1) Inofficial name for the insignia of the air force of the
Socialist Commonwealth of Oklahoma during the Second American Civil War. Originally a red outline of the state of Oklahoma with a white star in the middle, it was universally mocked by Oklahomans and enemies alike as '
neither a star nor a roundell nor anything else that would make sense' or '
the red dun-know' before finally settling on '
the red wing-dings' because it was prominently displayed on both upper- and undersides of the left and right wings of the SCO's aircraft while the SCO air force never could agree whether to paint it on the aft fuselage, on the tailplane, on both or just on the wings. To make things even more complicated, as the civil war slowly turned in favor of Oklahoma, and the commonwealth started aquiring Kansas City, South Kansas, the Texas Panhandle and parts of Missouri and Mississippi, the outline of the 'state' on the CSO Air Force logo changed as well and for a while, a new form of the Red Wingdings was adopted sometimes every other week. Until 1939, it was not uncommon to see one flight of CSOAF aircraft each with a different version of the Red Wingdings on their wings. Eventually in 1939 the Commonwealth adopted a new insignia consisting out of a white star over a red Oklahoma state symbol - a Native American feathered shield with two crossed calumets and finally settled on displaying the insignia on the tailplane and the identification numbers on the space between the tail and cockpit. However by that time the term 'Red Wingdings' had stuck.
2) Nickname for the 332 Fighter Group USAF, the former 332 Fighter Group SCO-AF, the famous all-black
Tulsa Volunteers or
Tulsa Airmen. Although upon the SCO joining the United Commonwealth of American States, later to become the New United States of America- AKA the Second Republic- the Oklahome Air Force adopted the USAF 'stars & Bars' for its wing and fuselage markings, the Tulsa Airmen retained the '
white star on a red something' on their tails.
The 'Red Wingdings' 332 Fighter Squadron UCAF/USAF would become famous during the last year of the Second Civil War for never loosing a single bomber of the flights they were send to protect. Its success played a large role in the 1947 desegregation of the Armed Forces and the later piece-by-piece desegregation of the complete US society. The
Red wingdings still survive as the 332nd squadron of the Oklahoma Air National Guard and still retain some variation of the 'red something' on its tails. Although African-American pilots still make up most of its roster, it is however by now completely integrated with large numbers of European-American, Native-American, Latino-American and even Asian-American personnel reflecting the current cultural makeup of the Greater Oklahoman state.
It is currently based at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma City.
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@Plateosaurus )
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