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While
not an official activity, the custom of christening aircraft with
personalized names and/or artwork was a common practice, and was
done to many aircraft during World War II, including the planes
of the 381st Bomb Group. Called "nose art," these names
and artwork reflected the backgrounds, interests, and beliefs
of the crews. Humor, sarcasm, and serious tribute can be seen
in the choice of nicknames.
Learning
Objectives
- Identify
the purpose behind aircraft nose art of World War II.
- Make
inferences about the background, interests, and beliefs of aircrew.
National
History Standards Correlations
- Standard
4C and 4F: The student conducts historical research.
- Standard
3B (Era 8): Describe
military experiences and explain how they fostered American
identity and interactions among people of diverse backgrounds.
Materials
needed:
Procedures:
- If
no computer access is available, make printouts of the nose
art you want students to use during the activity. This is also
useful if you wish to limit the access of students to the nose
art collection (some artwork is not appropriate for student
viewing due to nudity or inappropriate topics).
- Divide
the class into groups of 2-3. Give each group several photos
to analyze and the nose art worksheet.
- Allow
student groups 15 to 20 minutes to analyze the nose art photos.
Ask them to complete the worksheet to help them determine the
beliefs, backgrounds, and interests of the airmen who named
each plane.
- Ask
each group to choose one of the photographs and present their
findings about it to the class. They should be encouraged to
share the following information:
- What
type of artwork was created (humor, sarcasm, or tribute)?
- What
does the artwork or name tell about the interests or background
of the person who named it?
- Encourage
students to design their own nose art for a modern military
aircraft. The art should reflect the interests, backgrounds,
and beliefs of students today.
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