand rough usage and still not be too great in bulk, and purchasable at a price not too extravagant. After the furs of many beasts had been examined and tested, it was determined that the hide and fur of a Chinese Nuchwang dog met these requirements better than any other. We were making so many of these suits that we required all of the dogskins we could get, not only in this country, but in China. Merely the final purchase of these pelts before the armistice was signed was for nearly 500,000 of them, and that many dogs in an interior Chinese province gave up their lives that the American aviation warfare might succeed.

With its waterproof outer surface and its furry lining, it might seem that such a garment would be warm enough for any work. But the aircraft authorities of the United States were not content until they had installed between the fur and the outer covering thin, flexible, electric-heat units connected by silk-covered wire with the dynamo on the engine. Similar heating pads were placed in the gloves and moccasins of the fliers.

On their hands, besides the electrically heated gloves, the fliers wore gauntlets of muskrat fur, these extending well up the arms and being of special design which allowed the fingers of each glove to remain in a fur-lined pocket or to be withdrawn from the pocket without removing the gloves from the hand. Over the electrically heated moccasins were worn leather moccasins extending well up the calf of the leg and lined with heavy sheep wool. These were fastened with straps and buckles. Thus clad, our aviators were acknowledged generally to be the most warmly and efficiently equipped of any at the front.