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Its the preservation of history, you might want to have a look around a classical portrait gallery one day

Aircraft nose art censorship is not a new phenomenon. Back in April 1944, Lancaster R5868, PO-S "Sugar" of 467 Sqn RAAF was soon to become the first Lancaster to achieve 100 operational sorties, and anticipating lots of publicity should the aircraft reach the target, the Stn Cdr demanded that the crew change the nose art on their aircraft which was a (tasteful) nude holding a bomb. As the Stn Cdr said, "I do not wish to scare the Archbishop of Canterbury". The crew were understandably miffed, but orders are orders, and on Op 98, the aircraft was wheeled out with new nose art consisting of the bomb log and a quote from Goering "No Enemy Aircraft Shall Fly Over Reich Territory". Sugar made her 100th Op and went on to fly another 136 (the final number is still debated for accuracy) becoming the second most ops flown during the War for a Lancaster. She still wears the replacement nose art as an exhibit in the RAF Museum at Hendon. The photograph shows her penultimate nose art:
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....e83a0865b5.jpg

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....155cabcb60.jpg

Charlie Brown is a USAF General and Chief of Staff of the Air Force? That's brightened a dark day! :ok:

ISTR one of the southern US Air National Guard fighter units used CM as a tail code, which allegedly stood for C**nass Milita a while ago.

The question with all this is who decides what is acceptable? I think there are many who could do with turning the gain up on their offensometers, there is some stuff that is worth challenging, I am not sure that this is it. I also bet most of the people who get up in arms about this have at some time watched much worse on the internet.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....8626996805.jpg
The last racy nose art on a RAF Aircraft. The door is somewhere safe. The orginial artwork was Johnny Fartpants. Not prehaps as racy as this nose art, but Miks work had graced a lot of Sqn T shirts and murials around the world where Jags had been. It was great to see his work on a Jet.

Can't believe some of the sanctimony about this, it is not as if the art is actually pornographic - plenty of celebrity 'models/influencers' not being at all shy about flaunting themselves and selling the body image. Wasn't there a female Apache pilot who bragged about killing more people than Harold Shipman? that to me is far more offensive and borderline insulting.

The temptation to post photos of the following WW2 Nose Art is ALMOST irresistible. I am however worried someone of the PC inclination will complain and I’ll get banned. You’ll just have to google them:

Forever Amber
Target for Tonight
Lady Luck
Flamin Mamie
Miss Yourlovin
Home Stretch
Surprise Attack
Sack Time
Mission Completed
Southern Comfort
Strawberry Bitch
and my personal favourite Sloppy But Safe.

A sad reflection on today’s PC society, but I’d see no need for any moderation if the images pass the pub test.

To think this all dates back to the 30’s and 40’s: https://www.aircorpsart.com/blog/the...inup-nose-art/

Seems in todays PC society everyone has to be offended by something. The fair sex being objectified? I would have thought nose art was an expression of admiration for the opposite gender, and a longing to be back amongst their company, rather than posted to some out of the way place devoid of their presence while you engage in the bloody practice of warfare. Wonder what the PC crowd would think of the WASP pilots who used to take their boyfriends on rides in the B-17 and practice their amorous clinches on the bombardiers couch in flight. Misuse of government property? Wonder if the countryside was littered with used prophylactics?

First four ladies going through RAAF pilots course (late 80's?) with the number on course of 40. Initial badge presented for the course, with ladies in agreement, was 10% flap for the course motto. Don't recall the badge picture but the CO knocked it back.

and Robin held her own on her 1st sqn and was sick and tired as being referred to as a female pilot

So let me get this straight. It's not okay to have some racy (and I must say, pretty impressive) nose art but it IS okay to engage in war? Are some of you lot for real? In the interests of balance, get some scantily clad blokes on the side of aircraft.........if I'd had the body, I'd have offered to model for it! These days I don't but it might at least be cause for amusement. It works both ways, surely and I do accept, there are limits.

It seems odd that people get perpetually wound up and 'offended' by pictures adorned to the sides of instruments of war. It's equally odd that someone who is paid to go to war and kill / be part of the kill chain, would have their gyros so easily toppled by such images.

I've only ever seen one bit of nose art that made me sit and up and think it was going too far, and that was an on F-105 in SEA. At the time, F-105 pilots were dropping like flies, so it occurred to me that perhaps this little morale booster was worth the offence that anyone might have taken.

Link below. Probably NSFW, and definitely not safe for one particular poster on this forum:

db4abde54d528de9a80e7b6b52eb64d5.jpg (1280×1280) (pinimg.com)

"We train young men to drop fire on people, but their commanders won't allow them to write 'f#ck'* on their aeroplanes because it's obscene!"
Col. Walter E Kurtz

* In the finest spirit, I was not allowed to post the quote verbatim because it was blocked by the profanity filter

Ooooh..........light the blue touch paper and stand well back! There are some talented artists in the military!

The most distressing and disturbing nose art that I remember from GW1 was the Jag mate with ‘The Guardian Reader’ emblazoned on the nose!! Absolutely shocking!

LIke I said, there are limits.......that really is offensive!

Page 35
http://www.collectair.co.uk/pdf/interview-hr.pdf

If you are offended by nose art then I'll let this simple piece speak on my behalf... :-)

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....16255b0b2d.jpg

Satco; nice one! Says it all.

I'm not offended by nose art, naked ladies or otherwise, I just think it is generally pretty tacky and does nothing to enhance the looks of the aircraft. There is currently a discussion on the V Force page on Facebook about this subject, with particular reference to Victor tankers , and someone has shown the photo of a Victor K2 with shark's teeth on the nose. Personally I think it looked ghastly, and why anyone would want to thus adorn one of the most supremely beautiful RAF aircraft is beyond me. As a certain MRAF once said about the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery, "it is like a monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much loved elegant friend".

Had to look that up Satco, glad I did, found their FB page, made an old mans day.

mopardave, next the PC lot will be demanding all those risque paintings by the old masters hanging in the art displays be taken down.

Oh for gods sake, don’t give them ideas.

I certainly don't have an issue with preventing nose art or comments that are unacceptable today. But I do feel uncomfortable with attempts to change History, - especially if that historical name or title was important at the time.

For example - Wing Commander Guy Gibson VC who led the dams raid had a labrador dog which had a name which rightly would be unacceptable today. The dog was run over and killed a couple of hours before Gibson and 617 Squadron took off on the raid. Gibson requested that the dog be buried at about midnight that night, -about the time that he expected to be carrying out the raid. The radio call sign for a successful strike was changed to the name of the dog.

The story was well aired and subsequently a stone was placed over the spot where the dog was buried giving the story and the included the Dogs name. In these recent "Enlightened" times the stone has been changed I believe, and also some references now have changed the name of the dog.

As I said I fully accept that some things today are unacceptable. But is it right to alter historical facts?

TF

...airbrushing over history as if it never happened is just as bad as changing it. Just because something was acceptable before but is not now should not prevent it being discussed openly.
Guy Gibson's dog was called "Nigger" - FACT. Not acceptable in today's world but the fact is that was its name. Hanging kids for stealing a loaf of bread isn't acceptable today but it happened... do we airbrush that or any number of things so we get a sanitized and deceptive back story?
Nose art had its place, and still does. Just the content needs to reflect modern views.

If you think this "purge" is about nose art, I'm pretty sure you're wilfully missing the point.

Hammer, nail, head!

Absolutely. Slavery and everything that went with it is quite clearly totally unacceptable today.

However, we must not erase history. What has happened, has happened and we cannot change it.

Look at the situation in Bristol currently, huge issues with Edward Colston who made his fortune partly from the Slave Trade. Wrong by today’s standards obviously, but at least 2 schools in the City are there because of him. Both very good schools. Sadly one has bottled it and will change its name, as has Colston’s Hall - a music venue of some note. Ludicrous.

His money also contributed to many other elements of the City still in being today.

Edward Coltston’s statue in Bristol was toppled recently whilst the Police stood by and watched (a whole different subject), but that doesn’t change history or make any difference in the long run.

Having watched Roots as a youngster 40 years or so ago - and read the book - the history is tragic, but it IS history. We cannot change it.

TN.

He did defend it by pointing out that he wasn’t, but it referred to a letter he had received signed a Guardian Reader I believe.

Banksy came up with a brilliant suggestion on how to appease those wanting the Edward Colston statue reinstalled and those not. He suggested remounting it at an angle and surrounded by cast figures with ropes around it in the process of toppling it. So those that want it reinstalling get their wish and those that don’t get a statue celebrating its toppling, a plaque would describe what was going on and why.

I thought it was a brilliant idea, totally out of the box.

https://www.dezeen.com/2020/06/11/ba...-slave-trader/

Sounds like you volunteering for a modelling job :E

True

The thought police are out in force and they have big tech behind them. They have not YET decided that having a thought they disagree with is worthy of jail, but that will soon come.

That Jet was flown by two pilot's during the war. One is a famous artist in his own right and is on this forum and the other (now deceased) while OC No 6 Squadron wrote a letter to my CO thank me for something I did to support a Squadron Anniversary that got me a Spec Rec on the following appraisal and a long overdue promotion.

It might not be all-right, but you cannot rewrite history to suit the change in attitudes of the times (eg the name of the mascot of 617Sqn) These things happened, they are history.

It isn't acceptable today to objectify women (or men) nor is it right to use racial stereotypes. But if we don't remember the lessons we have learned from the emancipation of those previously oppressed then what have we really learned?

Just because something was done in the past doesn't mean it shouldn't be remembered - how else do we learn from our mistakes?

One thing for sure, it would scare the hell out of the enemy not to mention the pilots and maintainers.

This. Although "wilfully" is only valid if some of the people posting here are aware (or want to be aware) of what is happening in the USA right now. I suspect "wilfully" is actually a back-handed compliment to some of the posters on this thread.

I strongly suspect the US military are taking a stance against things like the QAnon b/s and all the paraphernalia associated with it. Obviously they cannot be specific, nor would they want to be. The UK military has taken a similar stance over proscribed organisations and displays relating to them in the past, but in 2020 its getting harder to do this and the authorities have to be necessarily more nuanced.

I think all this nose art discussion is completely irrelevant to the original post, as is all the clatter about "changing history". This is about keeping a cult the FBI have branded domestic terrorism out of public service. If you want to know how deeply this has ingrained itself in US society a few minutes work on Google/WiKi should waken up the audience.