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Bats
in Military Service
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Edited
- 4/2010 |
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Bats in Military Service:
United States Naval & Marine Corps Aviation
By
Scott Pedersen & Douglas Siegfried*
Copyright 1996 - Bat
Research, 37:42-48.
*Hook
Magazine 9676 Business Park Ave., San Diego CA 92131
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SEABAT
Naval Sea Combat Systems
Engineering Station
Norfolk, VA. (Horst) |
In
the 33rd volume of Bat Research News, Horst (1992) featured an insignia of the
Naval Sea Combat Systems Engineering Station at Norfolk, VA.
which depicted a "Seabat," an anatomically correct
drawing of a bat carrying an anchor. Horst (1992) stated that
apparently "this is the only official military ensignia
(sic) that carries the likeness of a bat". This comment
stimulated us to look further into the subject, and since then,
we have compiled a data base of military aviation units that
use bats, in one form or another, as a heraldic device in their
unit's insignia or as the namesake of a particular weapon system.
In this paper, we present general information on the use of
bat-related insignias and weapons used by units of the United
States Navy, United States Marine Corps, United States Air Force
and the Royal Air Force of Great Britain. We encourage anyone
with further information (sources, contributions, and corrections)
dealing with bats and squadron heraldry to contact Scott Pedersen
so that we may add to this growing data base. SCOTT_PEDERSEN@SDSTATE.EDU
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Official and unofficial aviation insignia
began to flourish during World War One (WWI), and many of the
WWI designs are still in use today in the British and U.S. Air
Forces. The first semi-official organizational insignias for
the U.S. Navy began to appear in the fledgling Naval Aeronautical
Organization in the early 1920's. Official insignias were placed
on squadron aircraft, equipment, stationary and the aviator's
prized leather flight jacket. (A squadron is an organization
established to perform a specific mission or task). By the beginning
of World War II (WWII), all Army Air Corps and Naval/Marine
Aviation squadrons and aircraft carriers had official, distinctive
insignias. New designs, both official and unofficial, flourished
during WWII and were placed on aircraft, ships, submarines,
and even Army tanks and vehicles.
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In the past, insignias of the United States
were most often in caricature form in contrast to Great Britain
and its associated military forces that used the more formal
heraldic design. However, since the 1970's, official insignias
of U.S. military aviation units have become more formal in size,
design and shape, conforming to regulations that shy away from
humorous cartoon caricatures and politically incorrect designs.
Nevertheless, unofficial squadron insignias still appear in
squadrons, often displaying irreverent humor (Nelsen and Parsons,
1990; Roberts, 1995).
In
most cases, squadron insignia depict the various functions or
missions of the unit, and squadron heraldry was often shared
among sister squadrons in the same air group or combat wing.
These insignias were often transferred after nomenclatural (administrative)
redesignation, taken on by another squadron after the original
squadron was disestablished, or sometimes maintained even though
the mission of the squadron changes (e.g., from fighter to attack
squadron).
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Nomenclature: A
brief overview of squadron and aircraft designations may assist
the reader. With respect to naval aviation, a squadron's designation
is comprised of a series of letters. The first letter V, Z, or
H designates a squadron equipped with heavier than air vehicles
(fixed wing), lighter than air vehicles (blimps), and helicopters,
respectively. The second letter reflects the mission of the squadron
such that O, S, P, F, T, and B designate Observation, Scouting,
Patrol, Fighter, Torpedo, and Bomber aircraft. The second letter
in Marine Corps squadrons is always M followed by a the same mission
designators used by the Navy. For example: "VP-4" translates
into "Patrol Squadron Four" operated by the United States
Navy, while "VMFA(AW)-242" translates into "Fighter/Attack
Squadron (All-weather) 242" operated by the United States
Marine Corps. Of
course, it get more complicated.... Navy
and Marine Corps Unit Abbreviations: A/C - Aircraft;
(AW) - All Weather; B - 'Gunnery observation'
sub-unit of squadron; Det. - Detachment; HL -
4-engine, land plane; M - Marine; N - Night; S
- 'Scouting' sub-unit of squadron; V - Navy heavier-than-air
vehicle; VA - Navy Attack; VAW - Naval Early Warning;
VAAW - Naval All Weather Attack; VC - Navy Composite
Group; VC(N) - Navy Composite Group (night fighter);
VCS - Navy Cruiser Scout; VF - Navy Fighter; VF(N)
- Navy Nightfighter; VMF - Marine Fighter; VMFA(AW)
- Marine All Weather Fighter/Attack; VMS - Marine Scout;
VO - Navy Battleship Scout; VP - Navy Patrol;
VPB - Navy Patrol Bomber; VQ - Navy Electronic
Reconnaissance; VS - Navy Scout; VT - Navy Torpedo;
VW - Navy Air Barrier (Distant Early Warning 'DEW' line);
VX - Navy Test/Evaluation. Air Force Unit Abbreviations:
A/C - Aircraft; A - attack; AS - Attack
Sqd.; B - Bomber; BS - Bombardment Sqd.; C-Cargo/transport;
E - Electronics; F - Fighter; FS - Fighter
Sqd.; G - Group; K - Tanker; N - Night;
NFS - Nightfighter Sqd.; O - Observation; P
- Pursuit (fighter); R - Reconnaissance; S - Squadron;
T - Tactical; T - Trainer; Wg - Wing. |
The earliest, if not the first,
use of bats in insignia of
U.S. Naval squadrons is found in Observation Squadron VOS-3S,
circa 1923. Ironically, their scout aircraft were so poorly
suited to observation duties that both pilots and the observers
complained of being "blind as bats". During this time,
observation squadrons which often flew out of Guantanamo Bay,
specified a "Cuban bat" (perhaps Artibeus?) to represent
their "blind" status. The improved logo stuck, and
was used by the squadron as its designation changed to VS-5S,
VS-5B, VCS-2 and finally VS-6S (Table 1) until it was disestablished
in 1937.
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Despite this unfortunate introduction into military service,
bat insignia soon came to dominate emblems carried by nightfighter,
patrol, and observation squadrons because of bats' remarkable
ability to navigate in the dark. The rationale provided by each
squadron for using a bat in their "official" insignia
varies: "Radar is the third eye of the all-weather night
pilot," "(Bats) embody the qualities of ferocity,
determination, and aptitude in the use of all airborne weapons,"
"The bat is a predatory creature who hunts his prey at
night using a natural detection system to locate, identify,
track, and strike not unlike the Grumman A-6 Intruder attack
aircraft," "The bat represents Beelzebub, the Prince
of Demons in Milton's 'Paradise Lost'".
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VT-27's Insignia,
uh....Menu?
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But
without question, the award goes to Torpedo Squadron 27
based in the South Pacific during World War Two: "The flying
fox [of genera Epomophorous (sic)] is a large fruit eating
mammal indigenous of the area in which VT-27 had most of its battle
experience. It's night flying proclivity is also indicative of
the squadron's success. The wile and cunning of the fox are well
known and desirable characteristics for naval aviators...and...
The flying fox in the last extremity
serves as FOOD for the lost pilot." |
Bats were never quite able to compete with "pin-up girl"
nose-art that graced many aircraft during World War Two, though
the Vargas-like pin-up figures of Batgirl used by Patrol Squadron
VP-24 and Nightfighter Squadron 103 are fine efforts. It is of
interest that in today's "politically correct" Navy,
VP-24's Batgirl had been the sole survivor of a long lineage of
officially sanctioned but less-than-correct, insignia. Bat caricatures
were the clear choice of squadrons that carried the Bat glide
bomb (see below) and Walt Disney even got into the act and drew
up bat cartoon figures for Night Torpedo Squadron VT(N)-90 and
the lineage of squadrons named "Hell Razors" (sic):
VB-81, VA-13A, VA-134, VF-174, and VA-174. Disney studios went
on to produce some 1200 military insignia of all types during
the second World War (Rawls, 1992). |
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Bat Bomb--Project X-Ray
Couffer's
(1992) enjoyable book, "Bat Bomb,"
is a great story about an idea that wasn't. The following quote
from McCracken's correspondence with R.A. von Doenhoff of the
United States National Archive concerning Project X-Ray (McCracken,
1990) briefly summarizes this debacle. "Project X-Ray was
an experiment undertaken by the Department of the Navy to determine
if incendiary devices attached to bats would be useful if they
were released form aircraft over major Japanese cities. The
theory was that the bats would be released just before dawn
with incendiary devices with timers attached to each bat. As
daylight approached, the bats would head for dark recesses of
wooden Japanese houses. When the bats were safely asleep, the
incendiary devices would ignite, thus producing a conflagration
of unprecedented proportions. A test run of this theory was
carried out in the southwestern United States. However, the
advent of the atomic bomb rendered this experiment moot." |
Left:
Bat-bomb canister that housed the bats (J. Couffer);
Right: Oops.... errant bats set the barracks on fire!
(J. Couffer) |
The Other Bat Bomb - ASM-N-2 BAT
Despite
the failure of Project X-ray,
a lesser-known weapon system named Bat did in fact exceed expectations
and was active in the arsenal of the United States Navy from
1945 through 1953 (Buford and Boyd, 1953; Huff, 1950; Van Vleet
et al., 1981). Indeed, the Bat air-to-surface missile (ASM-N-2:
Special Weapons Ordnance Device--SWOD Mk 9) was the first fully
automatic guided-missile to be used operationally by any of
the combatants during WWII (April 23, 1945). Once launched,
the Bat went solo, guided to its target by an early S-band radar
unit, developed by the Bell Telephone Laboratories. There were
many wire-, radio-, and television-guided bombs, either glider-type
or self-propelled, that were used by the Germans and Americans
during the war (e.g., Henschel Hs-293, GB-4), however, the Bat
was the very first, fully-automatic, weapon system, the archetype
of what we now term "fire and forget" weaponry. |
BAT
ASM-N-2: Special Weapons Ordnance Device - SWOD Mk
9 (left: Charles Register; right: Pedersen). |
The ASM-N-2 Bat was a relatively simple glide bomb constructed
of steel and plywood (12.3 feet long with a 10.0 foot wingspan),
with a gross weight of 1,700 pounds, including it's 1,000-pound
charge (Fig. 4). Though primarily an anti-shipping weapon, it
was also used as a gunnery target. At least three of the 2580
ASM-N-2 Bat airframes that were built remain intact; one can be
found at the Planes of Fame Museum (Grand Canyon AZ), one at the
Admiral Nimitz State Historical Park (Fredricksburg, Texas), and
one has just been refurbished at the NIST
site (Gaithersburg, MD). |
 
BAT's slung under Consolidated PB4Y-2B Privateer patrol
bombers (USN) |
Several aircraft carried the Bat. The Consolidated PB4Y-2B Privateer
patrol bomber was the first aircraft to do so, however, after
1950, Privateers were replaced by the remarkable Lockheed
P2V-5, -6B, and -6M Neptune (Davis, 1987; Huff, 1950; Mutza,1996;
Van Vleet et al., 1981). (The PB4Y-2B Privateer was an
extensively modified B-24 Liberator many of which remain
flying as fire-fighting slurry-bombers in the US and Canada).
As an aside, the Navy also experimented with the much smaller
Vought F4U-4 Corsair (Sullivan, 1994). |
 
BATs slung under a Lockheed P2V-5 Neptune (USN) , and
Vought F4U-4 Corsair (H. Andrews)
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The first operational use of the Bat occurred on April 23, 1945
when Privateers of VPB-109 launched two Bats against
Japanese shipping near Borneo. VPB-109 had been the first squadron
to be equipped with the Bat, but was followed soon thereafter
by VPB-123 and VPB-124 . Without an enemy, post-war Privateer
crews had to maintain their proficiency by attacking icebergs
in the North Atlantic with Bats. In 1953, an upgraded version
of the Bat (ASM-N-2A) made it's appearance but was removed from
naval inventory soon thereafter.
New
web-page dedicated to the ASM-N-2 BAT missile NEW
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Bats in Military Service: United States Air Force,
Royal Air Force, & Commonwealth Air Forces
By
Scott Pedersen
Copyright 1998; Bat Research, 38:59-68. |
NOTE: This is the second of two articles providing information on bats
that have served as military insignia in the armed forces. The
first article dealt with bats that were enlisted as United States
Navy and Marine Corps insignia (Pedersen and Siegfried, 1996).
Here, I present further information on the use of bat-related
insignias and weapon systems used by units of the United States
Air Force, the Royal Air Force and its commonwealth air forces. |
Like their cousins in naval aviation,
pilots of the U.S. Army Air Corps, which became the United States
Air Force (USAF) 1947, have included bats in their squadron's
insignia because of the animal's remarkable ability to navigate
and attack in the dark. Indeed, bats have been a popular design
for nightfighter and reconnaissance squadrons in the air forces
of the United States, England, and Canada since World War Two.
Typically, squadron insignia are unique, designed to represent
the unit, and even depict the unit's assignment (e.g., bomber
squadron). Insignia are found painted on squadron aircraft and
equipment, whereas cloth patches bearing the same design decorate
flight jackets. Official insignias of the USAF conform to regulations
governing size, shape, and the political-correctness of the
design. However, ubiquitous, unofficial insignias vary in size
and shape, and tend toward the humorous, irreverent, and even
pornographic.
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Unlike U.S. Navy insignia
that tend to utilize whole
bats in the design, insignia of the USAF depict bat-winged objects
such as bombs, skeletons, devils, and various animals. Like
the Navy, once a design is chosen (e.g., a bat) it may be shared
among related squadrons in the same air group or combat wing,
retained by a squadron for many years despite changes in their
assigned mission (e.g., fighter to attack squadron), or reused
by another squadron after the original unit is disestablished.
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Left
to Right: 318th Bombardment Sqd.; 392nd
Bombardment Sqd.; 44th Fighter Sqd.; Blind Bat Flareship Ops.
[Additional patch pages found in navigation bar] |
Royal Air Force and Commonwealth Air Force Bats
In
direct contrast to
the insignia employed by the USAF, USMC, and USN, bats that
appear in the heraldry of the Royal Air Force (RAF), the Royal
Canadian Air Force (RCAF), and the South African Air Force (SAAF)
are relatively simple in design (Fig. 3). They are framed by
a formal badge and must conform to strict heraldic guidelines
(Mann, 1944; Moyes, 1964; Rawlings, 1969). Caricatures fall
into four distinct types: pteropidid-like animals - 153 SQD
and 724 Unit, stenodermine-like animals - 9 and 966 SQD, vespertilionoid-like
bats - 162 and 440 (RCAF) SQD, SCAAME, and animals meant to
represent, but bear no resemblance to, vampire bats - 4 SQD,
25 Group, 203 AFS, 595 SQD (each of these squadrons were at
one time equipped with de Havilland Vampire aircraft). |
 
Left
to Right: RCAF 1 Wing; RCAF 440 Transport
& Rescue Squadron; RAF 9 Squadron.
[Additional patch pages found in navigation bar] |
Aircraft Nose-art
Bats
have appeared in nose-art, or as aircraft nicknames painted on the sides of individual
airplanes. For example, during WWII, the nose-art of a 6th Nightfighter
Squadron Northrop P-61A-1 Black Widow depicted a large
bat wearing boxing gloves on its hind feet (named "Jap
Batty"), whereas the nose of another P-61A of the 548th
Nightfighter Squadron was graced with a painting of Batgirl
(named "Bat outa Hell"; Davis and Menard, 1990). |
Left
to Right: Northrop P-61A-1 Black Widow
of the 6th Nightfighter Squadron - "Jap Batty" (E.
McDowell);
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress "Wicked Witch"
with bats (USAF Museum) More
examples of bat nose-art?
|
One group of particular interest was the 499th Medium Bomb Group
that operated in the Pacific during WWII. Their unit flew the
North American B-25 Mitchell that had taken part in the first
bombing raid of Tokyo much earlier in the war, one of these being
named "Lucky Bat" by her crew. This group was involved
in ground-attack missions and anti-shipping strikes and each aircraft
in the squadron had the entire nose section painted to look like
the head, body, and wings of a huge bat.
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North American B-25 Mitchell of
the 499th Medium Bomb Group (D. Greer) |
Grumman
A-6 Intruder of VMA-242 (Grumman archives)
(Thanks to M. Duermyer VMA-242 for corrections herein)
More
examples of bat nose-art?
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Project Batty
Project
Batty was an early attempt by the USAF to use remote-controlled,
stand-off weapons to attack well-defended or "hardened"
targets (Lloyd, 1986). This Project utilized the GB-4 glide
bomb. This device was composed of a 2,000-pound general Ordnance
bomb strapped to a simple 600-pound glider that was 12 feet
long with a 12 foot wingspan. As the bomb dropped away from
the "mother-ship" (Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress)
magnesium flares in the tail of the GB-4 would ignite to help
the bombardier follow the trajectory of the bomb across his
television screen/bomb sight. Though television was still in
it developmental infancy, it was sufficient to aid the bombardier
as he controlled the path of the glide bomb by radio-control.
Late in WWII, Project Batty was used against German-occupied
facilities at the port of LeHavre, France, with dubious success. |
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Flareship Missions in Viet Nam:
Code Name 'Blind Bat'
Index
page for more Blind Bat Patches
Sam
McGowan's Blind Bat Website
Larry Nicosia's
Blind Bat Website
|
In summary...
The
majority of bat insignia depict either caricatures of bats or vertebrate chimeras that
possess bat wings (examples of patches). However, several insignia
deserve a special note as they designate a specific genus: Myotis
-Strike Command Air-to-Air Missile Establishment, RAF; Epomophorus-VT-27
US Navy, unusual in that this genus is found in Africa rather
than throughout the Philippines where the squadron was in fact
stationed; Vespertilio -VQ-1 US Navy, "Vespertillo
militaris," sic.
It has been suggested that the "Cuban Fruit Bat" depicted
in the earliest insignias of the United States Navy (VCS-2,
VO-3, VS-5, and VS-6) was based on the well-known Bacardi rum
label. This is unlikely because the early USN bats are tail-less.
However, this is not to say that Bacardi rum wasn't involved
at some point in the decision making process of these early
aviators. Of interest, the classic Bacardi logo has recently
reappeared in VQ-1's EP-3E Aries II patch presented below. |
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Acknowledgments: This work is dedicated to the men and women of the armed forces of the
United States of America. I offer this compilation of material
in grateful appreciation to those who have worn these patches
during service to their country.
I
wish to acknowledge the assistance
of D. Siegfried of the Tailhook Association, R. Johnson and
B. Spink of the Air Force Historical Research Agency, M. Denton-Boomsma
and C. Ross of the Royal Air Force Heraldry Trust, M. Hatch
and W. Hunt of the Ministry of Defense - London, P. Elliott
of the Royal Air Force Museum, and the Staff of the Seattle
Public Library Aerospace archives for their help, good humor
and patience during this undertaking. We also wish to acknowledge
the assistance of J. Jacobs of the Tailhook Association, R.
Grossnick, J. Walters, and W. Baker of the Navy Historical Center,
R. Ferrin (ret.) and A. Wagner (ret.) of VP-24, C. Krus of VQ-1,
J. Rabine of VMFA(AW)-242, M. Atherton of Mesotech Systems Ltd.,
E. Brown of the "Crosswind" -- NAS Whidbey Island,
F. Mormello and B. Reed of the Planes of Fame Museum, A. Krueger
of the Admiral Nimitz State Historical Park, and finally, the
Staff of the Seattle Public Library Aerospace archives for their
help, good humor and patience during this undertaking. A very
special thanks goes to J. Clark of the University of Washington,
H. Reed of the National Archives and Records Administration,
and S. Gindes of Visual Image Presentations for their photographic
services. I encourage anyone with further information (sources
and corrections) concerning bats and squadron heraldry to contribute
to this growing data base. I greatly appreciate the editorial
services provided by A. Kurta of Eastern Michigan University
and R. Horst of SUNY, Potsdam. |
Photo/patch credits: I have tried to provide accurate information as to the various
sources of patches, figures, and photographs throughout. I wish
to express my gratitude to the following for donating text, photographs,
patches, advice, and support throughout the project, and the list
is long....., Altevogt C, Andrews H, Atherton M, Augustus J, Baker
W, Baller J, Barnard D, Barth B, Biss G, Brigham M, Brotherman
T, Brown E, Broze V, Caldwell D, Caniff M, Clark J, Conte T, Cook
J, Cook S, Copeland M, Daniell R, Delve K, Denton-Boomsma M, Dysico
G, Edwards G, Elliott P, Esposito P, Felt B, Ferrin R, Frankel
N, Gager S, Gindes S, Goodspeed H, Greer D, Grossnick R, Hatch
M, Horst R, Hunt W, Jacobs J, Jacobs, H, Johnson R, Karabin B,
Klunder R, Krueger A, Krus C, Kurta A, Landerville R, Lemerande
T, Lieurance D, Manly P, Marlow K, Martin D, Massa A, McCracken
G, McDowell E, McGowan S, Mersky P, Millstein J, Morgan J, Mormello
F, Morrison J, Nicosia L, Paradie F, Paulsen J, Peters R, Petersen
G, Rabine J, Reed B, Reed H, Register C, Rice C, Roberts M, Robinson
D, Robinson J, Ross C, Saunders H, Siegfried D, Slater C, Slizeski
R, Spears F, Spink B, Talbot M, Trombecky B, Wagner A, Walters
J, Wingrin D, Woodard B, Woodburn J, Woolsey R, Wright B, , and
I am sure I missed a few of you! Omissions and/or inaccuracies
are entirely unintentional, and the author would sincerely appreciate
corrections and editorial comments to improve this body of information. |
Selected references
Bell,
D. 1979. Air Force colors, Vol. 1: 1926 - 1942. Squadron/Signal
Publications Inc., Carrollton, TX.
Britton, J. 1990. U.S. military shoulder patches of the United
States Armed Forces. 5th ed. MCN press. Tulsa OK.
Brown, K.S. 1961. United States Army and Air Force Fighters,
1916-1961. Harleyford Publications, Letchworth, Herts, England.
Buford, R., and W. Boyd. 1953. U.S, Navy Bureau of Ordnance
in World War Two. U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 342-343.
Davis, L. 1987. B-24 Liberator in action. Squadron/Signal Publications
Inc., Carrollton, TX.
Davis, L. 1990. Planes, Names, and Dames, Vol. 1: 1940-1945.
Squadron/Signal Publications Inc., Carrollton, TX.
Davis, L. 1993. Wild Weasel, the SAM suppression story. Squadron/Signal
Publications Inc., Carrollton, TX.
Davis, L. and D. Menard. 1990. P-61 Black Widow in action. Squadron/Signal
Publications Inc., Carrollton, TX.
Doll, T., B. Jackson, and W. Riley. 1983. Navy air colors, United
States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard aircraft camouflage
and markings, Vol. 1: 1911-1945. Squadron/Signal Publications
Inc., Carrollton, TX.
Donald, D. 1992. US Air Force airpower directory. Airtime Publishing
Inc., West Port, CT.
Donald, D., and J. Lake. 1992. US Navy and Marine Corps airpower
directory. Airtime Publishing Inc., West Port, CT.
Drendel, L. 1978. TAC, A pictorial history of the USAF Tactical
Air Forces, 1970-1977. Squadron/Signal Publications Inc., Carrollton,
TX.
Drendel, L. 1982. Airwar over Southwest Asia, a pictorial record,
Vol. 1: 1962-1966. Squadron/Signal Publications Inc., Carrollton,
TX.
Drendel, L. 1990. USMC Phantoms in combat. Squadron/Signal Publications
Inc., Carrollton, TX.
Grossnick, R. 1995. Dictionary of American naval aviation Squadrons,
Vol. 1. U.S. GPO. Washington, DC.
Halley, J. 1988. The squadrons of the Royal Air Force and Commonwealth
1918-1988. Air-Britain Ltd., Kent, England.
Hallion, R. 1986. The naval air war in Korea. Nautical and Aviation
Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD.
Horst, G.R. 1992. Dept. of Exotica, Erotica, Etcetera. Bat Research
News, 33:5.
Hubbard, B. 1943. Aircraft insignia; Spirit of youth. National
Geographic, 83:710-722.
Huff, W. 1950. The Navy's 'Bat'. Naval Aviation News, 38:1-5.
Larkins, W.T. 1961. United States Navy aircraft, 1921-1941.
Aviation History Publications, Concord, CA.
Lloyd, A.T. 1986. B-17 Flying Fortress in detail and scale.
Tab Books Inc., Blue Ridge Summit, PA.
MacGlashing, J. 1995. Batmen, Night Air Group 90 in World War
II. Phalanx Pub., St. Paul, MN.
Mann, C. 1944. Air heraldry. McBride and Co., New York, NY.
Maurer, M. 1969. Combat squadrons of the Air Force, World War
II. U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington, DC.
McCracken, G.F. 1990. Project X-Ray: the World War II Bat Bomb.
Bat Research News, 30:72A.
Moyes, P.J.R. 1964. Bomber squadrons of the Royal Air Force
and their aircraft. MacDonald and Co., London, England.
Mutza, W. 1996. Lockheed P2V Neptune - An illustrated history.
Schiffer Ltd., Atglen PA.
Nelsen, D., and D. Parsons. 1990. Official and unofficial US
Navy air patches. Motorbooks Int., Osceola, WI.
Ravenstein, C.A. 1984. Air Force combat wings, lineage and honors
histories: 1947-1977. The United States Air Force reference
series. U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington, DC.
Rawlings, J.D. 1969. Fighter squadrons of the Royal Air Force
and their aircraft. MacDonald and Co., London, England.
Rawls, W. H. 1992. Disney dons dogtags. Abbeville Pub., New
York.
Roberts, M.L. 1995. United States naval aviation patches, Vols.
1-3. Schiffer Ltd., Atglen PA.
Robertson, B. 1967. Aircraft markings of the World, 1912-1967.
Letchworth Printing Ltd., Letchworth, England.
Robertson, P. 1962. United States Navy and Marine Corps Fighters,
1918-1962. Aero Publications, Los Angeles, CA.
Sullivan, J. 1994. F4U Corsair in action. Squadron/Signal Publications
Inc., Carrollton, TX.
Sullivan, J., and D. Lucabaugh. 1993. Golden wings, 1941-1945,
(USN/USMC aircraft of World War II), Squadron/Signal Publications
Inc., Carrollton, TX.
Van Vleet, C., L.M., Pearson, and A.O., Van Wynen. 1981. United
States Naval Aviation, 1910-1980. Government Document, NAVAIR
00-80P-1. |
SCOTT PEDERSEN is a University
professor/bat biologist who currently resides in Brookings,
South Dakota. The author collects aviation patches that depict
bats. Currently the list represents nearly 10000 squadrons/units
from the USN, USMC, USAF, RBAF, RSAF, IAF, FAF, RCAF, RAF, SAAF,
and additional military units from around the globe. The author
would love to expand this collection and strongly encourages
corrections and suggestions to the preceding work.
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