B-17E WWII WARBIRD PEN With Authentic Metal From The "DESERT RAT" B17 FLYING FORTRESS Embedded into the Pen, Historic

This handmade pen was crafted using an aluminum fragment embedded into the pen body cut from the original lower left wing tip of the historic “Desert Rat” B-17E.    The Boeing B-17 “Flying Fortress” was probably the most famous and best-known aircraft during WWII. The Boeing made B-17 “Desert Rat” was one of 12,731 B-17’s built.  After its completion in 1942, it was assigned to the USAF 97th Bomb Group and used as a training aircraft. It later served in the 383rd Bomb Group as a staff transport plane.  In 1945, after WWII, it was sold as scrap. Most of the remaining B-17’s were smelted and destroyed. The “Desert Rat” was placed in service as a cargo plane for a short period, and then sold to a farmer in Maine who also operated an airplane junkyard selling airplane parts to supplement his farming income.  It was discovered in 1985 stripped and cut into pieces.  The new buyer paid $7250 for it and began restoration that continues today at the Vintage Aviation Museum in Illinois.  The B-1