Aircraft Nose Art Makes Quiet Comeback, Reviving Air Force Tradition

At the end of his days, my dad, Colonel Harold "Shorty" Ostrander called out, searching for "FiFi" and our family had no idea who she could be. Until I saw this. Although not his assigned aircraft, so many raids from 8th AF during WWII posted high numbers of loss, once on the ground, a tally of remaining assets was done. "Shorty" flew well over 30 missions at the height of WWII and rarely spoke of his success or what he'd seen.

"Of all the images seen as aircraft Nose Art, women have been the most popular subject. Scantily clad sirens, often based on the work of magazine artists such as Varga, Petty or Elvgren, or popular film stars and wartime heroines, have all inspired some of the finest pieces of artwork"

"The cinema, strip cartoons and, more recently, television have provided a wealth of characters, in particular animals and voluptuous women, that have inspired some of the most outstanding and popular forms of Nose Art. The Disney Studio for example contributed to the war effort with the creation of some 1200 insignia." ~ Alain Piquerez

Some were simply painted with a name or a message.

Here are a few taken from archived footage from 8th AF, WWII, "Operation Titanic."

And another one is ready: Follow Doc's progress at their website: http://www.b-29doc.com

My father was ball turret gunner on a B-17, he is the second from the right on the bottom row.