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| First Marine Aviation Force |
QmSgt John J. Engelhardt, USMCR
(1896-unknown) |
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Acquisition Number: 1976.3116.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Status: Reproduction Available - Click Here
Commanding officer of the 1st Marine Aviation Force Maj Alfred A. Cunningham called for the design of a unique emblem for the unit shortly after its arrival in France. QmSgt John Engelhardt and Sgt James Nicholson created the winning design, which featured the red, white, and blue roundel (the national aircraft insignia then used on all U.S. aircraft) in lieu of the globe in this art-deco-inspired variant of the standard USMC emblem. Engelhardt and Nicholson’s emblem, which was used only on the aircraft flown by the four squadrons of the 1st Marine Aviation Force during World War I, was the earliest known officially approved unit insignia in U.S. naval aviation.
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