Nose art
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nose art is a painting or design done on the fuselage near the nose of a warplane, usually for decorative purposes. Nose art is a form of aircraft graffiti.
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[edit] History
The practice of putting personalized decorations on fighting aircraft originated with Italian and German pilots. The first recorded piece of nose art was a sea monster painted on the nose of an Italian flying boat in 1913. This was followed by the popular tradition of painting mouths underneath the propeller spinner, initiated by the German pilots in World War I, and exemplified by the cavallino of Francesco Baracca. After these beginnings, though, most nose art was conceived and produced by the aircraft ground crews, not the pilots.
Some World War I examples became famous, including the "Hat in the Ring" of the USAAF 94h Aero Squadron (attributed to Lt. Johnny Wentworth)[1] or the "Kicking Mule" of the 95th Aero Squadron. This followed the official policy, established by the AEF's Chief of the Air Service, Brigadier Benjamin Foulois, on 6 May 1918, insisting units have their own distinct, readily identifiable insigne.[2] Nose art was not common practice during Depression-era Army Air Corps austerity, but it would be during the global crisis of World War II that the practice of naming aircraft florished, with some merely christened, others artistically adorned with cartoons and pin-ups. Puns and references to popular culture were common subjects.[3]
While the nose art in World War I were mainly embellished or extravagant squadron insignia, true nose art started to occur in World War II, which is considered the golden age of nose art by many observers, with both Axis and Allied pilots taking part. At the height of the war, nose-artists were in very high demand in the Army Air Force and were paid quite well for their services while AAF officials tolerated the nose art in an effort to boost the morale of the crew. The U.S. Navy, by contrast, prohibited nose art. In RAF or RCAF service, in addition, nose art seems not to have been commonplace.
The work was done by professional civilian artists as well as talented amateur servicemen. In 1941, for instance, 39th Pursuit Squadron had a Bell Aircraft artist design and paint an attractive "Cobra in the Clouds" logo.[4] Early in 1943, as the 39th distinguished itself in becoming the first American squadron in their theatre with 100 kills, unit pride and esprit de corps led to the adoption of a "shark's teeth" motif for their P-38s.[5]
Lack of restraint, combined with the stresses of war and high probability of death, resulted in a volume and excellence of nose art yet to be repeated.
Due to changes in military policies and changing attitudes toward representation of women, the amount of nose art has been in steady decline since the Korean War. Nose art underwent a revival, however, during Operation Desert Storm and has been going strong since Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The United States Air Force had unofficially sanctioned the return of the pin-up, albeit fully clothed, with Strategic Air Command permitting nose art on its bomber force in the last years of SAC. The continuation of historic names such as the Memphis Belle was tradition. Special Operations Squadrons routinely named AC-130 gunships, usually with names of vengeance ("Thor", "Azrael - Angel of Death"). The flying skeleton with a mini-gun logo, applied to many aircraft, was the unofficial gunship badge until after the conclusion of the war in Southeast Asia, but was later adopted officially.
Nose art is largely a military tradition, but airliners operated by the airlines of Virgin Group feature "Virgin Girls" on the nose as part of their livery.
Because of its individual, unofficial nature, it is considered folk art, inseparable from work as well as representative of a group.[6] It can also be compared to sophisticated graffiti. In both cases, the artist, by and large, is anonymous, and the art itself is ephemeral. In addition, it relies on materials immediately available.[7] In a few cases, the artist has been identified. Tony Starcer was the resident artist for the 91st Bomb Group (H), one of the initial six bomb groups fielded by the Eighth Air Force between November 1942 and May 1943, four with B-17Fs and two with B-24Ds. Starcer painted over a hundred pieces of renown B-17 nose art including the Memphis Belle. A commercial artist from Chicago named Brinkman was responsible for the zodiac-themed nose art of the Liberator-equipped 834th Bomb Squadron.
[edit] Purpose
While begun for practical reasons of identifying friend from foe, the practise evolved, with benefits to morale, in expressing pride, relieving the uniform anonymity of the military, offering comfort by recalling home or peacetime life, and as a kind of fetish against enemy action. The appeal, in part, came from nose art being officially disapproved, even when the regulations were not rigorously enforced (or not at all).[8][9]
[edit] Subject matter
Source material was widely varied, from pinup (such as Rita Hayworth) and fashion to patriotism (Yankee Doodle) and fictional heroes (Sam Spade) to lucky symbols (dice or cards) and cartoons to the inevitable (Death or the Grim Reaper),[10] with the toons and pin-ups being most popular (among American artists, at least). Other popular topics included animals, nicknames, hometowns, and popular song and movie titles. The Luftwaffe did not use much nose art, but Mickey Mouse adorned a Condor Legion Bf-109 during the Spanish Civil War. The Soviet Air Force decorated their planes with imagery of history, mythical beasts, and patriotic motifs.
The farther the planes and crew were from headquarters or from the public eye, the racier the art tended to be.[11] For instance, nudity was more prevalent with aircraft based in the South Pacific than in England. [12]
[edit] Famous examples
The shark's teeth, commonly attributed to the AVG, were actually introduced by 112 (Kittyhawk) Squadron, RAF, in the desert during 1942.[13]
Enola Gay, the Boeing B-29 of Colonel Paul W. Tibbets, was based on Tinian beginning in April 1945.
Oberstleutnant Werner Mölders flew a yellow-nosed Bf-109F2 while with JG 51 during June 1941.
[edit] Photos
 SPAD S.XIII of 94h Aero at USAF Museum |
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 B-17 "Liberty Belle" |
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 Bf-109E at Deutsches Museum |
 P-39Q |
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 Messerschmitt Bf-109F2 of Oberstleutnant Werner Mölders, JG51, June 1941 |
 Focke-Wulf Fw190A-3 of Hauptmann Hans "Assi" Hahn, JG2 |
 Bf-109F4/trop of Hauptmann Hans-Joachim Marseille, 3./JG27, September 1942 |
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 North American B-25 Mitchell at Niederrhein Airport |
 B-25J "Super Rabbit" at Evergreen Museum |
 B-25J "Briefing Time" |
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 B-25J-35 |
 "Miss Patricia", September 1943 |
 P-51 "Cincinnati Miss" |
 P-51 in Korea |
 P-51 "Big Beautiful Doll" in Imperial War Museum |
 B-29 "Bock's Car", which dropped the second atomic bomb |
 "Bock's Car" profile |
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 B-29 carrying X-1 |
 Captain Charles E. Yeager with X-1 "Glamorous Glennis" |
 Joe Walker with X-1E "Little Joe" |
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 North American F-86 "MIG Mad Marine", inspired by John H. Glenn's in Korea |
 Boeing CH-47 Chinook from Company F, "River City Hookers", 106th Aviation, Iowa Army National Guard during Operation Iraqi Freedom |
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 F-14 of VF-213 "Black Lions" |
 F-14 of VF-101 "Grim Reapers" |
 F-14 of VF-31 "Tomcatters" at Oceania NAS (Felix the Cat on the tail) |
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 Tomcatter aboard Vinson |
 VMFA(AW)-332 "Moonlighters" |
 Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 "English Rose" (G-VROS) |
The largest collection of World War II nose art may be found at the Confederate Air Force Museum in Harlingen, Texas.[14]
[edit] References
- ^ http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/
- ^ http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/
- ^ http://http://parentseyes.arizona.edu/militarynoseart/overview3.htm
- ^ http://www.humboldt1.com/~outcast26/Hist-Sumary.htm
- ^ http://www.humboldt1.com/~outcast26/Hist-Sumary.htm
- ^ Griffith
- ^ http://http://parentseyes.arizona.edu/militarynoseart/overview3.htm
- ^ http://http://parentseyes.arizona.edu/militarynoseart/overview3.htm
- ^ Ethell, p.14
- ^ http://http://parentseyes.arizona.edu/militarynoseart/overview3.htm
- ^ Military Aircraft Nose Art: An American Tradition article at "Through Our Parents' Eyes" web site
- ^ Nose art article at University of Arizona web site
- ^ McDowell, p.8-9
- ^ http://http://parentseyes.arizona.edu/militarynoseart/overview3.htm
- Campbell, John M. & Donna, War Paint. Shrewsbury, 1990
- Chinnery, Philip, Desert Boneyard: Davis Monthan A.F.B. Arizona. Osceola, Wisconsin: Motorbooks, International, 1987.
- Cohan, Phil, "Risque Business." Air and Space 5 (Apr.-May 1990):62-71.
- Davis, Larry, Planes, Names and Dames: 1940-1945. Vol. 1. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1990.
- Davis, Larry, Planes, Names and Dames: 1946-1960. Vol. 2. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1990.
- Davis, Larry, Planes, Names and Dames: 1955-1975. Vol. 3. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1990.
- Dorr, Robert F., Fighting Colors: Glory Days of U.S. Aircraft Markings. Osceola, Wisconsin: Motorbooks International, 1990.
- Ethell, Jeffrey L., The History of Aircraft Nose Art: World War I to Today. Osceola, Wisconsin: Motorbooks International, 1991.
- Fugere, Jerry, Desert Storm B-52 Nose Art. Tucson, AZ: J. Fugere, 1999.
- Logan, Ian, Classy Chassy. New York: W. W. Visual Library, 1977.
- March, Peter R., Desert Warpaint. London: Osprey Aerospace, 1992.
- McDowell, Ernest R., The P-40 Kittyhawk at War. New York: Arco Publishing, 1968.
- O'Leary, Michael D., "Disney Goes to War!" Air Classics 32, no. 5 (1996): 40-42, 45-51.
- Valant, Gary M., Vintage Aircraft Nose Art. Osceola, Wisconsin: Motorbooks International, 1987.
- Walker, Randy, Painted Ladies. West Chester, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 1992.
- Walker, Randy, More Painted Ladies. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 1994.
[edit] External links
