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8 Annas 468th Bombardment Group
| Issuer | 468th Bombardment Group, USAAF |
|---|---|
| Year | 1944 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | Plain cream paper stock with all text printed in dark blue letterpress. Unit designation "468 BOMB GROUP" and "OFFICERS BAR" appear in the upper portion, with the denomination "As. 8." in large bold type at centre, flanked on both sides by the year "1944". |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 468 BOMB GROUP OFFICERS BAR 1944 As. 8. 1944 |
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| Comments |
The 468th Bombardment Group operated B-29 Superfortresses out of Kharagpur, India, as part of XX Bomber Command's early strategic campaign against Japanese-held targets in Southeast Asia and the Japanese home islands. Like several other very heavy bombardment groups stationed in the CBI theater, the 468th issued its own scrip for use at the base canteen or club — a practical workaround given the difficulties of supplying U.S. currency to remote forward bases in Bengal.
Military scrip of this type was never legal tender and had no backing beyond the issuing unit's authority. The 8 Annas denomination is telling: denominating in Indian currency units rather than cents reflects the local economic reality these men lived in daily.