Nose art is a decorativepainting or design on thefuselage of anaircraft, usually on the front fuselage.
While begun for practical reasons of identifying friendly units, the practice evolved to express the individuality often constrained by the uniformity of the military, to evoke memories of home and peacetime life, and as a kind of psychological protection against the stresses of war and the probability of death. The appeal, in part, came from nose art not being officially approved, even when the regulations against it were not enforced.[2][3]
Because of its individual and unofficial nature, it is consideredfolk art, inseparable from work as well as representative of a group.[2] It can also be compared to sophisticatedgraffiti. In both cases, the artist is oftenanonymous, and the art itself isephemeral. In addition, it relies on materials immediately available.[2]
Nose art is largely a military tradition, but civilian airliners operated by theVirgin Group feature "Virgin Girls" on the nose as part of theirlivery. In a broad sense, the tail art of several airlines such as theEskimo ofAlaska Airlines can be called "nose art", as are the tail markings of present-dayU.S. Navy squadrons. There were exceptions, including theVIII Bomber Command,301st Bomb Group B-17F "Whizzer", which had its girl-riding-a-bomb on the dorsal fin.[4]
Placing personalized decorations on fighting aircraft began withItalian andGerman pilots. The first recorded example was a sea monster painted on an Italianflying boat in 1913.[citation needed] This was followed by the popular practice of painting a mouth beneath thepropeller'sspinner begun by German pilots inWorld War I. What is perhaps the most famous of all nose art, the shark-face insignia later made famous by the FirstAmerican Volunteer Group (AVG)Flying Tigers, first appeared in World War I on a BritishSopwith Dolphin and a GermanRoland C.II, though often with an effect more comical than menacing.[5][page needed] Thecavallino rampante ("prancing horse") of the ItalianaceFrancesco Baracca was another well-known image.
World War I nose art was usually embellished or extravagantsquadron insignia. This followed the official policy established by theAmerican Expeditionary Forces' Chief of the Air Service,Brigadier GeneralBenjamin Foulois, on 6 May 1918, requiring the creation of distinct, readily identifiable squadron insignia.[6] World War I examples include the "Hat in the Ring" of the American94th Aero Squadron (attributed to Lt. Johnny Wentworth)[6] and the "Kicking Mule" of the95th Aero Squadron. Nose art of that era was often conceived and produced not by the pilots, but rather by ground crews.
True nose art appeared duringWorld War II, which is considered by many observers[7] to be thegolden age of the genre, with bothAxis andAllied pilots taking part. At the height of the war, nose artists were in very high demand in theUSAAF and were paid quite well for their services, while AAF commanders tolerated nose art in an effort to boost aircrew morale. The U.S. Navy, by contrast, prohibited nose art, the most extravagant being limited to a few simply-lettered names, while nose art was uncommon in theRoyal Air Force andRoyal Canadian Air Force. The work was done by professional civilian artists as well as talented amateur servicemen. In 1941, for instance, the39th Pursuit Squadron commissioned aBell Aircraft artist to design and paint the "Cobra in the Clouds"logo on their aircraft.[8]
Perhaps the most enduring nose art of World War II was the shark-facemotif, which first appeared on theMesserschmitt Bf 110s ofLuftwaffeZerstörergeschwader 76 ("76th Heavy Fighter Wing") overCrete, where the twin-engined Messerschmitts outmatched theGloster Gladiator biplanes ofNo. 112 Squadron RAF.[citation needed] The Commonwealth pilots were withdrawn to Egypt and refitted withCurtiss Tomahawks (P-40) off the same assembly line building fighter aircraft for theAmerican Volunteer Group (AVG)Flying Tigers being recruited for service inChina. In November 1941, AVG pilots saw a color photo in a newspaper of a shark mouth painted on a 112 Squadron P-40 fighter inNorth Africa and immediately adopted the shark-face motif for their own P-40Bs.[9] The British version itself was inspired by "sharkmouth" nose art (without any eyes) on the Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighters ofZerstörergeschwader 76. This work was done by the pilots and ground crew in the field.[10] However, the insignia for the "Flying Tigers" – a wingedBengal tiger jumping through a stylizedV for Victory symbol – was developed by graphic artists from theWalt Disney Company.[11]
Similarly, when in 1943 the39th Fighter Squadron became the first Americansquadron in theirtheatre with 100 kills, they adopted the shark-face for theirLockheed P-38 Lightnings.[8] The shark-face is still used to this day, most commonly seen on theFairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II (with its gaping maw leading up to the muzzle of the aircraft's GAU-8 Avenger 30mm cannon), especially those of the23d Fighter Group, the AVG's descendent unit, and a testament to its popularity as a form of nose art.
The largest known work of nose art ever depicted on a World War II-era American combat aircraft was on aConsolidated B-24 Liberator, tail number44-40973, which had been named "The Dragon and his Tail" of the USAAFFifth Air Force64th Bomb Squadron,43d Bomb Group, in theSouthwest Pacific, flown by a crew led by Joseph Pagoni, with Staff Sergeant Sarkis Bartigian as the artist. The dragon artwork ran from the nose just forward of the cockpit, down the entire length of the fuselage's sides, with the dragon's body depicted directly below and just aft of the cockpit, with the dragon holding a nude woman in its forefeet.[12][13]
Tony Starcer was the resident artist for the91st Bomb Group (Heavy), one of the initial six groups fielded by theEighth Air Force. Starcer painted over a hundred pieces of renowned B-17 nose art, including"Memphis Belle".[14][15] A commercial artist named Brinkman, fromChicago was responsible for thezodiac-themed nose art of theB-24 Liberator-equipped834th Bomb Squadron, based atRAF Sudbury, England.[16]
Contemporary research demonstrates that bomber crews, who suffered high casualty rates during World War II, often developed strong bonds with the planes they were flying, and affectionately decorated them with nose art.[17][18] It was also believed by the flight crews that the nose art was bringing luck to the planes.[19]
The artistic work ofAlberto Vargas andGeorge Petty'spin-up models fromEsquire Magazine were often duplicated, or adapted, by air force crews and painted on the nose of American and allied aircraft during World War II.
Some nose art was commemorative or intended to honor certain people, such as theBoeing B-29 Superfortress "TheErnie Pyle".[20]
In theKorean War, nose art was popular with units operatingA-26 Invader and B-29 bombers,C-119 Flying Boxcar transports, as well as USAFfighter-bombers.[21] Due to changes in military policies and changing attitudes toward the representation of women, the amount of nose art declined after the Korean War.
During theVietnam War,Lockheed AC-130 gunships of theU.S. Air Force Special Operations Squadrons were often given names with accompanying nose art – for example, "Thor", "Azrael – Angel of Death", "Ghost Rider", "War Lord" and "The Arbitrator."[22] The unofficial gunship badge of a flying skeleton with aMinigun was also applied to many aircraft until the end of the war and was later adopted officially. In addition, Army and Navy helicopter crews often embellished their assigned aircraft with a wide range of nose art and other personalized markings.[23]
Nose art underwent a revival during theGulf War and has become more common sinceOperation Enduring Freedom and theIraq War began. A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft ladder doors are frequentlypainted while many fixed and rotary air crews are merging artwork as part of camouflage patterns. The United States Air Force had unofficially sanctioned the return of the pin-up (albeit fully clothed) with theStrategic Air Command permitting nose art on its bomber force in the Command's last years. The continuation of historic names such as "Memphis Belle" was encouraged.
In many other cases at airfields throughout the Middle East during thewar on terror, aviation units instead painted the reinforced concreteT-walls and Bremer barriers that protected the aircrews and aircraft with elaborate murals and graffiti.
Source material for American nose art was varied, ranging frompinups such asRita Hayworth andBetty Grable andcartoon characters such asDonald Duck,Bugs Bunny, andPopeye to patriotic characters (Yankee Doodle) and fictional heroes (Sam Spade). Lucky symbols such asdice andplaying cards also inspired nose art, along with references to mortality such as theGrim Reaper.[2] Cartoons and pinups were most popular among American artists, but other works included animals, nicknames, hometowns, and popular song and movie titles. Some nose art and slogans expressed contempt for the enemy, especially of their leaders.
The farther the planes and crew were from headquarters or from the public eye, the racier the art tended to be.[2] For instance, nudity was more common in nose art on aircraft in thePacific than on aircraft inEurope.[24]
Luftwaffe aircraft did not often display nose art, but there were exceptions.[25][page needed] For example,Mickey Mouse adorned aCondor LegionMesserschmitt Bf 109 during the Spanish Civil War and one Ju 87A was decorated with a large pig inside a white circle during the same period.Adolf Galland's Bf-109E-3 ofJG 26 also had a depiction of Mickey Mouse, holding acontemporary telephone in his hands, in mid-1941. A Ju 87B-1 (Geschwaderkennung of S2+AC) of Stab II/St. G 77, piloted by Major Alfons Orthofer and based inBreslau-Schöngarten during theinvasion of Poland, was painted with a shark's mouth, and some Bf 110s were decorated with furious wolf's heads, stylisticwasps (as withSKG 210 andZG 1), or as in the case ofZG 76, the shark mouths that inspired both the RAF's 112 Squadron and in turn the Flying Tigers in China, on their noses or engine covers. Another example wasErich Hartmann's Bf-109G-14, "Lumpi", with an eagle's head. The fighter wingJagdgeschwader 54 was known as theGrünherz (Green Hearts) after their fuselage emblem, a large green heart. The Geschwader was originally formed inThüringen, nicknamed "the green heart of Germany". Perhaps the flashiest Luftwaffe nose art was the red and whiteviper snake insignia running through the whole fuselage of certainJunkers Ju 87Stuka dive bombers that served with the IIGruppe, and especially the 6.Staffel ofSturzkampfgeschwader 2 inNorth Africa campaign, the only known artwork on an Axis-flown combat aircraft that could have rivaled the length of that on "The Dragon and his Tail" B-24.
TheSoviet Air Forces decorated their planes with historical images, mythical beasts, and patrioticslogans.
The attitude of theFinnish Air Force to the nose art varied by unit. Some units disallowed nose art, while others tolerated it. Generally, the Finnish airforce nose art was humorous or satirical, such as the "horned Stalin" on Maj. Maunula'sCurtiss P-36 fighter.
TheJapan Air Self-Defense Force has decorated fighter aircraft withValkyrie-themed characters under the namesMystic Eagle andShooting Eagle.[26]
Beginning in 2011, theJapan Ground Self-Defense Force hasAH-1S Cobra anti-tank helicopters andKawasaki OH-1 observation helicopter namedIta-Cobra andIta-Omega respectively, decorated in the theme of 4Kisarazu (木更津) sisters (Akane (木更津茜), Aoi (木更津葵), Wakana (木更津若菜), Yuzu (木更津柚子)).[27] The Aoi-chan first appeared in 2011, followed by the other three sisters in 2012.[28][29]
Canadian Forces were reported having nose art onCH-47D Chinook andCH-146 Griffon helicopters inAfghanistan.[30]
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The markings of aces were often adopted by their squadrons, such as Galland's Mickey Mouse and Hartmann's black tulip (still in use until recently on the aircraft ofJG 71 "Richthofen" – not known to be in use on the unit's newEurofighter Typhoons).
Designs similar to aviation nose art could be found during World War II on some British torpedo boats, and German and US submarines. Similar designs can also be found on someHIMARS-equippedFMTVs in the service of theArmed Forces of Ukraine during theRussian invasion.
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In 1993 the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command ordered that all nose art should be gender-neutral.[31]
A 2015 US Air Force memorandum stated that nose art must be "distinctive, symbolic, gender neutral, intended to enhance unit pride, designed in good taste." Furthermore, it must not contravene copyright and trademark laws.[32]
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