Show a armi 0 11 1 I 1 dd D I 1 ad D ta fl W 41 1 X t 4 g 41 01 0 ile pursuit group pundit group by ELMO SCOTT WATSON fhe HE next time 3 iou ou heir hear tl tie e drone of an airplane motor in the d stance run and get your field glasses and see if it Is a united stites states army plane lou ion will mill ze it as an army plane of course by the fam liar ilar circle and star on the lower side of the w m ings if it Is look on the fuselage and see what the tics agn is e for all of our war mar birds now cirri 4 distinctive insignia and back of every one of them Is an interest ng rig story As eNerS everybody body knows the use of airplanes at talked a swift development during the world war mar at first there were no distinctive markings so that the aviators winging their v may ay through tl ti e clouds had no means of knois knowing ing wheal er the air plane which they might encounter up there was mas friend or foe there were mere a few exceptions to this rule however baron von rid gofen the german ace chose to paint I 1 lis is entire plane a brilliant red and no one could poss have mis taken talen his plane for any oti er the stork squadron led by the famous frenchman capt charles Gul nemIer was easily recognized and when the ninety fourth squadron united states air sie vice nice appeared on the vi western estern front with the symbol of uncle sam s hat in the ring it meant that the united states was mas really in the war at last later the planes of the central lowers I 1 were decorated with an iron cross and the allied I 1 ow ers with tiree concentric rings of red white and blue all insignia wh mh ch ell were mere strictly nation national il had been dropped and all of the all ed aircraft carried the same general fee identification so that the enemy plane could not tell whether one beir bear ing the red white and blue rings was french english american or belgian from the lessons learned during the orld war mar and also to per some of its history there has evolved ev alved tl ti e distinctive markings of our army aircraft so when you see these symbols on tl e sides of our army planes you are looking at the very cry latest development in heraldry and you are seeing emblematic history in tie tl e making it dates from as recent as september 19 1923 when an air corps order authorized auti onzel tie tt e various organizations in the corps to submit designs of coats of arms and other insignia for approval since then each aviation unit including some which are organized as let et only on paper has chosen its symbol and has had it approved in order to understand clearly the symbolism of these insignia it sl be explained first that the air corys coros Is made up of groups each of which in turn Is made up of two or more squadrons the groups are designated by numbers and by deierl P tion of its chief function vil whether lether pursuit at tack bombardment or observation the squadrons are also designated by number and bud description of their functions but in addition to tl ti e pursuit attack bombardment and observation squadrons there are also service ns those hard vi working units charged with engineering and re pair work for the group of which tl ey are a part in the air corps at the present timp time there are only four theoretically complete con tactical units they are the first pursuit group stationed at selfridge field mich and composed of the seven tw enty seventh and ninety fourth I 1 lur ur suit squadrons and the I 1 efty seventh service squadron the second bombardment group sta cloned at langley field la a and composed of tie tl e twentieth engleth forty ninth and ninety sixth bom boin bar dment squadrons and the fifty ninth service squadron the third attack group stationed at tit fort crockett galveston texas lexas and composed of the eighth thirteenth and nil et eth attack squadrons and the sixtieth service n and the ninth observe aaion group stationed at mitel ell field long island N I 1 and comp sed of the ninety ninth observation squadron the S aty first service squadron and tl e I 1 burte nth photo section each group has its own coat of arms and in ad to this coat of arms each squadron I 1 as its own insignia under the order of septen her 19 1923 all insignia must coref im to the following general regulations they must be of real value to the service simple and yet iet possess s me ine his significance they must be dignified and in good taste tiey should tell a picture story st sig ant of the organization organisation Lation and of course they should be distinguishable in the air on the ott er hand the same order sets forth what they should or shall not be insignia may not contain numer als the letters V U S the air corps insignia the american flag the united states coat of arms or any part of it the complete arms of any state or country outlines of geographic maps foreign decorations etc it was this prohibition of using the united states flag or any part of it which brought about the passing of th he famous hat in the ring symbol simbol the coat of arms of the first pursuit group has a shield of green with five diagonal black stripes representing the five organizations of the group when it was in active service green and black were the original colors of the air corps under the stripes are five iron crosses representing the five major engagements of the ft vv orld war in which this group participated most significant of the mi ml sion slon of this group Is the crest a field of sky bli bit e representing the high altitudes at which pursuit planes work nork in this field a winged arrow clr te 4 K 0 of 31 d grou bag W ile go squad of 3rd Attack Group P 0 un bomb stid bobb group 4 ra alt mn squad of 4 pursuit fur suit 4 OV Flur auit group ard selfridge 11 attack group service 59 m ron 2nd and bomb group llyl ey va I casignia aoth squadron darts downward as does tie pursuit plane in its attack and over all Is tie motto aut ant aut mon Gon conquer quer or die witch wl leh is exactly what pursuit craft must do having no defensive armament to their rear these planes must fight it out to the end for to turn tail tall would be to perish the coat of farms arms of the second bombardment group Is very simple but it tells a story in a striking manner the shield Is a cloudy blue sig ant of the sky surmounted by five or scallops of alternate green and black depre seating the five major engagements Cant cantieny igny aisne aasne marne st il thiet chateau thierry and ilea meuse se argon argonne ne in which the group boullt t in the center of the five Is a fleur de lis its sym of the organization s service in france in the lower lomer half of the shield four blue and gold bombs plunge domn downward mard and in the crest Is a patch of blue sky ringed with mith clouds across which darts a faed etreal of lightning denot ing the suddenness and deadliness with which the bombs strike the motto Is self explanatory mors et destructs death ind and destruction the third atta k group Is tie b alby iby of the air corps and the group as such I 1 as no war history although alt lough its various squi lions has as indicated by the 19 iron crosses in the border ot of tl e shield on the oat of arms I 1 presenter t g the number of ene my planes which memi literal ers of 0 t ese squadrons sl ot down during tie horld mar the crest Is a knights knight s I 1 ein efu et and a p ir of wings sn of the knight errant errantry rv of an army aviator in an attack plane the motto is non on solum armis bisot not by anns arms alone Ob observation vaton on pilots are not riot primarily maril all filters in the sense tl ti it pursuit attack and t pilots ire tor for their job is to fly over tl it e lines and learn tl ti e d t on f tl ti e enemy foi for ces but thea the must also fial t off oft attack in order to get back to tl ti air hin ban rb u safely so 0 o tl e coat of arms of the lintl observation group proves that its i edlers have been figl for across the shield is a line of four ir ii cr oses which I 1 lave aie a double sn symbol abol sm that tt tte e group parti particia cip te tel I 1 in foul major engagements in france and that it brought down domn the greatest number of eneny plat cs es four tour in iny any one engagement the crest of this uttie carries evidence of the fact that one of its squadrons i was as the first ever organized in tie united states arnia that it was mas tie first ev ever er to t ke he pirt part in an an ali er can n eppedi tion and flat hat it was mas living ui lit to its inott mott of semper I 1 aratus alwais ready before the arld wt rid war fhe crest is i br rich of cactus aro ind m I 1 ich a rattlesnake is colled coiled tl TI Is rei rel resents the service of the first squadron with mith ing 8 expedition into aleal donward Don do v nw ard across the blach black and green shield ru s s i wavy white line which represents tl ti e I 1 i rinde rande the coat of arms usually is c carried on only one I 1 lane in lit a group tl e plane fl n by bi the group commander but tl tt e i iron insignia is worn by all ti tie e lanes in that squadron and it is in the squadron symbols that vou nou will see the greatest grei gret test variety of emblems the bizarre the unusual the 1 urn orous the sinister and the patriotic but all significant I 1 irom rom the character of ta tie e pursuit squadrons squad ions on s duties one would mould naturally expect these units to use symbols s indicating tie ti e idea of the clase el ase so the seventeenth pursuit squadron of the first pursuit group has for its insignia a siony owl swooping down upon its prey this b rd also SIM the arctic weather eather experienced five miles aloft at which elevation pursuit aviation fights the tw enty seventh sev anth pursuit squadron of this same group has a haw ham ic diving down to attack and ti tie e ninety fourth pursuit squadron the old hat antle in tl ep e P ng outfit his h s the indin ind in uttering its 1 is war in wl I 1 aop as he put pursues sues the ei emy hut but tl e ele ment of the chase is not evident in tie symbols of all the i urs lit outfits as pitr ess the insignia of tl ti e nineta fifth I 1 ursula s guadron of tl e bev sev anth bombardment group no N v stationed at rock well field in california it Is a wl ite lie mule doubled up ready to give a might wallop to an enemy the natural interpretation of course is that this Is an army mule and every eiery one knows the dan ger that lies in the heels of this long care I 1 equine closely akin to the idea expressed in tie tl e insle nia of tl e pursuit squadrons is th it of the attack units one of the most ing of tl ese Is the grim reaper which tells of the work of the TI attack attak squadron of ti e third attack group this white skeleton strides across a dirk background mowing as I 1 ie e goes with mith a yellow nellow e the blade of vv alich I 1 leb is dripping with red thus indicating civilly how an attick attack plane destroys troops and supply trains on the ground with machine gun fire a ad d I 1 gt gi t I 1 bombardment the ninetieth attack alron of the third attack group la las an in a which is more hu humoro is alan tl an deathe In ind f its war record it consists of two red d ce st w ng t to no naturals ii wl I 1 ch are Indi indicative cath e f tl ti e bev seven en anemi planes vi which members of the so i ir n I 1 ir r aught dom down n during tl e world vv m ar it cri c I 1 ds as a corps ob er squadron in the T ul sect et r at st mi NII hiel and in both battles of tl e mouse ar me and as an ob observation unit its job vas mas to avoid figi figlus ts but as a matter f fact it ng ngi i ed in 21 aerial bittles battles winning seven even victor es and s affer ing three casu itie two I 1 lied tied ind one one of ti tie e best kno knoon i n of 11 the squadron in sinia is tilt of the I 1 on bir dment squadron of tt tl e second bombardment group it I 1 is a sweeping emping mustached ic ausin grinning pir pinte ite dasi ing to attack N ith a gren ide in hand he ile treads upon a horz hor z antal aerial bobb bo ab nb with mith tyvr bands and eleven iron cr ses recall ng tie tl e ma jor off offensives erish es in wl wild let it tie e squadron participate I 1 during the world war mar an tie eleven enemy planes which it bocht b douht do down wille wt lie defending itself on its I 1 raids v ver er ta tie e lines A red devil thumbing its nose at his target whatever that target may be on ta t e gr und and and holding an aerial bomb is 19 the in insignia agnia of tie tl e ninety sixth bomb bombardment squadron of tie second bombard ment roup tie fact that ot set art n squadrons squad roi rois s son betimes t gl t litt ou 1 it that is u t prin arlly the r duty Is au reflected in the in insap il id ia f tl e N i eav first 01 squadron st bior e I 1 at in an francisco it shows s an armore armorel I 1 I 1 11 i igl t on I 1 Us Is riel iv IN cacari sone bonel I 1 horse I 1 earing a sl 0 eld up n wl ich t ipe pt e rs a double cr ss in kursu t of a re rel I 1 le lev 11 and prod ding I 1 im lin in the IN rear m with ith his lance not so grim as tl it e iasigi I 1 11 I 1 of tt e oil er tl ti ree branches of an air corps group are the sn rut Is of ti tie e service squadrons mho whose e hardworking members keep ti tie e fighters in the air A beaver symbol of their busy life Is worn morn by tie fifty ninth service idron of the second group the emblem of the fifty seventh service squadron of the first pursuit group Is a hawk with a broken wing perel ed on oil a post while that of the sixth service dron shows a large gear wheel jtb with four smaller gears ra I 1 acing from the master gear at 90 X degree intervals TI Is latter s guadron siu adron Is part of tle tl e composite group in the I 1 islands ail ai the tour four smaller gears represent tie tl e four 3 of a well balanced composite Compo bite grou groupe F r egbu attack Lombar bombardment dment and ob seraf thirty j western ne new shaper union arfa Arf 3 |