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OPERATION RAINBOW Results of Contest #I31 By Rex A. Martin For the contest of Vol. 23, No. 1, I decided on a departure from our usual brain-wracking puzzles. Bored beyond measure with contriving yet another mind- bender, it struck me that the readership might like a different kind of challenge- one laced with a bit of fun and fantasy. What could be more natural than an art contest? Everybody likes pretty pictures, and some can even draw them. So Contest #I31 called for entrants to submit a name, and appropriate nose art, for a B-17 bomber. The men who flew in those hazardous skies over Occupied Germany had a lovethate relationship with the lumbering but tough B-17. Quite simply, their lives depended on their craft. It was inevitable that some would personalize their planes. (Americans have a deep "feeling" for their machines-be they planes, boats, cars, computers-that I've never noted in any other nationality; they go so far as to invest them with human qualities despite their bodies of tin and innards of wire.) At the beginning of American involvement in World War XI, crews of the USAAF would plaster the bombers with drawings and photographs-usually of risque-clad ladies, famous or not, clipped from pages of popular magazines of the times. From this evolved the actual painting of these on the aircraft skin, mainly the nose section. This art form developed such with the increasing number of aircraft being deployed in Europe and the Pacific that by the end of the war a small industry for the best artists had arisen Pool Shark Don Hawthorne Clayville, Rhode Island Rusty Knights Don Hawthorne Clayville, Rhode Island (one commanded as much as $15.00 per aircraft). By the onset of the Korean War, the art had lost its "virginity", moving with the times to less romantic imagery. During the American involvement in Vietnam, nose art as such did not exist. This art-form was one thrown up at a time of crisis, a chance to be seen and remembered. It was, for the average American airman in the war, a personal form of expression not catered for in the official squadron insignia. Whatever fantasies the pictures may have provided for him, these paintings on his aircraft imbued that mass-production piece of hardware with a personality no serial number could ever give. We wanted to honor that aspect of their war with this contest, and I was most impressed with the results. The response to our contest was surprising, bringing a great many entries ranging from crude pencil sketches to one acrylic painting on canvas. The three judges-Charlie Kibler (our resident artist), Bruce Shelley (the developer of B-17, QUEEN OF THE SKIES) and myself-were overwhelmed. Literally, the entrants filled the sky with color. With much trepidation, we began the winnowing process. Each selected his ten favorites in isolation from the the other judges. Then we three met, compared our lists, and ended up with 19 entries for which at least one of us had voted. After much argument, we came to a consensus. And I announced the ten winners in Vol. 23, No. 3 Just Plane Goofy , Richard Vigorito Phoenix, Arizona Amazin' Grace Don Hawthorne Clayville, Rhode Island
It was obvious that for some of our contestants, these planes were more than a picture. Many sent along histories of their craft, drawn from their play of B-17. For example, the words of Mr. Hawthorne on the Amazin ' Grace: "My personal favorite, named for a fondly remembered ex who also serves as the model for the lady on both Grace and Rusty Knights (which tells you why the remembrance is so fond). Grace cracked up on landing but hadn't lost any crew, so her name was transferred to another bomber which served the next twenty 88 Bait Ryan Schabow Sussex, Wisconsin Donald's Revenge Edward Heise Orlando, Florida missions well . . . " The stories of the lives and deaths of these craft were often as entertaining to us as the artwork itself. These readers had put their hearts into this game, and into this contest. So, I felt it wasn't enough to simply announce the names of those planes and their imaginative creators. I wanted to display their work. Using the pages of our magazine as a gallery, here they are-the ten winning entries, along with a couple of honorable mentions from Mr. Hawthorne. Bee Bopper Daniel Perrine Orange, Texas Odds Bucker John Olson 29 Palms, California Hey Meier! Matthe Schreck Westminster, Maryland
Page 2 and 3: Rex A. Martin Managing EditorIThe G
Page 4 and 5: I 3roclaimed that their island had
Page 6 and 7: 6 tion and pushes the airplane into
Page 8 and 9: BEYOND THE WAR TO END ALL WARS Hypo
Page 10 and 11: Sopwith F.1 Camel Nieuport 28 The C
Page 12 and 13: wears on the British only get stron
Page 14 and 15: enfilade shots into their advancing
Page 16 and 17: Hannur. From Charleroi south, exten
Page 18 and 19: "situational" effects reflecting th
Page 22 and 23: The 3000-Plane Raid When last we re
Page 24 and 25: against 200 for Germany alone. Nort
Page 26 and 27: If then, in this case, how should t
Page 28 and 29: BACK ISSUES The Baker's Dozen Disre
Page 30 and 31: Dear Mr. Martin: I admit that Mr. M
Page 32 and 33: - - b I (i) Maneuve SchedulM Unexpe
Page 34 and 35: putting 17 IJN airstrike factors-th
Page 36 and 37: Lt. Gen. John L. DeWitt, head of th
Page 38 and 39: Fleet, Japanese aircraft had also r
Page 40 and 41: Pacific on Turn One, because of the
Page 42 and 43: carriers in a night action. Another
Page 44 and 45: Germans may have called the 37mm AT
Page 46 and 47: KNIGHTS OF THE AIR Q. Under the Com

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