americans-30.jpg

WORLD WAR I LAFAYETTE ESCADRILLE INDIAN HEAD INSIGNIA, 1917. SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM A19630014000
Before the Americans officially entered World War I in 1917, a group of volunteer American aviators flew for the French military in a special squadron called the Lafayette Escadrille. When the U.S. officially joined the war, the “escadrille,” or squadron, was disbanded and the aviators folded into the American military.

This squadron adopted a dramatic Indian head insignia to distinguish themselves from airmen of other nationalities and painted it on their biplanes. The emblem was likely based on the logo of the Savage Arms company, which was named for its founder, Arthur Savage.

Image courtesy Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum