Chest Insignia, 553rd Bombardment Squadron, 386th Bombardment Group, 9th Air Force, Leather
Superb reproduction of the chest badge of 553rd Bombardment Squadron, 386th Bombardment Group (Medium), 9th Air Force, hand-painted on a piece of leather.
Activated in December 1942, it became one of the four bomber squadrons of the 386th Bombardment Group (Medium), equipped with B-26 Marauders (fuselage code AN, yellow horizontal stripe on the rudder).
After several months of intensive training in Louisiana, the squadron reached England in May 1943, where it was assigned to the 8th Air Force until October, when it was transferred to the 9th Air Force.
After several months of bombing German V1 and V2 rocket sites, the squadron bombed Utah Beach shore defences on D-Day and would take part in many other missions during the Battle of Normandy (Caen, Saint-Lô, Operation Cobra…).
This large patch (12.5 cm in diameter) was worn by B-26 crews on their A-2 jackets.
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Jacket, A-2, Leather, US Army Air Forces
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