Tote Bag - U.S. Army

Khaki Tote Bag with the Allied Star or Invasion Star and the inscription U.S. Army

Did you know? 

The Allied star, also known as the Invasion star, is an emblematic symbol of the Second World War. First used by the U.S. Army, it was adopted by other Western Allied forces in 1944 and became a ubiquitous symbol of the Allied forces in the liberation of Europe.

Its history dates back to the interwar period, when Americans began to use a white star painted on a round blue background, with a red dot at its center, as a distinctive military emblem. However, when the United States entered the war after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, it became clear that this symbol was too similar to the Japanese Hinomaru, and it was modified to remove the red circle.

The second adaptation of the star occurred during the North African campaign. The use of the star alone soon proved problematic, as it could be mistaken for the German "Balkenkreuz" cross, depending on distance, lighting and dust. To overcome this problem, the U.S. Army created different variations of the symbol. These included white stars with a blue or red background, or a star with a thick yellow or white stripe running around the turret.

In 1943, during the invasion of Sicily, the star was again modified to include a yellow circle around the star, and this version was used during the Italian campaign. In June 1944, during Operation Overlord in Normandy, the circle became white, and a variant of the symbol called the "Lazy Circle" (a star surrounded by a large circle split at the points of the star) appeared.

The Allied Star played a key role in helping Allied forces achieve victory in Europe during the Second World War. It helped prevent incidents of friendly fire and confusion on the battlefield, enabling soldiers and air observers to quickly identify friendly and enemy forces. The star was also used to mark vehicles and equipment captured by Allied forces, to prevent them from being mistaken for enemy vehicles. And, depending on the paint used, the empty areas between the star and the circle could discolor to indicate the presence of vesicant gas. 

After the Second World War, the Allied Star remained an important symbol for the American armed forces, and was used in the Korean and Vietnam wars.