I have a question about nose art on WWII Aircraft. Was the nose art typically on the left side of the airplane? What about kill (victory) markings? The reason I ask is I’m planning on building Doc Watson’s P-51 for his daughter as a gift. In the pictures I’ve seen the kill markings are on the left side of the aircraft. A lot of die cat models I’ve seen also only have the markings on one side as well.
Thanks
There was a lot of variation. I don’t remember seeing kill markings, etc., on the starboard side of fighters, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Quite a bit of the nose art was on both sides, but sometimes it was different art - different colors, or entirely different art. If you don’t have 1st person information, or a photo, you might try Google-ing on the squadron. Most squadrons and groups have web sites with photo galleries, and many have research organizations that consult with veterans.
Rooting out the vagaries of a particular plane is one of the most rewarding aspects of modeling.
Good luck!
Wess
Actually nose art was against regulations early on during the war but was most often overlooked. Since there wasn’t any regs it was pretty much up to the individual what and where it went. I’ve seen most on the left side along with the mission and kill symbols.
Normally on the left side for fighters, but as said, there were exceptions. Many of the bombers had the nose art only on the right side, but again with many exceptions. That’s why research is an important part of modeling.
Regards, Rick
there were some bombers that had nose art on both sides
many b26 marauders had different nose art on both sides
The crews also put their name or their girl’s names on the aircraft near their stations. Ground crew did so too from time to time as well. Researching a particular aircraft is part of the fun
Nose art for years has been against official regulations and still is… During WWII though many aircraft and crews were dislocated from thier higher chain of command on it grew like wildfire. Becoming so popular that many squadrons even had squadron specific markings. Much like the Mermaids of the Gulf War Victors. Over the years such “unofficial” nose art grew to become sanctioned by the units some even hiring local artists to paint the aircraft. Where it appears on the Aircraft depended largly on the crew but in general it was located on the port side nose. Kill markings varied in location. On fighters it was almost always on the side the pilot exited the aircraft from. Unless the aircraft had a specific exit pattern, right hand pilots tend to exit the left side and vice versa. Kill markings in bombers could have kill markings all over the place. It was not uncommon to see them on the nose next to mission markings or along side the station that got the kill. i.e. left side waist gunner, tail gunner, upper turrent and so forth. Theres several books out there the show alot of the art out there.