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FIRST WORLD WAR The original Observer Badge was a half wing design of the Aviator Badge used by military pilots of the Army Air Corps . The badge was mainly awarded to gunners, spotters, and navigators on the first armed military aircraft. With the advent of Bombing , the Observer Badge was also initially authorized to aircraft bombardiers. A new badge was soon created for these duties, however, and was known as the Bombing Aviator Badge . Those qualified as Balloon Observers were also eligible for the badge, and the badge was typically referred to both as the ''Airplane Observer Badge'' and ''Balloon Observer Badge''. There was no difference between the two titles, as far as the Observer Badge appeared, and towards the end of the First World War the badge was commonly referred to as the ''Airplane and Balloon Observer Badge''. SECOND WORLD WAR Between 1919 and 1935 , the Observer Badge remained the same design as it had been during the First World War. However, as developments progressed in Military Aviation , the concept of an Aircraft Observer changed to necessitate the redesign of the Observer Badge and a change in the eligibility criteria. By the time of the United States entry into the Second World War, there were three Observer Badges authorized by the Army Air Forces . The first was the standard Observer Badge, which appeared as an Aviator Badge centered by a large O. For those qualified as Balloon Observers, a separate badge was created which was the Observer Badge augmented by a balloon insignia. The third and final version of the Observer Badge was known as the Technical Observer Badge and appeared as an Aviator Badge centered on a combined T and O design. The Technical Observer Badge was awarded primarily to flight engineering personnel who were assigned as assistants to the Flight Engineer . UNITED STATES NAVY AND MARINE CORPS The Naval Aviation Observer Badge was first created in 1922 and authorized to navigators and other support personnel on multi-person naval aircraft. The original badge was based on the design of the Naval Aviator badge, but with a single left-side wing and a circular "O" surmounting the foul anchor rather than a shield. In 1927 this insignia was superseded by a new device, identical to the Naval Aviator's wings but in silver rather than gold. This in turn was replaced in 1929 by a gold insignia with a center device of a silver anchor within a silver circle. In 1968 the Naval Observer Badge was phased out in favor of the Naval Flight Officer Badge . The insignia was then modified and granted to aviation mission specialists such as Flight Engineers and Meteorologists. In this form, the Naval Observer Badge is still in existence but is rarely referred to be its original name and is more commonly known as the Flight Meteorologist Badge . In the Marine Corps, the decoration is issued to in-flight aircraft support personnel under its original name as the Naval Aviation Observer Badge. OBSERVER TO AIRCREW With the creation of the United States Air Force , aviation observers were phased out and replaced by more highly trained specialists known as Aircrew members. The Aircrew Badge had been created prior to the Second World War , however at that time had only been issued to enlisted personnel. With the Air Force creation of the Officer Aircrew Badge , the Observer Badge was discontinued and declared obsolete with the exception of the Navy's version of the decoration. In the modern U.S. Armed Forces, the Observer Badge is rarely issued but has seen a resurgence in the Air Forces of other countries, most notably the United Kingdom and Canada . REFERENCES Grossnick, Roy A. (1997). ''United States Naval Aviation 1910-1995'', [http://www.history.navy.mil/avh-1910/APP20.PDF Appendix 20]. Washington DC, U.S. Department of the Navy Historical Center. |
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