USAAC B-24 Challenge Coin

USAAC B-24 Challenge Coin

The workhorse bomber of World War 2, the B-24A was the first production model of this vital aerial weapon. First ordered in 1939, it was delivered to the United States Army Air Forces in 1941. Four B-24A aircraft were ordered to attack on Wake Island on June 6, 1942. Just six days later, on June 12, 1943, thirteen B-24A aircraft flying from Allied airfields in Egypt conducted a bombing raid on the vital Axis oil fields near Ploesti, Romania.

During the succeeding three-year period, the B-24 replaced the B-17 as the standard heavy bomber of the United States Army Air Force, playing a major role in every theater of the war. Its distinctive twin tail flew for every branch of the American military and numerous Allied air forces and navies as well. The B-24 played a prominent role for the United States Eighth Air Force in its bomber offensive against Germany and was known for its long-range.

The challenge coin is minted in bronze with an antique finish. Its obverse features the venerable B-24A aircraft, while the reverse features the seal of the United States Army Air Corps, which would later become the United States Air Force.

Each coin measures 1 1/2 inch (39mm) in diameter.

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