BACKGROUND: Orders regulated that all personnel flying over water were required to wear a life vest or jacket. The vests came in a variety of designs for specific personnel. The back-less styles were designed for fighter pilots and were normally worn over the back flap of the parachute. All models of the life vests were constructed in bright yellow material for ease of visibility. Of Note: The earlier 10-30 B-1model of the life vest was basically identical to this later 10-30 B-2 model with the exception of the connecting port housings which were originally constructed of metal in the earlier model and bakelite in the later model.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Rubberized, tan canvas construction, back free, pneumatic flotation life vest features a single large air bladder around the neck and an additional large air bladder to both front breast panels with grey cotton/rayon tape seam trimming. The vest has a central front vertical opening with two, evenly spaced, horizontal canvas closure straps positioned on the left breast panel with corresponding securing rings positioned on the right breast panel. The upper left breast bladder has a vertical, black rubber, manual, inflation tube with an bakelite connecting port housing and mouthpiece. The manual inflation tube is held in place by a horizontal canvas loop, which places the mouthpiece near the wearers mouth for ease of inflation. Original cloth data tag is still present along with numerous other markings. The bottom edge of the left breast bladder has a bakelite connecting port housing designed for the cylindrical pressurized air canister which would automatically inflate the bladders. The tooled alloy and brass pressurized air canister is intact and is housed in a horizontal cylindrical pocket on the lower left breast panel. The bottom edge of the life vest has a tapering, vertical canvas strap stitched to the reverse center with corresponding canvas reinforced securing rings positioned on the bottom edge of the front center which was intended to slip between the wearers legs and insure the vest didn’t slip upwards. Nice!