Original Items: Only One Lot Available. This is a fantastic collection of WWII Distinctive Unit Insignia for the US Army Airforces during WWII. A distinctive unit insignia (DUI) is a metallic heraldic badge or device worn by soldiers in the United States Army. The DUI design is derived from the coat of arms authorized for a unit. DUIs may also be called "distinctive insignia" (DI) or, imprecisely, a "crest" or a "unit crest" by soldiers or collectors. The U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry is responsible for the design, development and authorization of all DUIs.

The Following Enamel Pins are in this Lot:
- First Air Force
- Second Air Force
- Third Air Force
- Fourth Air Force
- Fifth Air Force
- Sixth Air Force
- Seventh Air Force
- Eighth Air Force
- Ninth Air Force
- Tenth Air Force
- Eleventh Air Force
- Twelfth Air Force
- Thirteenth Air Force
- Fourteenth Air Force
- Fifteenth Air Force
- Twentieth Air Force
- US Army Air Forces

All pins are in wonderful condition with all enamel still complete with minor scratching.

Comes more than ready for further research and display.

The Army Air Forces was formed in 1941, from the Army Air Corps, in response to the growing structure and mission that Army aviators were playing and the need for a more independent command structure. When created, several other nations had already adopted independent air forces but the United States made the decision to leave aviators as a part of the Army.

The Army Air Forces was born in one of the biggest steps toward an independent Air Force. With the threat of war looming, the aviation branch underwent a massive reorganization and the Army Air Forces was given control over all of Army aviation under the direct orders of then-Chief of Staff Gen. George C. Marshall.

At the Air Corps' height, it had more than 2.4 million people and 80,000 aircraft in service and flew more than 2.3 million missions during World War II.

Eventually becoming the Air Force in 1947, many of the pilots and missions of the Army Air Forces moved to the newly formed branch of service.

The Army was left with a handful of pilots and planes flying observation missions for field artillery units, but this would be short-lived as a new and revolutionary concept in aviation would change modern combat forever.