The 1942 U.S. Air Force Medal, the so-called "air medal"

The original medal is in excellent condition. Bronze, stamping. Guarantee of authenticity.

Air Force Medal (USA) (English Air Medal) A high-grade military award, which is an ornament of the US Armed Forces. The award was established on May 11, 1942, and is awarded to the military for achievements and heroism during service in the Air Force. The Medal for Distinguished Service in the United States Air Force was established by Order 9158 signed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt on May 11, 1942. The award was awarded to members of the United States Air Force for services in combat on September 8, 1939. The initial criteria for awarding the U.S. Air Force Medal were on September 25, 1942, in a letter on military policy. The award was awarded:

• for each destroyed warship or three enemy aircraft. At the same time, all crew members were presented for the destruction of a naval vessel, while only the pilot and the gunner of an artillery piece were presented for the aircraft.


• for 25 combat flights in danger of being hit by enemy fire.


• for 100 combat flights without the threat of enemy fire.

The award criteria were changed by the commanders of the air army in order to meet the conditions of military operations and maintain the morale of military personnel. For example, the Flight Merit Cross is usually awarded to up to five times more employees than the Air Force Medal. Over time, this led to the fact that both medals were awarded for personal contribution to the performance of a certain number of combat missions, and not for outstanding services and bravery, as originally intended. Awards for participation in combat flights were canceled according to the memorandum of the Air Force Personnel Award Board, signed on August 5, 1943. This helped to avoid situations when a serviceman was presented with an award for participating in five or more flights, and then for moral and ethical reasons, in some cases for inappropriate behavior, he was dismissed from service in the air force.

During the Second World War, the award criteria varied depending on the type of military operations, the number of flights carried out and the quality of the tasks assigned. It was believed that in Europe, the airspace was completely under enemy control, which complicated air defense. This led to a change in the criteria for awarding the award. The crews of reconnaissance vessels (bombers, transport planes, photo reconnaissance) received an award for five sorties, fighter pilots received an award for each downed enemy aircraft. In the skies over the Pacific Ocean and in China, military crews spent most of their time in uncontrolled airspace, which did not pose a particular threat to flights. Therefore, for pilots who flew in these zones, the award criteria were significantly overstated. For example, the pilot of the US anti-submarine patrol could count on a reward after spending a total of 200 hours in the air.

A serviceman can be presented with an award for excellent service in the Air Force according to several criteria: for personal achievements during service, for bravery shown during military operations, for merits in a combat zone. First of all, the medal is awarded to active crew members, or persons who, by their nature of service, are required to take part in flights on a regular basis. The award can also be given to employees who perform a special task with the help of aviation, but who are not crew members. This is possible if these individuals have made a significant contribution to achieving high results during land or air combat.

In a letter from the Secretary of War dated March 9, 1942, the Secretary proposed to adopt a government order establishing the United States Air Force Medal to reward any person who, while serving in any branch of the United States Army, distinguishes himself by commendable achievement by participating in an air flight.

The United States Air Force Medal was authorized by President Roosevelt in accordance with Government Order 9158, dated May 11, 1942, and established a reward for "any person who, while serving in any branch of the United States Military, distinguished himself by meritorious achievement by participating in an air flight." The permit was announced in the Military Bulletin of the Department Number 25, dated May 25 1942. Government Order 9242-A, dated September 11, 1942, corrected the previous Government Order to read "in any kind of troops or in compatibility with the Army."

For repeated rewards, metal oak leaves were used, which were attached to the ribbon. But the number of repeated rewards was so great that the ribbon simply could not hold so many oak leaves. Then, by special order, from September 1968, the number of repeated rewards began to be indicated in numbers.