USAAF unit identification aircraft markings, commonly called "tail markings" after their most frequent location, were numbers, letters, geometric symbols, and colors painted onto the tails (vertical stabilizer fins), wings, or fuselages of the combat aircraft (primarily bombers) of the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War. The purpose of these markings was to provide a means of rapid identification of the unit to which an aircraft was assigned. Variations of these markings continue to be used in the United States Air Force in the form of tail codes identifying operational wings.
Read more about USAAF Unit Identification Aircraft Markings: Overview, Eighth Air Force Tail Markings, Fifteenth Air Force Tail Markings, Twentieth Air Force Tail Markings, Other Air Forces in The Pacific
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