Original hand-painted wooden sign removed from the headquarters of the 600th Bomb Squadron (398th Bombardment Group, Eighth Air Force) in Nuthampstead, Hertfordshire, England, measuring 23 x 19.25 x 1, and depicting the squadron's insignia of a furious Daffy Duck carrying a red bomb with his webbed feet; the cloud and Daffy pieces are attached to the circular sky backdrop, which also features a few faint pencil signatures from members of the squad. Consignor notes that the sign was obtained by a 600th Bomb Squadron pilot, who brought it home as a souvenir.
Included with the sign is a beige pilot uniform summer tunic belonging to Captain Venizelos G. Pappas, a member of the 398th heavy bombardment group during World War II. Manufactured by M. O. Simon & Co., the jacket features an identification tag in a liner pocket: "Date 4/43, No. 46422, Cloth 117, Mr. V G Pappas," with jacket bearing a ribbon bar (four oak leaves and three stars) and US and 'propeller-wing' collar insignia, with Army Air Force (AAF) patch and sterling silver captain bars to shoulders. Also included is Pappas's beige AAF's officer's shirt, manufactured by Kahn Tailoring Co. of Indianapolis, with felt AAF patch on the left shoulder. In overall very good condition, with the sign showing expected wear, and the upper portion of left wing and beak tip missing. Accompanied by supplementary material on Pappas and the 600th Bomb Squadron.
The 600th Bomb Squadron arrived in England in April 1944, and flew a number of combat missions, including the bombing and 'softening' of coastal targets along France's Cherbourg Peninsula just prior to D-Day. The squad also supported ground troops in Operation Market Garden and in the Battle of the Bulge, as well as flying a number of other combat missions in Germany. Augmented furthermore by Captain Pappas's handsome pilot attire, this sign of the 600th remains a rare and historic piece of WWII Eighth Air Force memorabilia.
