Little Rock-ette

[der nicht singende Barde]

B-17F, #41-9043 Little Rock-ette of the 381st BG, Ridgewell, spring of 1945. As Peggy D 43 and marked as GD ● A the aircraft performed combat missions with the 534th BS / 381st BG. Due to wear the aircraft was withdrawn from combat, disarmed (its turrets were dismantled), and sent for second-line duties. It was used as a station hack, assembly aircraft and a fast communications aircraft and had all its surfaces stripped of paint with red decorative elements (the nose and engine cowlings). An Olive Drab anti-glare panel was left in front of the windscreen, whilst all control surfaces were painted silver. On both sides of the vertical fin and on the upper surface of the starboard wing a big red-outlined triangle was painted. Inside this the figure ‘L’ in black was situated. On both sides of the fuselage, behind the cockpit, the nickname of the aircraft was painted. However, the inscriptions were slightly different. Note that the propellers’ hubs and blades were also stripped of paint.
Little Rock-ette returned to the USA on 29th October 1945.