USAAF unit identification aircraft markings USAAF unit identification aircraft markings , commonly called " tail markings " after their most frequent location , were numbers , letters , geometric symbols , and colors painted onto the tails ( vertical stabilizer fins ) , wings , or fuselages of the combat aircraft ( primarily bomber s ) of the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War . The purpose of these markings was to provide a means of rapid identification of the unit to which an aircraft was assigned . Variations of these markings continue to be used in the United States Air Force in the form of tail code s identifying operational wings . Overview . At the beginning of the war the USAAF was a small service in comparison to the air forces of the combatants fighting since 1939 . Its initial deployments to the European and African theaters in 1942 involved relatively small numbers of fighter and bomber aircraft and no system of Group identification was used . Some aircraft were identified by numbers painted on their fuselage . The USAAF quickly adopted the system used by the Royal Air Force to identify squadrons , using fuselage codes of two letters ( later letter - numeral when squadrons became too numerous ) to denote a squadron and a third single letter to identify the aircraft within the squadron . However by 1944 the USAAF in Europe had grown to nearly 60 groups of heavy bombers ( 240 squadrons ) and thirty groups of fighters ( 90 squadrons ) , and this system became impractical in combat after the summer of 1943 , when the first tail system appeared . To facilitate control among thousands of bombers , the USAAF devised a system of aircraft tail markings to identify groups and wings . Both the Eighth and Fifteenth Air Force s used a system of large , readily - identifiable geometric symbol s combined with alphanumeric s to designate groups when all USAAF bombers were painted olive drab in color , but as unpainted ( " natural metal finish " ) aircraft became policy after April 1944 , the system in use became difficult to read because of glare and lack of contrast . The system then evolved gradually to one using large bands of color in conjunction with symbols , the symbols identifying the wing and the color the group . The Twentieth Air Force , eventually operating 20 groups and 1 , 000 bombers , also adopted a tail identification system in 1945 . The five numbered air forces fighting in the Pacific War also used tail markings , but unsystematically within the various air forces , as squadron identifiers . Eighth Air Force tail markings . The first Eighth Air Force aircraft to receive unit markings were the Spitfire s of the 4th and 31st Fighter Groups training with RAF Fighter Command in September 1942 . The markings were two - letter fuselage squadron codes located on one side of the national insignia and a single letter aircraft code on the other side . However sixteen squadrons of B - 17s of the new VIII Bomber Command , beginning in December 1942 , also received this identification system , which continued in the spring and summer of 1943 when VIII Bomber Command quadrupled in size . However the size of the Allied air forces began to exhaust possible two - letter combinations , and made difficult the timely assembly of heavy bomber tactical formations . In June 1943 VIII Bomber Command introduced the use of a geometric symbol painted on either side of a bomber ' s vertical fin to denote a bombardment wing ( later division ) identification marking . These devices were white in color and 80 inches in diameter . A triangle denoted the B - 17 1st Bombardment Wing ( later 1st Air Division ) , a circle the B - 24 2nd Bombardment Wing , and a square the B - 17 4th Bombardment Wing ( later 3rd Air Division ) . The B - 26 medium bombers of the 3rd Bombardment Wing did not use this scheme . Groups were identified by a letter superimposed on the symbol . At first letters were yellow in color , but after only a few had been so painted , the color was changed in July 1943 to insignia blue for easier reading . On unpainted aircraft the colors were reversed , with a white letter superimposed on a black symbol . Bombers also carried the symbol on the upper surface of the aircraft ' s right wingtip . Although issued group and squadron codes by the Eighth Air Force , the 93rd Combat Bomb Wing of the 3rd Bomb Division displayed neither until after the end of hostilities in Europe ( noted in the table below with an asterisk ) . The 385th Bomb Group was shifted to the 93rd CBW in October , 1944 after the wing converted from B - 24 to B - 17 aircraft , and it removed its fuselage and tail codes in accordance with wing policy . 8AF group letter identifiers . ¹ Color identifiers . These markings were effective within a mile of the viewer , but as the numbers of groups increased from sixteen to forty , assembly difficulties increased . In February 1944 the USAAF decided to discontinue further camouflage painting of its aircraft , and the 2nd Bomb Division devised a system for its B - 24s whereby the entire tail fin was painted in a color ( each of its five combat wings was assigned a color ) and a black or white band placed across the fin either vertically , horizontally , or diagonally to identify the group within that wing . The 93rd CBW of the 3rd Air Division , which operated B - 24s from May to September 1944 , also adopted a color system in June . The first color markings for B - 17s appeared in July 1944 when the 1st Combat Bomb Wing ( 91st , 381st , and 398th Bomb Groups ) painted the empennage of their airplanes bright red . The remainder of the 1st Air Division began using color schemes in September , but each combat wing adopted a different method , depicted in the link below under " External links " . The 3rd Air Division , once converted to an all - B - 17 command , followed suit in the winter of 1944 - 1945 , employing elaborate schemes which included colored chevrons and bands on the aircraft wings that required months of labor to convert all its aircraft . Those schemes are depicted in the B - 17 link below . Fifteenth Air Force tail markings . The Fifteenth Air Force had four groups of B - 17 ' s and eleven of B - 24 ' s when it first marked its aircraft for unit identification . B - 17 markings . The B - 17 ' s of the 5th Bomb Wing used a simple symbol system on their tail fins , adopted in the fall of 1943 before becoming part of the Fifteenth Air Force ( triangle for 97th BG , square 301st BG , diamond 99th BG , and circle 2nd BG ) . When two additional groups joined the wing in April 1944 , the wing then identified its groups by a letter Y on the uppermost area of the tail fin , superimposed on the symbol previously used ( in a manner similar to the system used by the Eighth ) with the new 463rd BG using a cone - shaped device and the 483rd BG a five - pointed star that was displayed below the Y instead of underlying it . First B - 24 scheme . The more numerous B - 24 groups used a standardized scheme for its four bomb wings . On outer tail fins , above and below the aircraft serial , two white circles were painted . In the upper circle was painted a geometric symbol in black denoting the wing , with a triangle for the 47th Bomb Wing , a square for the 55th , a diamond for the 304th , and a circle for the 49th . In practice that of the 49th , because of the type of stencil used , resembled the concentric ring bull ' s - eye of a target . The lower circle contained one of the numerals 1 through 4 , painted in black , denoting the group . 15AF B - 24 group numeral identifiers : " 47th Bomb Wing " ( triangle ) : " 49th Bomb Wing " ( circle / bulls - eye ) : " 55th Bomb Wing " ( square ) : " 304th Bomb Wing " ( diamond ) : Second B - 24 scheme . In June , 1944 , the Fifteenth Air Force adopted a color - symbol scheme to identify its groups and wings . The 5th Bomb Wing painted the elevators and rudder s of its B - 17s various colors but otherwise maintained its marking scheme . The B - 24 wings adopted a method by which color and symbol placement would identify its groups : " 47th Bomb Wing " : Diagonally divided tail fins and painted the lower half in yellow and / or black , with the 98th BG using horizontal stripes , the 376th BG in black - only , the 449th BG in half - yellow half - black , and the 450th BG in vertical stripes . The former triangle - circle symbol was retained in the upper half . Late in the war the upper rear stabilizer was painted black with a longitudinal yellow band in the center except for the elevators . " 49th Bomb Wing " : Upper half of the fin painted red , and a red symbol in the lower half ; used the same scheme on the upper rear stabilizer with the red on the right side and the symbol on the left . 451st BG : circle ; 461st BG : horizontal bar ; 484th BG : bow - tie . " 55th Bomb Wing " : Large black square in upper half of the fin , lower half painted black with a yellow symbol superimposed . 460th BG : ring ; 464th BG : vertical bar ; 465th BG : horizontal stripe ; 485th BG : a saltire . The rear stabilizer generally displayed only the black square outlined in yellow until late in the war , when the entire surface was painted yellow except for the elevators . " 304th Bomb Wing " : Large black diamond in the upper half ; lower half painted to group color . The rear stabilizer was painted the group color on the left half and had a diamond on the right . 454th BG : white ; 455th BG : yellow ; 456th BG : red ; 459th BG : black - and - yellow checkerboard . Twentieth Air Force tail markings . For a period of six months the Twentieth Air Force operated two bomber commands , each with a different method of identifying its B - 29 Superfortress groups . From April 1945 forward all twenty groups , organized into five bomb wings , were assigned to XXI Bomber Command , which standardized its markings . XX Bomber Command . The 58th Bomb Wing had been the first to deploy , beginning combat in June 1944 with only a handful of B - 29 ' s painted in the standard olive drab camouflage . Each of its four groups employed a different method while based in the China Burma India Theater as part of XX Bomber Command . The 40th BG painted four horizontal stripes across the upper tail fin with the letter identification of the airplane below it . The 444th BG numbered its aircraft and placed it within a large blue diamond outlined in yellow on the tail fin . The 462nd BG painted its rudders but otherwise did not designate the group . The 468th painted two diagonal stripes on the rudders of its aircraft . When the wing and its groups transferred to Tinian in April 1945 the 58th Wing changed to a letter - symbol system . XXI Bomber Command . The 73rd Bomb Wing began combat in October 1944 from Isley Field , Saipan , and marked its aircraft similarly to that of the Fifteenth Air Force 55th CBW . A letter denoting the group was painted on the upper third of the tail fin , with a " square " symbol in the center , and an aircraft identifier , known as the " victor number , " in the lower third . Aircraft commonly used their tail identifiers as radio voice calls ( call sign s ) , i . e . " Lucky Irish " ( serial 42 - 24622 ) of the 870th Bomb Squadron , 497th Bomb Group ( lost November 24 , 1944 , over Tokyo ) had the voice call " A Square 26 " . The 313th Bomb Wing moved to North Field , Tinian , in January 1945 . Its aircraft used a system identical to that of the 73rd Wing , with its symbol a " triangle " . The 314th Bomb Wing was based at North Field , Guam beginning in January 1945 , with some of its groups beginning combat operations in February . In order to quickly mark its increasing numbers of aircraft , the 314th Wing painted 96 - inch black boxes on the tail fins and stenciled the group identifier , either M , O , P or K in BMF 72 - inch block letters . This was later infilled with a bright orange / yellow in mid summer 1945 . The 58th Bomb Wing was relocated from India to West Field , Tinian , in April 1945 , and the 315th Wing began arriving at Northwest Field , Guam , in May . The earlier system of marking aircraft was discarded in April by both the 73rd and 313th Wings . The 73rd Wing dropped all use of symbols and marked its aircraft with the group letter only , painted in black lettering . Except for the 314th Wing , which maintained its markings throughout the war , the remaining wings of the XXI Bomber Command used symbols in black to outline group letters . The symbol outline of the 313th Wing was a circle , that of the 58th Wing a triangle , and that of the 315th Wing a diamond . 20AF group letter identifiers : " 58th Bomb Wing " ( triangle outline symbol ) : " 73rd Bomb Wing " ( square outline symbol , 10 . 5 - foot letters ) : " 313th Bomb Wing " ( circle outline symbol ) : " 314th Bomb Wing " ( solid black square ) : " 315th Bomb Wing " ( diamond outline ) : 509th Composite Group . The 509th Composite Group , sent to Tinian to drop the atomic bomb , was assigned to the 313th Bomb Wing . Consisting of a single squadron , its tail marking was a circle outline around an arrowhead pointing forward , but while flying combat missions its fifteen B - 29 ' s used the tail markings of other groups and wings as a security measure . Richard H . Campbell , in " The Silverplate Bombers " , reports that XXI Bomber Command feared that Japanese survivors on Tinian were observing 509th operations , which had been quite extensive before August 1 , and reporting them by clandestine radio to Tokyo . ( pg . 219 , Chapter 3 note 6 ) The 509th repainted the tail identifier with those of four XXI Bomber Command groups already in combat , and altered victor numbers to avoid misidentification with actual aircraft already bearing the numbers . New victor numbers 82 , 89 , 90 , and 91 ( including the " Enola Gay " ) carried the markings of the 6th Bomb Group ( Circle R ) ; victors 71 , 72 , 73 , and 84 those of the 497th Bomb Group ( large " A " ) ; victors 77 , 85 , 86 , and 88 those of the 444th Bomb Group ( triangle N ) ; and victors 83 , 94 , and 95 those of the 39th Bomb Group ( square P ) . Other air forces in the Pacific . With only eleven heavy bomb groups distributed among five numbered air forces in the Pacific and CBI theaters , all B - 24 - equipped after mid - 1943 , unit tail markings were much less systematized than in other air forces . Identification of aircraft within specific squadrons was more meaningful than identification of groups . The four groups of the Fifth Air Force employed three different methods . The original two groups , the 43d and 90th Bombardment Group s , bore the red - white - and - blue - striped rudder markings of the pre - war Air Corps , but the other two groups , appearing later , did not . The 43d and 90th were differentiated from each other by their squadron markings ; the 43d placed large squadron insignia on the fins , while the 90th painted the tail fins in squadron colors and superimposed a 72 - inch Jolly Roger symbol , emblematic of the group ' s nickname , on the painted fin . The 380th Bombardment Group painted one quarter of its tail fins black for identification , with each squadron having a different quadrant . The 22d Bombardment Group , which converted from B - 25 medium bombers in 1944 , placed a rectangle horizontally bisecting the tail fin , with each squadron having a different color . All three groups of the Seventh Air Force used black symbols or stripes in various configurations , without any pattern . Identification of groups could be made only by memorization of symbols assigned to squadrons and knowledge of to what groups those squadrons were assigned . The two groups of the Thirteenth Air Force used completely different methods . The 5th Bombardment Group used the same black geometric symbols as the Twentieth Air Force , a different symbol for each squadron , placed in the upper third of the tail fin . The 307th Bombardment Group created a group symbol , a large blue circle containing a stylized " LR " ( for " Long Rangers " , the group nickname ) in gold , and placed it on all their aircraft tails . The upper tips of the fins were painted different colors to identify its squadrons . The two air forces in the Far East , the Tenth Air Force and Fourteenth Air Force , each had only a single bomb group . The Tenth ' s 7th Bombardment Group used a checkerboard pattern in either black - and - white or black - and - yellow on the rudder or part of the tail fin to identify its squadrons . The 308th Bombardment Group of the Fourteenth Air Force used colored or striped rudders .