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American Aircraft of World War IIBy approximate delivery date of the first model~ Click on thumbnails |
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| Bombers | Fighters | Carrier based | Flying boats | Transport | Trainers |
Production numbers
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|---|---|
| Bombers | > 51,189 |
| Fighters | > 99,630 |
| Carrier based bombers & torpedo planes | > 15,943 |
| Flying boats |
> 6,161 |
| Transport |
> 14,976 |
| * These figures are a summary of the aircraft featured on this site. |
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US national insignias - aircraft |
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The US national insignia was placed upon the wings and fuselage.
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1919-1941: This was the US insignia which had been used since August of 1919 until the United States entered World War II. During this time period, 13 red and white horizontal stripes were placed upon the tail rudder as well.
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1942: In January, the national insignia was added to both wings, top and bottom. The red dot in the center of the star was removed in the Pacific theater to eliminate confusion over the Japanese red disc which served as their insignia. The tail rudder stripes were also removed. These last two changes were accomplished throughout American forces by May of 1942.
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1942 North Africa: The insignia was outlined in yellow for Operation Torch in North Africa, to help gunners distinguish it from the French roundel. It was later removed, except on aircraft remaining in the North African theater.
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In February of 1943, one national insignia was removed from the upper right and lower left wing surfaces.
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June - September 1943: It was determined that the shape of the insignia was an
important distinguishing feature, so a horizontal stripe was placed in the background with a thin red outline.
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September 1943, to January 1947: the thin red outline was changed to blue.
