The Emblems of USAF Squadrons are usualy circleshaped but in the Book Combat Squadrons of the Air Force World War II edited by Maurer Maurer there are some exemples as to Squadron bearing Shieldshaped Emblems. Like those of the 416th Fighter Squardon shown below.
http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/3743/jaktskv416.jpg
The rather elaborate description is given in the Book as:
On a medium blue shield, bordered AF blue, a knight in full armor proper (silver gray, black detail and outlines); his helmet crested with an AF golden yellow wing; his mantling of the second, powdered with twnety-four white stars; the balck staff of his lance held in his right hand, its spearhead silver gray, highlighted white; the knight riding a white war horse caparisoned (birdle, harness, hoofs and saddle) silver gray, lining red, curb rein AF blue; all outlines black. Approved 14 dec 1958.
http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/4265/spanskv4.jpg
4th Reconnaissance Squadron.
On a light blue shield, a golden winged gray aerial camera, focused on a sphere, in base, royal blue, with white grid lines, the sphere encircled with a white cloud formation, a red stream spiraling from the globe to the camera. Approved 20 Jan 1956.
http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/4087/15tacreconsqn.jpg
15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron.
A carrier pigeon in natural colors with wings extended perched on a telescope - white outlined in black upon a shield of blue and yellow parteddiagonaly from "northwest" to "southeast", the blue above the yellow below. Approved 2 Apr 1924.
http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/8499/trupptrskv25.jpg
25th Troop Carrier Squadron.
A shield per bend sinister, azure and skye blue, a stylized jet interceptor aircraft, red an white counterchanged, flying to sinister chief with white power stream trailing to dexter base, in chief four stars of the last; the shield edged with a diminutive compony border of fourteen divisions azure and white counterchanged, the base area of the compony border a wider division, azure marked with eleven white stars; superimposed over the center area of the shield an American bald eagle, flying downward, in his natural colors, brown body, white head and tail and white detail, beak and feet golden yellow. Approved 30 Nov 1956.
Marcus K;78775 wrote:
...its spearhead silver gray, highlighted white…
Hmm, how strange that it requires white highlights. :confused:
Xander wrote, "Hmm, how strange that it requires white highlights"
While its not great blazon in the traditional sense, remember that these military blazons also served as specifications for insignia & embroidery—& in the military context, once the standard design was set, there was & is no room for artistic license by contract manufacturers.
Yes Michael I think you hit the spot. As you can see this is not realy Blazons as we now it, but a rather more elaborate description for those whitout much knowledge of Heraldry.
http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/3695/bombskv26.jpg
26th Bombardment Squadron.
On a shield parted per bend blue and orange [orange and blue], a clenched han couped at the wrist counterchanged. Approved 15 Feb 1924. I don’t know the meaing of the addition in brackets, should the blue or orange be on the upper part?
http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/1420/troopcarriersqn36.jpg
36th Troop Carrier Squadron.
On a shield red, adiagonal bend from upper right to lower left yellow, piped white, thereover a vertical band black, piped white, surmounted in the base by a demi-sphere; over all in the upper part of the shield and [sic!] eagle flyingwhite shaded, above a parachute of the same color placed on the black band. Approved 18 Jul 1952.
http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/8351/bombskv37.png
37th Bombardment Squadron.
On a shield red, edged black, a growling royal Bengal tiger in his natural colors, black, white, light tan: eyeballs light green, toungue red. Approved 27 Dec 1956.
Marcus wrote:
26th Bombardment Squadron.
On a shield parted per bend blue and orange [orange and blue], a clenched hand couped at the wrist counterchanged. Approved 15 Feb 1924. I don’t know the meaning of the addition in brackets, should the blue or orange be on the upper part?
My understanding is that a field per bend X & Y would have X in the upper portion (sinister chief) & Y in the lower portion (dexter base)—but I can’t say that this has always matched the emblazon.
Yes that is my understanding also, but the addition in the "Balzon" of [orange and blue] did puzzle me.
http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/7425/bombskv42.jpg
42nd Bombardment Squadron.
A blue shield charged with a gold torch with red flame paleways, in the chief a white triangle displaying a puma observing its prey, dark brown shading into gray on under side with stripes of very dark brown, crouching on a brown branch of a tree. Approved 20 Jan 1925.
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/2141/jaktskv49.jpg
49th Figther Squadron.
On ashield of ligth green between a ligthning streak, Air Force yellow , in slanting position from the upper left [sinister] to lower rigth [dexter] of shield, and there over surmounted by a stylized pair of wings; in the upper rigth [dexter] of teh shield three stars, palced horizontaly one and two, in the lower left [sinister] of the shield a stylized storm cloud, all white, outlined and shaded black. Resting on the upper edge of the shield an heraldic wreath of the squadron’s approved colors, white and ligth green, theron a stylized helmet, black, highlighted white, with feather decoration green, outlined black. Approved 23 Jul 1954.
http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/4964/bombskv68.jpg
68th Bombardment Squadron.
On a shield sky blue, between a cross red, edged white, in the two upper quarters, six bombs, points downward, three on each side of the cross, white, shaded blue; in the two lower quarters, eigth stars, four on each side of the cross, white, in base over the cross a sphere, white, markings blue, over the center of the cross a star white, thereover an eagle flying blue, markings white.
Approved 18 Feb 1952.
Must admit that my first impression of the 42nd Bomb squad was a table lamp with painted lampshade—ah well…
I thought the poor puma might be getting uncomfortably warm.
I think in Spanish the blazon would refer to "una puma barbacoa"
Haha, well that poor Puma certainly is going to sweat.
http://img541.imageshack.us/img541/1318/bombskv100.jpg
100th Bombardment Squadron.
A shield azure, two lions gambes erased in saltire or.
Approved 28 May 1924.
http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/4168/bombskv329.jpg
329th Bombardment Squadron.
A red shield, quartered and edged with Air Force blue band; 1st quarter, in bend three radiating lightning flashes white; 2d quarter, over a light blue sphere, border and grid lines white, a lion rampant AF yellow brandishing a thunderbolt white; 3d quarter, over a light blue sphere border and grid lines white, a dove volant in his proper colors, carrying in his beak an olive branch green; 4th quarter, two bombs palewise, points downward, AF yellow, trimmed AF blue. Motto: On white scrolls inscribed Air Force blue, above the shield: UNIVERSAL AIR ENFORCED; below the shield: PEACE AND LAW. Approved on 25 Apr 1956.
http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/2913/bombskv340.jpg
340th Bombardment Squadron.
On an Air Force blue shield, an armored hand proper, striking downward a sword , blade proper, hilt and pommel Air Force yellow, through a stylized bolt of fire, center red, flames of the third, all between two red lightning flashes radiating in base. Motto PARATI TUNC SIMUS = Let us then be prepared. Approved 16 Mar 1956.
http://img830.imageshack.us/img830/4932/bombskv341.jpg
341st Bombardment Squadron.
On a shield of a chessboard in perspective, medium blue and white, a chief of light blue sky; over all in sinsiter, achess knight wearing jet helmet with winged plume and white goggles, details black, and in dexter a castle (or rook) and a true chess knight, all red; in chief a white cloud issuing from the dexter,nuclei red, electrons white, and three white futuristic bombers in formation; outlines and detalis black throughout. Approved 6 aug 1957.
http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/1335/bombskv359.jpg
359th Bombardment Squadron.
On a shield, Air Force blue, whitin a border white, edged red, a stylized mythical Phoenix bird rising from n atomic cloud, all in variegated shades of yellow, red, white and blue. Motto: CAVEAT EMPTOR, Let the Buyer Beware. Approved 5 Dec 1955.
http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/2941/bombskv360.jpg
360th Bombardment Squadron.
On a shield Air Force blue, a sphere, water areas light blue, land areas white; the sphere encircled with an electornic symbol of three ellipses with arrows all white. Above the shield a light blue scroll, spattered with white stars, centered on the scroll a red ribbon. Approved 21 Mar 1956.
http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/2539/bombskv365.jpg
365th Bombardment Sqn.
"On a shield, blue, two swords, natural colors crossed horizontally, bordered, golden yellow, over which is an eagle, natural colors, facing to the right, wings spread horizontally, perched on top of a globe, natural colors, bordered, golden yellow, and with latitude and longitude lines, white."
Approved 20 June 1952.
http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/7885/bombskv367.jpg
367th Bombardment Sqn.
"Gules , a griffin sergeant holding in his dexter claw a ligthning bolt of four flashes or. Motto Paratus pro retaliato = Prepared for Retalitation."
Approved 7 August 1953.
This is one of these Squadron emblems that I find most pleasing from a heraldic point of view.
http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/4051/bombskv381.jpg
381st Bombardment Sqn.
"On an Air Froces yellow shield, a stylized black eagle, on his breast an outlined sphere with longitude an latitude lines, on the sphere a stylized dove and twelve stars, grouped three, eight and one, all white; above the eagle three red lightning blots radiating in chief, below the eagle two branches of olive each with thirteen leaves green."
Approved 7 March 1956.
http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/3628/bombskv386.jpg
386th Bombardment Sqn.
On a red shield, bordered white, edged black, an Air Force blue bomb, point downward, in pale, outlined black, flanked with two Air Force yellow lightning flashes, over all in saltire two sabres, blades of the second, hilts and pommels of the fifth, all outlined black.
Approved 17 June 1955.
