US WW II leather flight jacket of l. William F. Skinner, fighter pilot, Mediterranean Theater.1st Lt. USAAF William (Bill) J. Skinner saw service during WW II in the Mediterranean Theater as a fighter pilot, 308 Squadron, 31st Fighter Group, 12th Air Force (then the 15th AF), seeing active service in North Africa, Malta, Sicily and Italy. Lt. Skinner flew 155 combat missions piloting British Spitfire models MKVb, MKVc, MKVIII, and North American P-51 Mustangs. He is credited with three BF (ME)-109 German fighters destroyed over Italy (See photo of 2 swastikas on Skinner's Spitfire), and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). Lt. Skinner's jacket is a private purchase leather flight jacket, similar to the US-AN type jacket, displaying machine embroidered squadron patch on left breast. Liner is missing. The patch itself is extremely rare. Bill Skinner told the consignor that he had several flight jackets, however, this is the jacket he had worn on most of his missions. Jacket obtained directly fromBill Skinner early '80s by the consignor. An enlarged scan of Bill Skinner's note to the consignor and original note are included in the lot. Bill Skinner's color photographs of himself in or near his Spitfire and other squadron members taken in theater of operations, WW II, are published in the books "Bomber Command" and "Fighter Command". See Fighter Command and selected photos. included with the group. Ref: Sand, R.T. and Ethell, J.L., 1991.)