| Many crews counted down the twenty-five missions
necessary before being sent home by painting representations of them on
their aircraft. Not all units had an artistically talented member
who could copy a calendar illustration or even a cartoon, while remote
units often did not have the paint and supplies needed to do so.
But virtually anyone could manage to record his combat record for the admiration,
or envy, of others. This young pilot had just begun his flight career—the
flags on his aircraft indicated the number of enemy planes he had shot
down, while the bombs stood for the number of bombing missions he had flown.
|
Photo: Martin Green Collection (98.0122) |