Displayed is a collection of eleven (11) United States Army Air Force patches, plus two additional military patches, for the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division and the United States Air Force's Air Transport Division. With the United States politicians and the U.S. Army aware that it was likely that the United States would soon become involved in World War II, the U. S. Army Air Force was created on June 20, 1941, by an Act of Congress, which resulted in making the U.S. Army's previous aerial warfare arm, the U.S. Army Air Corps, subordinate to the just created Army Air Force. In 1941, the U.S. Army Air Force had 152,125 men and 6,777 aircraft. 

The colors of the U.S. Army Air Force were ultramarine blue and golden orange, and this color combination appears on all of the offered Army Air Force patches and adds great eye appeal. In the offered collection of World War II U.S. Army Air Force patches: 1) Four (4) WW II US 20th AIR FORCE sleeve insignia patches - includes the number "20" embroidered in white, and wings in golden orange. 2) Two (2) WW II Army Air Forces shoulder sleeve insignia - this patch has a diameter of approx. 2.5". It has a white star with a red circle in the middle and golden orange wings. 3) One (1) WW II U.S. Army Eleventh Air Force (Alaska) - with a winged white star with a red circle inside it and the number "11." 4) One (1) WW II U.S. Army Twelfth Air Force (North Africa/Mediterranean) - a white star with a red circle inside it and golden orange wings. In the shape of a triangle, each side measures 3". 5) One Army Air Force (South Pacific). 6) One (1) United States Air Force Air Transport Service (with a stylized globe, wings, and three arrows). 7) One (1) U.S. Army Air Corps 14th Air Force (a tiger and a white star with a red circle at the star's center. It has a 2.5" diameter. 8) U.S. Army 13th Air Force (South Pacific). As World War II moved along, concern grew that the white star with the red circle used by the U.S. Army Air Force was too similar to the Japanese flag, and eventually newer patches did not have the red circle inside the white star. The patches served two main purposes: 1) In the chaos and confusion of battle, the patches served as a quick way to distinguish personnel. 2) The attractive patches were morale boosters for the service members, and the patches fostered a sense of unit camaraderie. On September 18, 1947, the U.S. Army Air Force and Air Corps were absorbed into a new, totally separate branch of the armed services, the Air Force.

The condition of the patches varies. Some seem to have never been worn. Others show substantial wear. Some of the used patches have loose threads, and some minor loss of color. The Army 101st Airborne patch seems to have been cut or torn from a shirt or jacket. Military personnel and civilians have long collected service patches, and the offered service patches help to vividly recall the story of America's combat air service during World War II.