| The next challenge would to be aware of the changing vertical stabilizer codes from 1943-1944 to 1945 and why some used letters and others used the
geometric shapes and stripes/diagonals. Bet that would take a lot of pages to document. It amazes me how the military could not always be consistent
in unit markings and aircraft markings in USN and USAAF. |
What you mention is the Air Group marking system adopted to help Naval Aircraft formations in the later part of the war. By 1944-45, the Navy had a large number of carriers operating together in the Pacific in Task Force 38/58 (named that way depending if Halsey/Spruance or McCain/Mitscher were commanding those respective Fleets/Task Forces). There were so many flattops that there was a tale of one Captain arriving at Ulithi Atoll unable to find his new command in the midst of all the carriers anchored there. Now if a Captain had trouble finding his own ship amongst the fleet, imagine the difficulty inherent in sorting out your own air group when each flattop held between 45 to 100 airplanes (45 for the Independence class, 90-100 for the Essex). Since Navy aircraft were all camoflagued virtually identically, and indivdual unit markngs and nose art were officially frowned upon, how do you know which group of planes is from your own ship, especially in conditions of radio silence. The Geometric patterns were an aid to formations, at least that way you could sort out different ship's air groups according to the markings on their tails, and join up with your air group over the target and on the way home. The Japanese pioneered this technique, during the Pearl Harbor attack, each carrier had its own set of color bands, with the Akagi having a red band on its rear fuselage, the Kaga with 2, and so on.
The Letter system came about in the final month of the War, after it was realized that the Geometric Pattern actually hampered fighter control operations in anti-Kamikaze patrols. After all, when you are vectoring formations of fighters, it is easier to say a series of phonetic alphabet letters then to say a geometric pattern. Which is easier to say over the air, Jig Jig One, or Rear Diagonal White Tail one? This system fell into a bit of disuse when the USN was cut to the bone during peacetime, but came back over Korea, when if you look at photos of Korean War era aircraft, you will notice that Carrier based Aircraft sport large Letters on their tail, ie S for Sail for the USS Valley Forge's Air Group 5. In fact, the letter system is still used today, with Alpha standing for Atlantic Fleet Air Wings (followed by another letter of course) and November standing for Pacific Fleet Air Wings...a way to instantly tell which Fleet a particular airplane belongs to.
Often times what seems strange and contradictory to civilians is a common sense military response to the challenges of the operating environment, like the reason why each military service operates its own aircraft...try calling in air support up the USAF's chain of command when the bad guys are coming, a big reason why the USMC's organic air power is so popular with the folks on the ground, even though the USAF does operate the best Close Air Support airpane ever, the A-10.
Skysurfer808