The Army Air Forces shoulder sleeve insignia is presented as a study in variations that exist for a given shoulder sleeve insignia. I do not claim that I show all existing variations. The United States Army Air Corps was renamed United States Army Air Forces effective May 1, 1942. It controlled the air units of the United States Army and was led by General Henry A. (Hap) Arnold with about two and one-half million personnel.

The shoulder sleeve insignia of the Army Air Forces was approved March 19, 1942. Its blue and orange colors are that of the Army Air Force and the central symbol was that used as an aircraft marking early in the war. This patch was perhaps the single most widely worn patch of the war. All Air Force personnel not assigned to an individually numbered Air Force, such as the 8th Air Force, would have worn this patch with very few exceptions. Although there were more personnel assigned to ground units there were also a wider variety of patches approved for them to wear. It is conceded by authorities on shoulder sleeve insignia that more varieties of the Army Air Forces patch exists than any other single shoulder sleeve insignia of the Second World War. Despite the number of variations that exist the minor differences between the varieties are not that memorable and unless displayed next to each other one would hard pressed to remember the differences. With the establishment of the United States Air Force in 1947 the patch was discontinued and would have been worn on the right sleeve as a former war service patch by personnel that remained in the Army.

Machine Embroidered on Blue Wool

Centered Higher Yellowish Wings	Orange Wings	Fuller Yellowish Wings

Light Blue Background

Machine Embroidered on Blue Twill

Two Inch Size for Cap	Full Size	Border of Air Force Cording Added (1)

Fully Machine Embroidered

Full Wings	Open Yellowish Wings	Long Narrow Wings Pentagonal Circle

Less Full Wings	Full Wings Large Cirlce

Theater-Made

China Burma India Manufacture (2)	China Burma India Manufacture	China Burma India Manufacture (yellow border on twill)

Bullion Embroidered

No Border Very Deep Blue	No Border Larger Red Circle (3)
Jaceron Wire Border	Fancy Border Background Purple Velvet

Bullion Embroidered over Machine Embroidered

A common machine embroidered patch was used as a pattern.

NOTES:

1. Courtesy of Henry Johns (The cording is the same that borders the garrison cap.)
2. Courtesy of Jay Graybeal
3. Courtesy of Jay Graybeal