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Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress 43-37756G Milk WagonThe military airfield at Rattlesden in Suffolk was constructed for American use during 1942 and was classified as an A™ standard airfield. With three concrete runways and 50 dispersed aircraft hardstanding points, it was initially intended for use by twin engined Martin B-26 Marauder bombers, but when it was later felt that these aircraft would be better suited flying from bases further south, Rattlesden became home for the soon to arrive B-17s of the 447th Bombardment Group. The first bombing mission undertaken by aircraft of the 447th took place on Christmas Eve 1943, when their B-17s were sent to flatten a suspected V-1 flying bomb site near Saint Omer, a mission which would set the tone for a busy few months to come. Fully committed to the campaign in preparation for D-Day, the 447th would be sent against targets such as airfields, rail marshalling yards, suspected rocket sites, submarine pens and naval installations across France, Belgium and into Germany itself, interspersed with joining other units in concentrated attacks against city targets. On D-Day itself, the unit bombed the beachhead sectors in advance of the landings, following pathfinder aircraft for target identification.The weeks following D-Day saw no let-up in mission activity for the Fortresses of the 447th, as they undertook almost daily missions in support numerous strategic objectives, which included the Battle of the Bulge and Operation Varsity. They flew their final combat mission on 21st April 1945, targeting a marshalling yard at Ingolstadt in Germany and by the summer of the same year, all serviceable aircraft were flown back to the US, where the 708th Bomb Squadron was inactivated on 7th November 1945.One of the most enduring features of US air operations from Britain during the Second World War was their use of nose artwork to adorn many of their combat aircraft, a practice which was generally frowned upon by RAF hierarchy, but seemingly ignored by their American counterparts. The adoption of nose artwork is thought to have taken many forms, from being a good luck charm for the crew or highly visible warning to enemy fighter pilots to leave them alone, if they know what™s good

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