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The US Navy and the US Army Air Force jointly determined the national insignia. - Unlike other markings, it was changed as quickly as possible.  Time sequence:

Colors:

First of all, the number of the squadron was dropped. The opponent was not supposed to know which aircraft carrier and squadron he was dealing with. The letter that indicated the purpose of the mission was therefore superfluous and was then also omitted. This left only the individual number of the aircraft. It was left to the fleet commanders to decide how to mark the aircraft in their area.

From the middle of the war, an additional recognition system, geometric signs on the vertical stabilizer, appeared. Not ordered, actually illegal, but effective when it came to recognition at long distances.

The profiles at the bottom of this page show the development over time. Markings seen on escort carrier aircraft see page "CVE markings".
 

See below for details:
 

• Identification marking consisting of squadron number, letter of mission (i.e. fighter), individual aircraft number; lettering in 12 inches; individual numer repeated on trailing edge of the wing near the fuselage, optional on motor cowling and/or leading edge of the wing near the fuselage; all lettering in "block style" (edges canted 45°).
• National insignia on the fuselage between trailing edge of the wing and leading edge of the horizontal stabiliser, size 24 inches.
• Branch (NAVY oder MARINES) centered over serial number on the fin, model designation (i.e. F4F-3) centered on the rudder in the same hight as the serial; lettering 1 inch (2,54 cm). This part of the markings remained constant  throughout the war.
• Inscriptions in "Block Style", i.e. vertical and horizontal lines with 45° bevelled corners. System unchanged until end of war.

At about the same time also a change from black to white.

The previously specified location in front of the national emblem is no longer considered mandatory.

Numbering now also visible in blocks, e.g. 100+ fighters, 200+ torpedo bombers, 300+ dive bombers.

In August 1943 the first operational F6F-3 Hellcats embarked with VF-5 aboard CV-10 Yorkwown showed a white oblique stripe one the vertical tail. Not leading upwards from front to rear (the common aid for the landing signal officer), but canting down. A pure squadron marking without any official approvement. But somehow the idea stuck, VF-2 on board CV-2 Hornet followed with a white dot, "Essex"-based aircraft used a thin horizontal line. But beware! These markings were not assigned to a certain carrier!  Application was entirely in the decision of the Squadron- or Air Group commander. So well into 1944 some units had no such insigina, whereas others were more inventive.

Why such markings though off limits were tolerated by the Navy may have had practical reasons. As more and more carriers appeared, being grouped in so called "Task Units" and "-Groups" chances rose that single aircraft joined the wrong formation. This was especially important after the attack, as a pilot landing on the wrong carrier had to endure some roguish treatment on the one he landed on and on his home carrier after his return as well. So a formation aid was needed, the "G-Symbol" acting as a "club logo". In example during the operation "Galvanic", occupation of the Gilbert Islands from 11/13 - 12/08/1943, 19 aircraft carriers were involved (6 fleet carriers, 5 light carriers and 8 escort carriers).

Contrary to some publications these tail markings said nothing about the affiliation to a certain carrier. They were the markings of a specific squadron. Whether other squadrons on board followed or not was their decision.

As "G-Symbols" were invented on squadron level without official approvement they followed the squadron when it was assigned to another carrier (i.e. VF-20 from "Enterprise" to "Lexington"). Furthermore a carrier could show one squadron with a tail marking while the other wasn't decorated this way: While the Avengers of the VT-19 showed an upside down triangle, the Hellcats of the VF-19 were satisfied with a small number behind the cockpit.  Also on CVL-23 "Princeton" and CVL-28 "Cabot" markings of VF- and VT- aircraft differed.  SBD Dauntlesses - if  embarked - generally did not use such a marking, the only exception being Air Group 1 on board CV-10 "Yorktown" 6/1944.

Last not least "G-Symbols" weren't constant. When assigned to CV-10 Yorktown VF-1 adopted the oblique stripe of VF-5, but added the letter "K" (reason unknown). On CVL-28 the G-Symbol of VT- 31 in 7/1944 was quite different to that of VF-29 seen 10/1944. On Escort Carriers a wealth of tail markings could be seen.

In January 1945, a new system established by the Bureau of Aeronautics was mandatory for all Pacific aircraft carriers (to be seen in the 1945 page).

Last but not least (for modelers): For carrier aircraft, there was only one emergency landing site on land: the newly conquered Tacloban airfield on the Philippine island of Leyte, at the end of October 1944.  And this only for the FM-2 Wildcats and TBM Avengers of the escort carriers hit by Kamikazes. In all other cases before and after, if you didn't make it back, you had to go into the water.

Pofiles at the end of this page show when and how "G-Symbols" were used 1943-1944.

Aircraft deployed in the Atlantic had only black numbers above their gray-white paint scheme and were therefore easily recognized as such.

Aircraft with letter+number identification (at left "R18") were stationed on land at a Naval Air Station (NAS). If seen on board a carrier, either only briefly for training purposes or - as in the case of the CVE-107 "Gilbert Islands" - to replenish a shortfall in the onboard squadron with a prompt overpainting of the NAS identification.
 
 The pre-war identification - number+letter purpose+number - indicates that this unit had to go through the so-called "shake down cruise" at a Naval Air Station (here 89th Fighter-Squadron, 34th aircraft). The task was to form squadron and pilot into one unit, fit for the mission. . This also included successfully completing the prescribed number of landings in order to be approved for carrier deployment.

* Standard letters: "F" Fighter, "T" Torpedo Bomber, "S" Scout-Dive Bomber", "B" Bomber (for SB2C instead of S)
 

The question why the US Navy did not have colorfully painted aircraft with names or other inscriptions is easily answered: Every plane of a squadron belonged either to nobody or to everybody. In the Navy it was considered state property and what you don't own, you are not allowed to paint. Because nobody had a personal machine, personal decoration was not possible and moreover forbidden.
The ban on personal machines and inscriptions had its cause in the carrier operation, the narrowness on deck and below. It would have been far too time-consuming, i.e. not possible, to pick out and rearrange individual machines according to the starting grid. Incidentally, in a squadron there were more pilots than aircraft .

Photos of David McCampbell's "Minsi III" and others by no means contradict this. Here a press campaign for the sale of so-called "War Bonds" was in the background. The planes were therefore supposed to suit the supposed taste of the audience. Another category is aircraft where names or decorations were only attached for photo shoots, but then removed again. That this was the case is not apparent from the photos.

How a press photo was taken is best shown by the photograph of Maj. Gregory "Pappy" Boyington in Corsair No. 86, the photographer's aim being to show Boyington as a war hero with 20 kills. However, since there was no "plane of Maj. Boyington" anywhere (he refused any decoration in order not to draw attention to himself), the closest aircraft was simply provided with appropriate stickers, "Lulu" was written on it and, to make everything clear, his name with rank was also written on it. In the result a fake, a so decorated No. 86 never flew.

Concerning George H.W. Bush and his "Barbara" named Avenger see:

Kill flags: Although decoration, they were tolerated by the Navy as "morale boosters" and their appearance and size were even fixed. But since no one on board owned their own aircraft, personal kill markings made little sense. Photos showing a pilot in the aircraft with the corresponding number of launch flags were posed shots for the family album. Mostly the usual place for kill markings of any kind was on the "scoreboard" of the aircraft carrier island.

The drawing of a Hellcat below left - corresponding to a (copyright) photo - shows an unusual variation. On the one hand swastikas are to be seen, on the other hand two different names behind them. The real background: On the occasion of the invasion of Southern France, two He 111s were shot down with the Hellcat No. 8 of the VOF-1 (see profile below) on August 20, 1944 and two Ju 52s on August 21, 1944. But on each day by a different pilot (Ens.A.R.Wood or Lt(jg) E.W.Olszewski).

To prevent misunderstandings:

There are always and everywhere exceptions. So also with the Navy, where sometime something appeared which was was not supposed to be seen. But to generalize that would be a mistake.

The bans on carrier operations did not apply to aircraft on land, especially not to the Marine Corps (Marines). Here one could certainly attach name inscriptions, launch stickers and "nose art". The full decoration program on an aircraft carrier could even be seen on the CVE-107 "Gilbert Island" (see "Corsair Markings"/"TBM Markings" in Website "Adamsplanes.com".

So there was nothing against the decoration of Boyington's Fake-Corsair, since he was not a member of the Navy, but of the Marine Corps VMF-214.

Also the Corsairs of the VF-17 of the Navy with inscriptions on the vertical tail ("The Hog" etc.) were not covered by the prohibition of inscriptions, because they were land based like all two and three colored Corsairs of the Marines.

For the Marine Corps see below.

The fact that Navy aviators would have liked to have had a decoration à la USAAF can be seen from the spectacular decoration on the (originally still three-colored) VF-27's Hellcats, which was created before the mission. However, when CVL-23 "Princeton" was severely damaged by a bomb hit on Oct. 24, 1944 and the airborne VF-27 aircraft (now in "Glossy Sea Blue") had to land on the CV-9 "Essex", the local "Skipper" discovered disfigurement of government property. Mouth and eyes had to be painted over immediately.

If somewhere Nose Art may have been seen, then only in a small version and as a (rare) exception to the rule.

Also in the Marines Nose Art was rarely seen.  There aircraft were rather considered as working tools..

If you believe some media, you can easily get the impression that the war in the Pacific was fought by the ÚS Navy alone. In fact, the Marine Corps  played an equally important role. The battles for Guadalcanal and the other Solomon Islands from 1942 to fall 1943 were fought mainly by the Marines infantery and air arm (not to belittle the support of US Navy, Army and Commonwealth contingents).

Naturally the conquest and occupation of enemy positions remained the responsibility of the Marines infantery, but in late 1943 the U.S. Navy's aircraft carriers took over the preparation and support of the landing. Further on the task of the Marines' aircraft was to secure the hinterland. Unspectacular, but necessary.

In 1945, however, most aircraft carriers also had on board at least one Marine fighter-bomber squadron equipped with F4U-1C and -D Corsair. Externally they were indistinguishable from those of the Navy. In mid-1945 the Marines even received own CVE aircraft carriers, but combat participation was very short if any.

In their paint scheme, the Marines' planes were completely similar to those of the Navy, because they had been obtained from there. For the rest, however, although organizationally subordinated to the US Navy, they were relatively independent, as can be seen from their ranks (Lieutenant instead of Ensign, Captain instead of Lieutenant, and so on).

In contrast to the Navy, the appearance of an airplane did not enjoy top priority with the Marines. Whatever you had was used until it was beyond repair. In addition to the national emblem, which was sometimes updated quite provisionally, they were content with two or three digit numbers in "block style" on the fuselage or engine cowling.

In the absence of appropriate air battles and thus kill opportunities, kill markings were rare. Only "Pappy" Boyington achieved a certain popularity with his VMF-214 (the "M" in the squadron designation stands for "Marines"), although strictly speaking, the VMF-214's mission was "merely" to decimate remnants of Japanese aircraft on Rabaul; the majority of his kills had been achieved before the war in China.

In later years of the war rarely seen on carrier planes.