USAAF Nose Art Research Project
Named planes of the USAAF during WWII
YOUR HELP IS VITAL
Please share your knowledge
Perhaps you have photographs, documents, scrapbooks or diaries that can be copied
or scanned for study. Or unit histories, microfilm, microfiche, Missing Air Crew Reports,
formation plans, personal memoires, notebooks, recollections, press clippings.
You may have done your own research into a family member and can share it with me
or pass on the research materials you no longer require or which proved unrelated to
your study. Any information at all which will help to create a more comprehensive record
for any named USAAF plane (or its crew) during World War II is always of value to this
research project.
Please contact the USAAF Nose Art Research Project.
PHOTOGRAPHS : pictures showing nose art or any other embellishment of aircraft
are naturally always of interest especially if they show the artist at work but we
are also seeking photos which show battle damage, crash landings or the ultimate
fate of aircraft -- these may be German or from other European sources. Pictures of
painted jackets are also interesting as they are usually associated with an aircraft
name and often were the only tangible evidence of a crew's expectation of naming their
plane. Many titles never got beyond those painted jackets.
Pictures of flight and ground crew members are also of great value. Most ground
crew men outstayed their flying colleagues and therefore acquired many interesting
photos of 'their' planes, their work and their bases.
DOCUMENTS : any official document which identifies an aircraft serial number
and links it to a location and date are invaluable in tracing the histories of individual
aircraft. These include ferrying orders as well modification or damage repair lists.
Formation plans are invaluable in helping to piece together each aircraft's mission
list and the crews who flew in them.
DIARIES and NOTEBOOKS : we appreciate the personal nature of many of these items
and the sensitivity of much of the content. They do however contain valuable information
relating to missions and battle damage as well as modifications to specific aircraft
and the general condition of the aircraft at specific times. They also contain
information which will never be found in any official file.
MICROFICHE and MICROFILM : these frequently contain vast amounts of data which are not
relevant to many researchers who seek information on a specific individual. Once you have
completed your specific research we ask you to consider passing the fiche or film on
so that we can extract information from this vast reservoir.
MEMOIRES : many veterans have had the foresight to write down or voice record their
recollections of the traumatic days they spent during combat in WWII. Usually these are
prepared for family members but many veterans have been kind enough to share their
recollections with us -- we have in turn been able to provide many with historical detail
which has long been clouded by the passing years. If you or one of your relatives have
prepared such a document, we ask you to consider sharing it with us so that we can extract
valuable detail to help build up the histories of the aircraft involved. Whilst these
may not be identified in your document, we may be able to piece together enough data to
do so -- and there is always the chance that an aircraft received a name or some embellishment
when flown by a later crew.
PRESS CLIPPINGS : many combat crew men sent home a press cutting relating to their
individual missions as a way of 'beating the censor'. These and local press cuttings often became
a part of the scrapbook maintained by those left at home and now contain much valuable
information. Of particular interest are local US newspaper clippings, since these have
proven to be remarkably accurate and informative (far more so than newspaper sources in
wartime England). They also frequently mention airplane names and link them specifically
to individual crew members. War Bond Drives also featured in local US newspapers
and these often used veteran aircraft to promote interest. They therefore provide much detail
on the movement of the aircraft after it had returned to the USA.
Contact:
Ray Bowden
USAAF Nose Art Research Project
98 West Bay Road, Bridport, Dorset DT6 4AX,
England
Or e-mail :
ray[NO-SPAM]@usaaf-noseart.co.uk
Please remove [NO-SPAM] from email address
or scanned for study. Or unit histories, microfilm, microfiche, Missing Air Crew Reports,
formation plans, personal memoires, notebooks, recollections, press clippings.
You may have done your own research into a family member and can share it with me
or pass on the research materials you no longer require or which proved unrelated to
your study. Any information at all which will help to create a more comprehensive record
for any named USAAF plane (or its crew) during World War II is always of value to this
research project.
Please contact the USAAF Nose Art Research Project.
PHOTOGRAPHS : pictures showing nose art or any other embellishment of aircraft
are naturally always of interest especially if they show the artist at work but we
are also seeking photos which show battle damage, crash landings or the ultimate
fate of aircraft -- these may be German or from other European sources. Pictures of
painted jackets are also interesting as they are usually associated with an aircraft
name and often were the only tangible evidence of a crew's expectation of naming their
plane. Many titles never got beyond those painted jackets.
Pictures of flight and ground crew members are also of great value. Most ground
crew men outstayed their flying colleagues and therefore acquired many interesting
photos of 'their' planes, their work and their bases.
DOCUMENTS : any official document which identifies an aircraft serial number
and links it to a location and date are invaluable in tracing the histories of individual
aircraft. These include ferrying orders as well modification or damage repair lists.
Formation plans are invaluable in helping to piece together each aircraft's mission
list and the crews who flew in them.
DIARIES and NOTEBOOKS : we appreciate the personal nature of many of these items
and the sensitivity of much of the content. They do however contain valuable information
relating to missions and battle damage as well as modifications to specific aircraft
and the general condition of the aircraft at specific times. They also contain
information which will never be found in any official file.
MICROFICHE and MICROFILM : these frequently contain vast amounts of data which are not
relevant to many researchers who seek information on a specific individual. Once you have
completed your specific research we ask you to consider passing the fiche or film on
so that we can extract information from this vast reservoir.
MEMOIRES : many veterans have had the foresight to write down or voice record their
recollections of the traumatic days they spent during combat in WWII. Usually these are
prepared for family members but many veterans have been kind enough to share their
recollections with us -- we have in turn been able to provide many with historical detail
which has long been clouded by the passing years. If you or one of your relatives have
prepared such a document, we ask you to consider sharing it with us so that we can extract
valuable detail to help build up the histories of the aircraft involved. Whilst these
may not be identified in your document, we may be able to piece together enough data to
do so -- and there is always the chance that an aircraft received a name or some embellishment
when flown by a later crew.
PRESS CLIPPINGS : many combat crew men sent home a press cutting relating to their
individual missions as a way of 'beating the censor'. These and local press cuttings often became
a part of the scrapbook maintained by those left at home and now contain much valuable
information. Of particular interest are local US newspaper clippings, since these have
proven to be remarkably accurate and informative (far more so than newspaper sources in
wartime England). They also frequently mention airplane names and link them specifically
to individual crew members. War Bond Drives also featured in local US newspapers
and these often used veteran aircraft to promote interest. They therefore provide much detail
on the movement of the aircraft after it had returned to the USA.
Contact:
Ray Bowden
USAAF Nose Art Research Project
98 West Bay Road, Bridport, Dorset DT6 4AX,
England
Or e-mail :
ray[NO-SPAM]@usaaf-noseart.co.uk
© Ray Bowden
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