Always Wondered What This Was!?!?!

[Dubar1]

My dad was in the USAAF, stationed in England (where he met my mom) and France:

 

 

Here's what I could gather from all the paperwork I have on him:

 

April 1943 153rd OBSN Sqdn

 

June 1944 HQ 9th Tactical Air Command Private USAAF

 

November 1944 70th Replacement depot (AAF)

 

May 1945 9th Air Force 372 Fighter Group (Cpl. in 407 Fighter Squadron)

 

Anyway, when I gathered his stuff up after he passed away, I came across this little item:

 

 

On the front, it has a Douglas and Boeing emblem. On the back (inside) it has a number 3-21034-4. I finally asked on one of the forums what it was and the answer I got back was it is the yoke cover from a B-17 steering column:

 

 

Funny thing is...I've been looking at B-17 pictures for years and until someone pointed it out to me I kept looking at everything BUT the center of the yoke