Nose Art, A WWII “Artistic” Staple
According to the Wikipedia article on the subject, Italian and German pilots were the first to put nose art on their planes starting as early as 1913. The practice reached its zenith during World War II and then went into decline until Operation Desert Storm when the sassy, irreverent images were revived. They’re still going strong today with our fighting troops around the world.
Although FightingColors.com is in the business of selling nose art reproductions, you can still see some nice examples on their pages, like these from the plane my dad flew, the B-25 Mitchell.
You’ll find lots of interesting links to WWII era propaganda here. And there’s great photos from multiple conflicts at Nose-Art.net.
Fair word of warning. Most of these images are for grown-ups. If you’re trying to explain the war and its culture to kids in the house, preview the images before you click over.
noseart, nose art, military planes, propaganda
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