USO Canteen FReeper Style....Nose Art and Pin Ups go to War....May 8,2002

FRiends of the USO Canteen FReeper Style and Snow Bunny

[Snow Bunny]

The practice of personalizing military aircraft with custom artwork began a few years before WWI, and continues to this day. The peak of this practice occurred during WWII, when hundreds of thousands of aircraft were adorned with such artwork, generally painted near the nose of the aircraft... hence the term, "Nose Art."

Often, flight and ground crews wore a smaller version of the artwork painted on the backs of their jackets. Of course, the quality of the artwork varied, from crude to excellent, depending on the skill of the artist.

The sultry, wonderful world of Nose Art is as varied as the individuals who dressed up and decorated the aircraft and the feelings of the men who flew them into combat. Though this variety is staggering, common themes run through them all from World War II to the end of the Korean War when the genre all but left the scene.

Humor, pathos, slogans, girls, cartoons, nicknames, hometowns, girls, patriotism, dishing it to the enemy, warriors, girls, youthful bravado, girls...these transcended nationality as both Allies and Axis pilots went to war in their individually marked chariots. Men at war separated from home, family, loved ones and a familiar way of life sought ways to personalize and escape the very harsh business surrounding them. For the most part they thought about women, represented on the sides of aircraft in the most tender of ways to the most degrading. These men spent many hours longing for the tenderness a woman could bring to their lives...and for the sexual pleasure they could provide. Whether top level commanders ordered it off the aircraft or not, the men let their feelings flow onto their machines.

As their aircraft reflected, fighter pilots of both wars were busy strafing, bombing, hunting for aerial kills and protecting friendly aircraft, airfields, supply lines and troops. But the ground crews were just as busy trying to make sure the aircraft they had generously loaned to the pilot was on the line each day and ready to bring him home. There is never enough credit to be given to these men who worked ten hours for every hour the pilot flew.

The fame and glory attached to the pilot over shadowed his faithful ground ponders, but this usually did not prevent the enlisted men and officers from becoming devoted friends. Each needed the other to make the mission successful, and a pilot's crew would experience as much pride for a victory, knowing they were behind the guns as well. As a result, nose art was often the choice of the ground crew rather than the pilot. Some units made room for both by having the pilot's art on the left side and the ground crew's on the right.

Unique among fighters, the P-38 Lightning had three noses to adorn, allowing a separate canvas for the pilot, crew chief, armorer and radio man.

Pin Ups.......

The Professor is trying to give you a more scientific explanation of how this kind of cheesecake affected the average American soldier.

World War II pinups appeared in many forms, from fighter and bomber nose art and bomber jacket art to calendars, postcards, matchbooks, and playing cards. The term pinup was coined during World War II, when soldiers would "pin up" these idealized pictures on their barracks and foxhole walls, and sailors did the same to lockers and bulkheads. There were photos of Betty Grable and Rita Hayworth and Lana Turner, and hundreds of other calendar girls and Hollywood starlets whose only claim to fleeting fame was their image seared into a GI's brain from a ragged page of YANK or Esquire magazine.

"Servicemen soon began to create their own pinup art, decorating the noses of their planes and their bomber jackets with more primitive paintings of shapely babes."

Betty Grable as she appeared in a map-reading manual. This image was used to get pilots used to reading map grids.

An early centerfold featuring Dorothy Lamour, "... the No. 1 pinup girl of the U.S. Army."

Nose art was a popular morale builder, it ranged from tame cartoon characters to some really "RACEY" women.

It must be remembered that these men were young, at war, and homesick at times. The names of mothers, girlfriends and colorful limericks were often the inspiration for this unique art form. These pictures and captions are published here for historical value, exactly as they appeared on the planes.

[SAMWolf]

[Victoria Delsoul]

Wow! Sassy, you're looking great.

[MistyCA]

What a neat idea for a thread! Thanks for all your work, Bunny! :)

[Victoria Delsoul]

Hey, if male pilots use sexy female pinups and nose art what do the women use?

Here is one for you. :-)

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning, Victoria.
I'm sure there's a jet jocky somewhere who wouldn't mind putting one of your images on the nose of his aircraft.

[MistyCA]

Thanks for the information about domania. Maybe I will give it a try to see if it makes a difference in whether or not you can capture my animations. Might help me figure out what the problem is.

[SAMWolf]

Computer-drawn decals replace hand-painted nose art



MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Senior Airman Felix Irving III, 5th Maintenance Squadron, stands in front of the 23rd Bomb Squadron's flagship, the "Bomber Baron," which sports the new computer-drawn nose art Irving designed. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Arable Finch)

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. (ACCNS) -- Aircraft structural troops in the 5th Maintenance Squadron are putting a new twist on an age-old tradition of personalizing the base's B-52 force.

Using leading-edge computerized equipment, people in the unit are creating distinctive artwork to decorate the noses of Minot's bomber force.

Computer-drawn decals are starting to replace the hand-drawn designs on the front of the bombers - a tradition carried on since World War II.

As part of their daily duties, troops with the aircraft structural maintenance shop are already responsible for applying the aircraft markings that denote the aircraft's serial number and home station. As a way to highlight the pride Minot's maintenance community shares in keeping the Air Force's oldest bombers in the air, the shop's troops add nose art on each bomber. The pictures illustrate specific events or places in military history or pay tribute to fallen heroes.

"Since these designs are often steeped in history, [the art] elicits a heightened sense of pride in our aircraft ... for all those who work on them, as well as the general American public," said Master Sgt. Kathy Kinney, noncommissioned officer in charge of the squadron's structural maintenance shop.

For years, maintainers used paint, stencils and long hours to transform artists' creativity into works of art. Weather and age took their toll on images over time, and the art would disappear altogether each time the bombers received a scheduled repainting or deployed to certain locations overseas.

Using decals instead of hand-laid paint offers plenty of advantages, Kinney said. The vinyl markings are cheaper and faster to produce and easy to replace. Since it doesn't use paint, the new system eliminates hazardous materials and improves air quality, she added.

The decals boast a sharper, distinct image that gives the art much stronger impact, Kinney said.

"We also have the ability to easily re-apply any nose art," she said. Repainting was sometimes held up for months until a qualified person was found to redraw art.

The structural maintenance shop recently debuted its new nose art when Staff Sgt. Joseph Johnson, Senior Airman Felix Irving III and Airman 1st Class Brad Haines applied the first nose art decal to the 23rd Bomb Squadron's flagship, the "Bomber Baron." Irving, who led the project, spent many hours working on the computer to transform a hand-drawn picture into a graphic artwork that was printed on an adhesive decal.

With the first aircraft finished, the airman continues to invest many hours to immortalize the wing's remaining bomber nose art by gradually turning them into decals.

By Tech. Sgt. Brian Orban

[Victoria Delsoul]

Mornin', Sam!

LOL! Don't give them any ideas.

[Pippin]

Thank YOU! WOW!

[MistyCA]

Good morning, 4! IMagine you will be long gone by the time this is posted! :)

[Mr_Magoo]

The "Lets Roll" Nose Art you posted in #54 is the image I have on my computer as the wallpaper. I started using it as soon as it was available.

[Pippin]

Sure! wich do you want? 8o)

[MistyCA]

Morning Meek....glad to see you here enjoying the subject matter! LOL :)

[Pippin]

I pick #2!LOL

[Pippin]

That's right, Sam, Us women need oue eye-candy too!

[MistyCA]

LOL...there's that name...Veronica Lake. Someone once told me I look like her but I never had a clue who she was so I just asked where it was. So who is Veronica Lake? :)

[MistyCA]

Morning Sassy. How are you doing today?

[Pippin]

I would have to choose green!LOL

[MistyCA]

Morning Clara! No, no...not Tom Cruise! How about Mel Gibson? John Wayne? Clint Eastwood? How about a real man! LOL...:)

[MeekOneGOP]

Mornin'! Yeah......... Whut's cookin', good lookin'?? :O)