Insignias of Destruction on Colonel Joseph Laughlin's P-47, Five by Five

Insignias of Destruction on Colonel Joseph Laughlin's P-47, Five by Five

The official destruction insignia located on Colonel Laughlin's P-47

Accounts were kept of what pilots destroyed in combat. To tout those successes, pilots would have the record painted on their planes, with tallies next to each symbol for tanks, trucks, and locomotives. The Nazi flags represented downed enemy aircraft; 5 flags meant the pilot was an ace. Colonel Laughlin was the only known pilot in World War II to be solely credited for sinking an enemy ship. The battleship insignia represented the German Light Cruiser he sunk in Brest Harbor.

Republic Aviation Corporation

US Army Air Corps

National Museum of the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

1940s