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]

Not all nose art depicted scantily clad women

[SassyMom]

Hey there! The house is as clean as it is going to get for this day! WOOHOO!!!! I can play for a little while, until it is time to fix dinner. :)

Victoria, you are looking TERRIFIC today!

SassyMom

[Victoria Delsoul]

Thanks Sassy.

Nice to see you back. You're looking great, too!

[Snow Bunny]

Hi, great to see you. Thanks so much.

Love the plane and the paint job.Fantastic.

Go Marines!

[Snow Bunny]

Hi Delta, good to see you.

Here is what you were looking for...It is wonderful too.

Have a great day my friend.

Snow Bunny

[Snow Bunny]

Hi mdittmar, thanks so much. Thanks for your post too.

[Snow Bunny]

Veronica Lake was wonderful, she had a great look.I love the old movies, they were the best,. except for a selected few over the years.

Thanks T B . It is always so good to see you.

Thank you again for serving our country!!!

Snow Bunny

[Snow Bunny]

Hi Sam, thank you so much for the Let's Roll. I could not find it and I am sure I saved it. I have too many storage places. LOL

A BIG thank you !!!

[Snow Bunny]

HI Sassy. I love your patriotic bikini....you look wonderful.giggle..these are such fun.

Have a fabulous day!!!

[HiJinx]

Interesting photo, and the caption reads, in part, "an unidentified soldier..."

Look along the bottom edge of the photo, just left of center. See the green stole and gold cross? The unidentified soldier is the chaplain.

Praise God that our military doesn't believe in the separation of church and state....

[Snow Bunny]

Victoria, these are so fantastic. I love the one with the slinky 30's /40's dress.

Wouldn't it be fantastic to have some clothes like that.

My favorite is the white satin, like Jean Harlow was known for. LOL I don't sew, and a few years ago I even had a seamstress make one for me.heh heh....

I LOVE the things you post sooooo much.

[Snow Bunny]

Thank you so much. It is always good to hear from you Cuttnhorse in Chillie.

Have great day.

[Snow Bunny]

Hi Archy it is sooo good to see you. I know how busy you are my friend.

Thanks so much for all the great pictures!!!

Snow Bunny

[Snow Bunny]

WOW ! Those firemen! WHOA !!!

Hi Misty, I hope you are feeling better today.I am so glad you are here.

[Snow Bunny]

Hi Lodwick, great to see you.Thank you sooo much for the wonderful pictures. That was such a GREAT era. I wish I had been around then. I love the clothes and style soooo much.

Have a great day and thanks again so much.

Snow Bunny

[Victoria Delsoul]

Thank you, Bunny, hehehe. I have a lot of fun, too.

I have to leave now, but I'll back later. :-)

[SAMWolf]

Not Nose Aart, but a cartoon about my beloved Warthog.

">

[Snow Bunny]

Hi T Man!!! ( Big smile) So good to see you. I just love the WW11 era and am so glad they are doing nose art again now. It really does help the morale of the troops and there are so many good artists in our military too.

Have a great day T Man.((( hug )))

Snow Bunny

[Snow Bunny]

Hi G'nad, good to see you. giggle....yes that is what FallGuy calls it too...."Eye Candy".heh heh

Have a wonderful day my friend.

[Jen]

Incoming email!