50 Mission™ Collection

WWII bomber crews were required to fly 25 missions before they could rotate home (later increased to 30 missions due to high casualties), but there were those who successfully completed 50 missions or more — a truly remarkable feat! As a result, “50 mission” became an expression used to convey the notion of being a true veteran of something. It also refers to the “crush caps” worn by USAAF pilots, which was a standard AAF officer’s peak cap with stiffeners removed to make them more comfortable to wear under a pilot’s headset, which caused the drooping “crushed” look associated with veteran pilots. In contemporary usage, the expression is also applied to the look of “vintage” leather jackets & apparel and is also applied to garments & accessories with that authentic WWII style.