Nose Art: Boeing B-29A Superfortress "Legal Eagle II"
The Korean War was something of the last great gasp of nose art, and was also the first war where the USAF began policing it, after complaints from commanding officer wives and chaplains. The former, of course, had been nowhere near the front lines during World War II, but during the Korean "police action," were often at home at bases in Japan. The latter noticed an uptick in risque names--one B-29 was named "Ace in the Hole," with an ace card positioned over the naked girl's crotch.
The wives demanded nose art be censored or removed entirely; the chaplains were more polite about it and would only occasionally step in to ask that certain names be changed, or that the girls be covered up just a bit more. Responses depended on whether the commanding officer or crews listened, but after Korea, nose art became increasingly rare. Vietnam saw a resurgence, but it was rare that World War II-style pinups were carried by F-4s or F-105s (the extremely raunchy "Cherry Girl" being a noticeable exception); at one point, sharkmouths were banned! Nose art also made a minor comeback during Operation Desert Storm, but to avoid offending Saudi sensibilities, what girls were on aircraft were covered up--with, oddly, the exception of the British, who stopped just short of actual nudity. (During World War II, it was rare to find Lancasters or Wellingtons with nose art; during the First Gulf War, it was rare to find RAF aircraft without nose art.) In wars since, nose art has almost completely disappeared, hidden away in landing gear or ladder doors.
"Legal Eagle II" is B-29A 44-87779, which arrived just too late to see combat during World War II, though not too late to get its name and nose art. It was later converted to a KB-29M tanker, retired in 1956, then survived decades as a target at NAS China Lake, California. In 1985, 44-87779 was recovered, restored, and donated to the South Dakota Air and Space Museum at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota. It went on display in 1997, but it would not be until 2014 that 44-87779 got its name back. It was repainted as a Korean War-era B-29, though "Legal Eagle" never saw combat.
"Legal Eagle" is one of the best B-29 restorations around, and the nose art shows an appropriately lawyerish bald eagle.
Nose Art: Boeing B-29A Superfortress "Legal Eagle II"
The Korean War was something of the last great gasp of nose art, and was also the first war where the USAF began policing it, after complaints from commanding officer wives and chaplains. The former, of course, had been nowhere near the front lines during World War II, but during the Korean "police action," were often at home at bases in Japan. The latter noticed an uptick in risque names--one B-29 was named "Ace in the Hole," with an ace card positioned over the naked girl's crotch.
The wives demanded nose art be censored or removed entirely; the chaplains were more polite about it and would only occasionally step in to ask that certain names be changed, or that the girls be covered up just a bit more. Responses depended on whether the commanding officer or crews listened, but after Korea, nose art became increasingly rare. Vietnam saw a resurgence, but it was rare that World War II-style pinups were carried by F-4s or F-105s (the extremely raunchy "Cherry Girl" being a noticeable exception); at one point, sharkmouths were banned! Nose art also made a minor comeback during Operation Desert Storm, but to avoid offending Saudi sensibilities, what girls were on aircraft were covered up--with, oddly, the exception of the British, who stopped just short of actual nudity. (During World War II, it was rare to find Lancasters or Wellingtons with nose art; during the First Gulf War, it was rare to find RAF aircraft without nose art.) In wars since, nose art has almost completely disappeared, hidden away in landing gear or ladder doors.
"Legal Eagle II" is B-29A 44-87779, which arrived just too late to see combat during World War II, though not too late to get its name and nose art. It was later converted to a KB-29M tanker, retired in 1956, then survived decades as a target at NAS China Lake, California. In 1985, 44-87779 was recovered, restored, and donated to the South Dakota Air and Space Museum at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota. It went on display in 1997, but it would not be until 2014 that 44-87779 got its name back. It was repainted as a Korean War-era B-29, though "Legal Eagle" never saw combat.
"Legal Eagle" is one of the best B-29 restorations around, and the nose art shows an appropriately lawyerish bald eagle.