WW.II Air Force Photo Album Fighter and Bomber "Nose Art

W.W.II era photo album of the United States Air force with many photos of aircraft, 47 silver gelatin photos including the first 6 are each 5" x 7.5" showing "nose art" painted on the front of the fuselage, and other photos of pilots performing maintenance on the planes, posed in the cockpit wearing aviator sunglasses, and close-ups of various parts of aircraft. 47 silver gelatin photos measuring 2.5" x 2.5" - 5" x 7.5" and pasted onto black album paper. In original dark navy cloth album measuring 8" x 12" with "Photographs" on the front cover. Several photos show the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, the largest bomber of W.W.II, with four photos having unique nose art paintings that were initially a way of identifying friendly aircraft but evolved into a rite of passage for pilots' expressing their individuality. Most nose art was comical in nature. One image shows a painting of a cartoonish troll like creature with the name "Typhoon Goon II", another, titled "Snoopy Droopy", shows a cartoon dog dressed as a radio operator. Nose art was also used as a bragging right to tally the amount of enemy crafts taken down with their plane. One plane part of the 54th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron shows what we speculate as a tally of 19 symbolized through their squadron's seal. Many other photos show pilots in jumpsuits and aviator sunglasses working on aircraft maintenance ladders, in the cockpit, and posed next to their planes. One photo shows two men in jumpsuits posed by the landing gear with "2143rd Air Weather Wing -- Tokyo Japan" painted on the plane. Three photos show portraits of various pilots fueling the tank. Other photos show close ups of the various parts of aircraft. This archive represents a glimpse in the life of those that served in the U.S. Air Force. Overall very good condition, with minor wear on the spine of the album.