The following Bomb Wings either had no official unit insignia
or had their insignia replaced in the 1950's.

5thBW • 47thBW • 49thBW • 55thBW • 304thBW

I'm trying to locate visual reference for any or all of the above
WWII era insignia, official or otherwise.

Many thanks,

R. Watkins

Here is the URL for SAC...
 
http://www.strategic-air-command.com/
 
Look in INDEX and click on the referenced Wing.
 
Jim :-)

James S. Peters Sr. T/Sgt
B-17 Flt Engr, 27 missions
99 BG, 348BS, 5th Wing, 15th AAF
Tortorella, (Foggia#2), Italy
My Tour was from 12/03/44-06/19/45
M/Sgt USAF (Retired)

Jim,

Thanks for the referral but I have already tried this site.
It would appear that those responsible for putting together
the SAC site either don't know, or would rather forget, that
todays US Air Force was once a part of the US Army.

Most of the unit histories that I checked out posted go back
to 1947 and stop there. Its a good web site but theres nothing
much for those of us interested in the pre-USAF years.

Bob

The Bombardment Wings on the SAC page are not the same units as the Bombardment Wings of World War II (even when they have the same number).  The reason their histories only go back to 1947, is that they were activated in 1947 or later.

WW II Bombardment Wings that were activated again after 1947 were activated as Air Divisions, not wings.  You can go to the AFHRA web page for Air Divisions,

http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/rso/airdivisions_index.html

but most air division emblems were adopted later.  Of ones you ask about, the 55th was never activated as an Air Division, and the 304th never had an approved emblem.  The other three have emblems approved in the 1950s, and the AFHRA web site does not indicate that these emblems superceded earlier emblems  -- in those cases, there is usually a citation to the emblem and a file number for the official drawing.
 
Good luck with unofficial.  Post if you find anything.

Bernie Shearon
Push the stick forward, the houses get bigger. Pull the stick back, the houses get smaller (unless you keep pulling -- then they get bigger again)

Thanks Bernie,

If I do have any luck locating any of the aforementioned
AAF Wing insignia I will be sure to post it/them.

Bob

i hope this helps. try this site: http://members.aol.com/brimiljeep/WebPages/SquadronPatchAAFPage.html   the site contains images of a collection of original ww2 patches---squadron,group,commands,air forces etc. best wishes,hal whiteman.

Hal,

Thanks for posting this URL. I am familiar with this web site and frequently check
in on it to see if there is anything new. Have found some interesting variations on
several insignia but no luck so far with the bomb wing's I'm looking for.

Bob 

Try this link - I think the 5th BG patch you're looking for is there:

http://www.angelfire.com/md2/patches/other/otherinsaafsquadron3.html

Gary

Gary

CBI Unit Lineages & History
http://www.cbi-history.com

Hey Gary,

Appreciate the thought but this depicts a 5thBS insignia and I'm trying
to locate the design, if one existed, for the 5thBW (among others).

Thanks for the follow-up though.

Bob

That is actually the 5th Bomb GROUP, not Squadron.  I misunderstood - I thought you were looking for the now-Wings that were Groups back in WWII.  My bad...

Anyway, I then assume that you're looking for the predecessor to the attached (5th Bomb WING)?

Attached Image(s)

Gary

CBI Unit Lineages & History
http://www.cbi-history.com

Right you are Gary. Presumably all the aforementioned Wings did have some
type of insignia during the war. Don't know why these images are so hard to
locate but I've had the devil's own time trying to do just that. Lot's of post
war stuff but nothing pre-1945.

I like your web site. Understand that you've been working with Nick King in
coming up with some of the more esoteric A/C used in this Theater.

Keep up the good work.
Bob

I'll keep looking around for the Wing insignia.  I agree - they're pretty hard to locate IF they ever even existed.  Ditto for the Command insignia.  I'll try to find 'em, tho.

Thanx for the kind words on the site.  It's coming along, but I still have a LONG way to go.  I've had alot of great help from folks on this site (you know who you are!) and my site wouldn't be near what it is w/out their help (and patience)!

Yup, Nick has sent along some really nice drawings that have really added to the site.  There are some a/c I wasn't even familiar with, and his knowledge of markings is amazing.  I've learned alot from him.

Gary

CBI Unit Lineages & History
http://www.cbi-history.com

Bob,

Here's 2 of the ones you're looking for - the 55th and 304th (courtesy of a friend who is a collector).  Hope these help you.  (FYI, the 304th patch is a reunion piece - a reproduction, not an original.)

Attached Image(s)

Gary

CBI Unit Lineages & History
http://www.cbi-history.com