How can the U.S. cockade be confused with the Japanese cockade? (1 Viewer)

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João Yazalde

Airman
76
31
Apr 25, 2022
I read that the USA cockade was changed because it could be confused with the Japanese one due to the red circle. But as you can see there is a difference in size between the two. How could someone mistake such a small circle for a Japanese circle? Couldn't he also realize that there was blue color there?
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In the book "30 Seconds Over Tokyo", I think it was mentioned that the B-25s may have been mistaken for Nells. The twin tails and the bright red eye catching dot may have been contributing factors.
I haven't read that in a long time. It could have been from one of Martin Caidin's books.
 
If you dont have a photo it is then a question of how big red circles are, try that on ground troops?
 
Even after the RAAF removed the red from their insignia, friendly fire incidents occurred. American pilots would report engaging Japanese aircraft with subdued markings. This led to the adoption of the star and bar insignia for US aircraft, and the roundel and bar for Commonwealth aircraft in the PTO.
 
Yep, it did happen.
After a bombing mission to Tulagi on 26 June 1942, a Catalina came under attack from an American Navy Grumann Wildcat, the crew of which mistook the Australian aircraft as being Japanese, citing the red centre in its RAAF roundel and its likeness to the Japanese roundel. This would ultimately lead to the RAAF changing their roundel to a blue circle with a white centre.

source The Role of Catalinas in Australia's War in the Pacific | Australian War Memorial
 
All I could find...

May 28th , 1942
Insignia Specification No.24102-K Amend. #3
First major change in 25 years to the "Star-in-Circle" design. The red inner circle device was ordered removed to reduce possible confusion with the Japanese Hinomaru (Meatball) insignia
Is "Star in Circle " the official designation?
 
And in the ETO, US shot british planes and vice versa without anything cockade related (notably the C-54 that was bringing the first dive flap kits for the P-38s, shot by a Spit)
 
The simple answer is that combat often began when planes were hundreds to thousands of yards apart. Gun attacks began at over 100 yards, and identifying one plane from another from front or aft view was truly difficult. Red colors often stick out more than darker colors at distance, so any hint of red might have been a sign to press the attack.
 
In the SWPA the Army units began painting out or reducing the size of the red center as early as March.
 

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