History Spotlight: Nose Art

Fear and Beauty Far from home, facing uncertainty and death, one finds courage and strength in symbolic gestures as ancient as mankind itself. The naming and decorating of instruments of war predates recorded history. From prehistoric clubs to Egyptian chariots, Phoenician war galleys, Spartan shields, Grecian helmets, Samurai Swords, Roman standards, Viking ships, Zulu regalia, American Indian horses and war paint, the list continues through every culture, revealing what anthropologists and psychologists have identified as the human need to personalize, trust, and feel affection for those implements which deliver him from or to destruction.

As a veteran Vietnam pilot put it, “I believe the kind of art we are talking about is deeply related to the very primitive magical notion that, once you have named something you have control over it. Once you name it, you cannot lose any part of yourself to it – you have asserted mastery over it.” Some see a deep, psychological impulse - attaching a talisman, a good-luck charm, to the aircraft as a way of warding off evil, death, and bullets.

The naming and mythologizing of a vessel or weapon is a complex ritual. For example, when the Flying Tigers painted jagged shark’s teeth on their Warhawks they anthropomorphized their planes into vicious winged monsters. The outcome not only struck terror in the hearts of their enemies, but instilled ferocity in the pilots themselves which earned them a fearsome reputation.

Officially, nose art was against orders. During WWI, there was a struggle between uniformity and individualism. Pilots wanted to identify and customize their planes and military officials who wanted conformity to signify precision and discipline. Nose art and even some squadron icons, such as the skull and cross bones of the VF-17, were not allowed. But the further from home airmen were stationed the more present the art form became.

It was during WWII that nose art reached what is widely considered its golden era. Regulations were relaxed as “Top Brass” saw the many ways their men benefited from the increased sense of unity, purpose, honor, and morale provided by their war paint. Crews earned glory for their accomplishments and some crafts became legendary, the stories of the bravery and skill of its crew being remembered always.