United States Air Forces National Insignia Specifications

Insignia Specification Number 24102-K

Dates In Service: 19 August 1919 to 28 May 1942

Centered red circle centered within the star drawn from the pentagon shape is commonly refereed to as "the Meatball." Colors were originally described as "Old Glory Red" and "Old Glory Blue" or "Flag Red" and "Flag Blue" until the colors of Insignia Red and Insignia Blue were specified.

Colors: Insignia Blue No.47, Insignia White No.46, Insignia Red No. 45

 

Insignia Specification Number 24102-K (Amend #3)

Dates used: 28 May 1942 to 29 June 1943

The star remained the same as Spec. No. 241102-K, keeping the simple star in circle design, except the red dot was removed. This change was thought to avoid any confusion with the Japanese Roundel.

Colors: Blue No.47, Insignia White No.46

 

Insignia Specification Number 24102-K (Amend #3) Variation with yellow outline

Date Issued into Service: 8th Air Force Operation Memo number 9, 1 October 1942

As seen in the North African Theater Operation Torch. The Yellow band would often vary in thickness. The design is inspired by the outermost ring among RAF Type A.2 and C.1 Roundels.

Colors: Insignia Blue No.47, Insignia White No.46, Identification Yellow No. 48

 

Insignia Specification Number AN-1-9a

Dates In Service: 29 June 1943 to 14 August 1943

Experiments showed that at a distance, shapes were more important than colors, so bars were added to the roundel with an Insignia Red outline.

Colors: Insignia Blue No.47, Insignia White No.46, Insignia Red No. 45

 

Specification Number AN-1-9b

Dates in Service: 14 August 1943 to 14 January 1947

The Insignia Red outline was replaced with an Insignia Blue outline through the amendment of Army-Navy aeronautical specification AN-I-9 on 14 August 1943. This was followed by an amendment to Technical Order 07-1-1, issued on 24 September 1943, for units in the field. On some US Navy aircraft in the Pacific the blue outline was lighter than the insignia blue.

Colors: Insignia Blue No.47, Insignia White No.46

 

Insignia Specification Number AN-1-9b (Amend #2)

Dates in Service: 14 January 1947 to Present

Twin Insignia Red lengthwise bars, bisecting the formerly all-white bars, were added to the roundel in reflection of three flag colors, roughly nine months before the official formation of the United States Air Force on 26 September 1947.

Colors: Insignia Blue No.47, Insignia White No.46, Insignia Red No. 45

[This post-war variation is included for completeness of the topic.]

 

 

Air Power Album 2: Italy

Reggiane Re.2000.

 

Reggiane Re.2000 Falco.

 

Reggiane Re.2000 Falco I.

 

Reggiane Re.2000 Falco II.

 

Reggiane advertisement.

 

Reggiane Re.2001 Delta.

 

Reggiane Re.2001 Falco II.

 

Reggiane Re 2001.

 

IMAM Ro.41.

 

IMAM Ro 44.

 

The first Ro.57 prototype, MM-407.

 

Ro.57bis. The dive bombing variant, designated Ro 57bis, was fitted with dive brakes, two 20-mm. cannon in addition to the 12.7-mm. guns, and a crutch for bombs up to 1100 lb. under the fuselage.

 

Ro.57bis.

 

IMAM Ro.58.

 

Fiat CMASA RS.14 Regia Aeronautica.

 

The beam gun positions of a Fiat RS.14.

 

Fiat RS.14b Regia Aeronautica.

 

Fiat RS.14a Regia Aeronautica.

 

Fiat RS.14, an Italian long-range maritime strategic reconnaissance floatplane.

 

 

Air Power Album 1: Japan

Japanese airmen pose with natives in front of a Mitsubishi F1M2 floatplane on Rebata Bay, 1942.

 

Mitsubishi F1M "Pete" with seaplane tender Kamikawa Maru’s 'ZII' tail code, c. 1940-41.

 

Mitsubishi F1M "Pete" with seaplane tender Kamikawa Maru’s 'ZII' tail code, c. 1940-41.

 

Mitsubishi F1M2 "Pete" reconnaissance floatplane on the Kamikawa Maru seaplane tender, c. 1942.

 

"Petes" and "Rufes" on the beach somewhere in the South Pacific. The foreground F1M2 has the tail code "L2" of the seaplane tender Kunikawa Maru.

 

Another view of the "Petes" and "Rufes" on the beach somewhere in the South Pacific.

 

Mitsubishi F1M2 floatplane (Allied code name “Pete”) on ship’s catapult.

 

Mitsubishi F1M2 “Pete” being hoisted by the crane of the seaplane tender Kimikawa Maru, 1943.

 

Mitsubishi F1M2 “Pete” of the Kimikawa Maru, Horomushiro channel, Chishima, 1943.

 

Tail of Mitsubishi F1M2 “Pete” on a catapult aboard the Kimikawa Maru.

 

Mitsubishi F1M2s “Pete” await disposition by the occupation forces, Sasebo, September 1945.

 

Mitsubishi F1M2s “Pete” await disposition by the occupation forces, Sasebo, September 1945.

 

Kawasaki Ki-102b “Randy,” undergoing operational evaluation with the JAAF. Three versions were planned: the Ki-102a day fighter, Ki-102b ground attack and Ki-102c night fighter.

 

Ki-102b, Kiyosu Airfield, near Nagoya, May 1945.

 

Ki-102b. It was kept out of front line service because it was hoped that it would be the carrier of the Igo-1-B air-to-ground guided missile when the Allied invasion of Japan occurred.

 

Ki-102b.

 

Ki-102b.

 

Ki-102a.

 

Kawasaki Ki-102b “Randy.”

 

Kawasaki Ki-102b and Ki-102c “Randy” (left to right).

 

Kawasaki Ki-102b “Randy.”

 

Kawasaki Ki-102b “Randy.”

 

Kawasaki Ki-102b “Randy” cockpit.

 

Kawasaki Ki-102b “Randy.”

 

Kawasaki Ki-102b “Randy” nose-mounted cannon.

 

Kawasaki Ki-102a “Randy.”

 

Kawasaki Ki-102c “Randy.”

 

Kawasaki Ki-102c “Randy.”

 

Kawasaki Ki-64 (Allied code name “Rob”). One prototype built, first flew in December 1943. The Ki-64 was developed for the Japanese Army Air Force and was one of the most innovative Japanese designs of the war.

 

Ki-64 prototype under construction.

 

Originally conceived in 1939, the Ki-64 had a contra-rotating propeller coupled to tandem mounted engines and equipped with an evaporative cooling system. While originally proposed in 1939, development did not begin until October 1940 with the prototype being completed in December 1943.

 

The prototype Ki-64 was damaged during testing which delayed further development. Problems also arose with the contra-rotating propeller which were never really overcome. Priorities later in the war caused the project to be shelved.

 

Ki-64.

 

Ki-64.

 

 

Ki-64.

 

Ki-64 taking off on its initial flight, December 1943.

 

An Imperial Japanese Army Air Service Mitsubishi Ki-21 Type 97 twin-engined bomber drops its payload of bombs on industrial facilities in Chongqing on 16th June 1940 on the Yuzhong Peninsula in China.

 

Mitsubishi A7M Reppu (Hurricane), Allied code name “Sam.”

 

Japanese paratroopers loading into a Kawasaki Ki.56 “Thalia.”

 

Japanese paratroopers inside their Ki.56 transport ready for a jump.

 

Japanese paratrooper exits the Ki.56 transport during a jump. Most likely the photo was taken while the plane was still on the ground as this would be a nearly impossible shot to get in the air.

 

Ki.44-Ic, 85th Sentai, Jogai Airfield, Nanking, China, July 1943.

 

Ki.44-Ic, 47th Fighter School.

 

Nakajima Ki.44 Shoki, “Tojo.”

 

Kawasaki Ki-61-I-Ko Hien (Flying Swallow) (Allied code name “Tony”) of the Akeno Hikoshidan Hikotai (Instructional Air Unit), Japanese Army Air Service, 1945.

 

Captured Japanese A6M5 Zeros on board USS Copahee on their way to the US from Saipan, July 1944.

 

Mitsubishi A6M Zero.

 

Zero fighters escorted the Japanese bombers on their missions to Guadalcanal from the great Japanese bases at Rabaul, New Britain. This created a fuel problem for the fighter pilots, who had little time for fighting in the Solomons; if they lingered, not enough fuel remained for the return to Rabaul.

 

Zero fighter production line.

 

A “Zero” fighter caught by the gun camera of an American fighter as it begins smoking and begins its plunge into the ocean below.