Victory tallies (enemy flags or symbols) on planes and ships
Timothy J. Lee
planes to denote the number of victories over enemy planes that they
are credited with. Bomber crews did the same, plus bomb symbols (was
each bomb a hit on a target, a bomb dropped, or a mission?). Ship
crews painted enemy flags or symbols for planes that their anti-aircraft
guns are credited with shooting down, and depictions of ships that their
guns (or airplanes, if an aircraft carrier) are credited with sinking.
Did airplane and ship crews from other nations do anything similar in
displaying their victory tallies on their airplanes and ships?
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Timothy J. Lee timlee@
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Moore, Wesley F
US Sub crews printed "sinking ship" outlines on their
conning towers.
Luftwaffe fighters had small vertical bars painted on
their rudders; the bar had the enemy's insignia, and a
date (and sometimes the a/c type); some of the
"experten" had to have "summaries" (an elaborately
painted number, sometimes with the "Knights Cross
decoration) on the rudder to leave room for more bars.
The Japanese Army AF painted (red?) stars next to the
cockpit. Most other AFs painted enemy insignia near
the cockpit
Bomber crews painted "bombs" to represent missions,
recce crews sometimes painted cameras or eyeballs. US
transport crews used camels to represent supply
missions (over the "Hump"?).
Ground strafers of many nations painted locomotives,
tanks, trucks, guns, etc
German anti tank crews painted rings (stripes) around
the gun barrel to represent "kills".
There must be more examples and varieties- crews loved
to take pictures of these markings "to send home to
Mom", so there are gazillions of them published during
and since the Second Great UnPleasantness...just start
looking in the dustier parts of the library...
....and have fun
Wes
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pkmb
"Timothy J. Lee" wrote:
> American fighter pilots painted small enemy flags or symbols on their
> planes to denote the number of victories over enemy planes that they
>
> Did airplane and ship crews from other nations do anything similar in
> displaying their victory tallies on their airplanes and ships?
>
Hello!
Polish airmen fighting on the "allies' side in Britain and then France and
Germany also painted dark cross symbols on their planes. The bombers crewes
have done it too (at least I've seen photos of polish bombers with small bombs'
pictures outside the cockpit window). This is probably though a "borrowed"
idea. I don't know about polish navy. It seems it didn't depict the aircraft
shot on a ship. However there was also another way of marking a ship victory
common in many navies. A submarine returning from a patrol would carry small
flags depicting sunk ships on the periscope. If a sub sunk the whole of a
convoy it's crew would put a broom ( I think that's the word) on their periscope
upon return IIRC.
MArcin B.
Andrew Venor
they sank. One pennant for each ship sunk, with a number on it representing
that ship tonnage.
US subs on returning to port would lash a broom to the periscope if they had a
clean sweep. This meant that all of the torpedoes that they had shot hit their
targets.
ALV
Timothy J. Lee wrote:
> American fighter pilots painted small enemy flags or symbols on their
> planes to denote the number of victories over enemy planes that they
> are credited with. Bomber crews did the same, plus bomb symbols (was
> each bomb a hit on a target, a bomb dropped, or a mission?). Ship
> crews painted enemy flags or symbols for planes that their anti-aircraft
> guns are credited with shooting down, and depictions of ships that their
> guns (or airplanes, if an aircraft carrier) are credited with sinking.
>
> Did airplane and ship crews from other nations do anything similar in
> displaying their victory tallies on their airplanes and ships?
>
DHeitm8612
just below the cockpit.
The Germans used a vertical mark somtimes topped with the victim's national
roundel on top of it painted on the rudder. When the German pilot hit a certain
number of large kills a laurel wreath with Knight's Cross and ribbon was
painted above the kill marks. A number like 50 or 100 or higher commemorating
that special kill was in the center of the wreath.
Keith Heitmann
dheit...@aol.com
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Jukka O. Kauppinen
> displaying their victory tallies on their airplanes and ships?
Finnish Air Force did.
See examples:
http://www.mannerheim.fi/sotavari/jsdia263.jpg
http://www.mannerheim.fi/sotavari/jsdia264.jpg
(Brewster pilots, btw)
They also painted small symbols of the enemy plane shot down.
Silhouette of the plane from front.
2 engine bomber for them, etc. You could recognize the plane
if it was a more identifiable type, like I-15, I-153, I-16
etc.
jok
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JCDrews
the AVG, the original "Flying Tigers", in 1941-1942; through the publicity of
the AVG, the practice spread quickly and became commonplace in the US forces.
I do not believe the RAF or RCAF did so, but IIRC the RAAF and RNZAF did.
RAF/RCAF bombers certainly did use bomb=mission symbols, as well as a milk
bottle for "milk runs" such as leaflet drops. Parachutes denoted paratrooping
sorties, and chutes with boxes indicated cargo drops, for transports and
bombers acting as transports for the Maquis, etc.
Vadim Kolosov
Kozhedub and Pokryshkin fighters look very impressive on photos with
50+ red stars.
VK