1-300 Decals WWI USA Expeditionary Force

1-300 Decals WWI USA Expeditionary Force
These 1-300 WWI USA Expeditionary Force decals reproduce the distinctive red, blue, and white concentric roundel carried by American aircraft operating on the Western Front during the final year of World War I. The marking used a white center surrounded by blue and red rings, giving U.S. aircraft a national insignia more closely aligned with the roundel-style markings used by the other Allied air forces in Europe.
The United States originally entered the war using a white star with a red center disk on a blue circular field. In February 1918, however, American aviation forces in Europe adopted the tricolor roundel to reduce the chance of confusion with enemy markings and to conform more closely with Allied identification practices.
The new roundel was used by the Air Service of the American Expeditionary Forces during the intense final campaigns of 1918. American pursuit, observation, and bombardment units operated largely with French- and British-designed aircraft while rapidly expanding in strength and experience.
Representative aircraft carrying U.S. Expeditionary Force markings included the SPAD XIII, Nieuport 28, de Havilland DH-4, Salmson 2A2, and Breguet 14. Marking proportions and placement could vary according to aircraft type, manufacturer, and field application.
Following the Armistice, the roundel remained in use only briefly. In 1919, U.S. military aviation returned to the familiar star-based national insignia, making the 1918 tricolor roundel a distinctive marking for American aircraft of the closing months of World War I.
Product Features
Designed for 1-300 / 6mm WWI American aircraft miniatures
Reproduces the 1918 American Expeditionary Force tricolor roundel
Features the characteristic white center with blue and red concentric rings
Appropriate for U.S. aircraft operating in Europe during 1918
Suitable for historically appropriate SPAD XIII, Nieuport 28, DH-4, Salmson 2A2, Breguet 14, and similar aircraft
Printed on thin waterslide decal paper
Decals must be individually cut from the sheet before application
For wargamers recreating American air operations on the Western Front in 1918, this roundel provides the correct late-war U.S. national marking and clearly distinguishes AEF aircraft from both the earlier American star insignia and the postwar markings that followed.