July 9, 1943

NEW ARMY AIR FORCES INSIGNIA

Plane Roundels Get Redesign

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The War Department announced yesterday that the wing insignia for all Army Air Forces planes will be redesigned to avoid mistaken identification as enemy aircraft. The current insignia is a white star on a dark blue roundel with a red dot in the center of the star. The red dot can easily be misread as the “meatball” insignia on Japanese aircraft. The current design can also be mistaken at a distance for the German wing insignia, which is a black cross on a larger white cross. In the new design, the red dot is eliminated. The white star on blue roundel remains, but a horizontal white rectangle extends from each side of the roundel. A red border surrounds the entire insignia.