A Look at Some of the RAF's Best Aircraft Art

The art of war manifests in many forms, and the front fuselage of a plane is no exception. Aircrafts have often provided airmen with a canvas, and below we showcase some of the best examples.

Wing Commader Ian Gleed in his Spitfire decorated with a cartoon of Figaro the cat batting a swastika, Tunisia, 1943

A Gurkha paratrooper in front of a plane with a drawing labelled “Gravel Gertie”. Rangoon, 1945

An insignia made up of emblems for each member of a Vicker Wellington crew, headed by Flying Officer 'Lemon'. Egypt, c. 1942

An RAF soda-syphon spraying bombs on a Vickers Wellington. c. 1940

Squadron Leader J A F MacLachlan lost an arm after being shot down in February 1941; by the summer he was flying again. The Hurricane is sporting his personal emblem showing his amputated arm waving a 'V' sign. UK, 1941-43

The trend for nose art did not wain with the on-set of the First Gulf War, below are some memorable examples.

Whether patriotic or playful, nose art transcended nationalities as men from all sides of military divide went to war in their personalised planes. Below are some examples from around the world: