UBB.threads Forums General Militaria Flags, Field Gear, and Miscellaneous Militaria and Regalia Forum WWII Bomber Art

Rich,

Thanks for kicking off this great visual thread - who can resist looking at these killer pin-up girls? Some of the newer ones are exceptional too, but one doesn't get to see much of this type of work on modern aircraft, though, I did find a couple interesting images that I'll add. I think by far the WWII American flyers had the best nose-art going. Who could ever forget the curvaceous "Memphis Belle" and her brave crew?

In general the Luftwaffe didn't have much in the way of luscious ladies, but they also had some bold, very distinctive, colorful nose-art decorating their machines. On page xii of Tom Wittmann's Luftwaffe book, there's an excellent example of an entire skull that drapes the nose of an early WWI, German bomber. Another memorable example of some larger, German airplane art is the famous wasp design that accented the noses of the ME 110's of, Zerst�rergeschwader 1. The 110's also sported a shark-mouth, much like the P-40 Warhawks used in the Pacific Theatre.

As mentioned, the Luftwaffe employed a more traditional, European style - shields, crests, animals and other figures to distinguish their aircraft. What the illustrations lack in comparable size to the US paintings, they make up for in variety. The distinctive "R" monogram of the Richthofen Jagdgeschwader, Udet's little dragon/Tatzelwurm, M�lder's falcon's head and Nowotny's Green-heart squadron, are just a few examples. The list goes on ...

A most enjoyable thread, thanks again fellas!

Bill