Gunner Badge

The Aerial Gunner Badge was a military aeronautical badge of the United States Army Air Forces and was issued during the Second World War.

The badge was first created and authorized on April 29, 1943[1] to recognize both the training and hazardous duty of aerial gunners, who manned defensive machineguns on board such aircraft as the B-17, B-24, B-25, B-26 and B-29 bombers.

It was primarily awarded to USAAF enlisted aircrewmen, but a small number of commissioned officers also qualified and were awarded this insignia, to include film actor Clark Gable.

[2] The Aerial Gunner Badge was issued until 1953, in the newly created United States Air Force (1947).

[3] Beyond this, there was no badge displayed on the uniform to denote one as an aerial gunner.