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Abstract
A golden age of “nose art” emerged during the Second World War. While admired by historians and aviation enthusiasts alike, there has been limited exploration into the inspiration and symbolism behind these culturally significant works of art. This work will combine first-person accounts with visual analysis of nose art photographic collections to delve deeper into airmen’s purpose for creating nose art. The airmen assigned to the Eighth Air Force participated in a particularly deadly branch of the military as high-level officials pushed to achieve Air Force autonomy through strategic bombing missions. The act of personalizing bomber aircraft provided an outlet for the complex emotions young airmen struggled to process during their unrelenting war experience. The images, symbols, and names chosen by airmen to construct their aircraft’s artwork and personality displayed the intimate bond formed between man and machine during the act of war.