Boeing B-17E ‘Naughty But Nice’ Limited Edition Authentic Material Relic Embedded Handmade Pen. This aircraft and the material embedded into it were flown over Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack. Rare and historic.
I personally handcrafted this ballpoint pen using an original authentic embedded piece of this historic aircraft recovered from the crash site of this WWII historic aircraft.
The Boeing B-17 “Flying Fortress” was probably the most famous and best-known aircraft during WWII. The B17 series of heavy bombers were probably the most popular
On December 6th, 1941, this Boeing B-17E (s/n 41-2430) Flying Fortress left San Francisco, California, bound for the Philippines. On the morning of Dec. 7th, she arrived over Pearl Harbor to find the facilities under attack by the Japanese. Over the days that followed, and expecting Oahu to be invaded, orders were given to press ‘430’ into the Hawaiian Air Force. This aircraft was hurriedly painted in a wild camouflage scheme designed to hide it from another air attack, and the B-17 was used in the vein attempt to find and destroy the enemy Navy’s strike force. After invasion fears abated, 430 was sent to the South Pacific.
On March 3rd, 1943, 430, now nicknamed ‘Naughty But Nice’, took part in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea (depicted here). The B-17 was attacked from the front by two Japanese Army Air Force Ki-43 ‘Oscars’ of the 11th Sentai. The fighters ‘raked the bomber from nose to tail’. Five crew aboard 430 were wounded, the pilot, 1st Lt. James Easter, severely. ‘Naughty But Nice’ made an emergency landing, but was repaired and returned to action.
This aircraft’s last mission was flown on the night of June 26th, 1943, against the Japanese bastion of Rabaul. After making a successful bomb run, 430 was approached from beneath by a Japanese Navy J1N ‘Irving’ night fighter flown by Shigetoshi Kudo. Three passes were made by Kudo, who utilized his aircraft’s oblique-firing 20mm cannon to set the B-17 on fire. No one aboard ‘Naughty But Nice’ ever saw Kudo’s aircraft, and thought that they’d been hit by anti-aircraft ground fire. Only the B-17’s navigator, Jose Holguin, escaped by parachute. He was captured by the Japanese.
In 1981, Holguin returned to the crash site with members of an Australian research and excavation team, and several parts of 430 were recovered, including the parts included in this display.
For more details of this historic aircraft go to
https://pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-17/41-2430.html
Included with each pen is a display quality 4 x 6 Certificate of Authenticity by Mission City Pens containing historical information about this aircraft and details about the authentic metal from the aircraft embedded into the body of the pen. I also include additional photos of this aircraft, and a signed numbered foil Certificate of Authenticity.
The pen operates with a simple 1/2 twist. I use the Parker compatible refill which you will find is very easy to find at your local office supply store or online.
I custom handmake a WWII Warbird series of pens with materials from each historic aircraft embedded into the pen body. These include the B-25 Mitchell, P-51 Mustang, P-38 Lightning, F6F Hellcat, P-40, P-47, B-17, Douglas C-47, Japanese Zero A6M5, Avenger, Spitfire, Mosquito, Corsair, and others added as I am able to locate authentic material.
Guaranteed satisfaction. Thanks for looking.