The title is slightly misleading because this book covers art 
applied to land, sea, and air vehicles of WWII, but also includes 
vehicle art in WWI and after WWII. The publisher has produced many 
books with large photographic content, reproducing in monochrome and 
full colour. This book falls into that category. The text flows and 
is very informative, but the illustration is essential and impressive. 

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NAME: Vehicle Art of World War Two
FILE: R2437
AUTHOR:  John Norris
PUBLISHER: Pen & Sword
BINDING: hard back 
PAGES:  180
PRICE: £19.99
GENRE: Non Fiction
SUBJECT: WWII, World War 2, World War Two, Second World War, art, 
painting, morale, vehicles on land, sea, air, post WWII, pre-WWII
ISBN: 1-47383-418-X
IMAGE: B2437.jpg
BUYNOW: http://tinyurl.com/gvvogyx
LINKS:  
DESCRIPTION: The title is slightly misleading because this book covers 
art applied to land, sea, and air vehicles of WWII, but also includes 
vehicle art in WWI and after WWII. The publisher has produced many 
books with large photographic content, reproducing in monochrome and 
full colour. This book falls into that category. The text flows and 
is very informative, but the illustration is essential and impressive. 

The colourful artwork added to aircraft during World War Two is famous, 
not least because it has featured in fictional and non-fiction movies 
of this epic conflict. However, there was a flowering of art that 
enlivened clothing, vehicles, aircraft and vessels. The author has 
traced this form of expression, both of the war period and of 
restored vehicles, models, wargammers and museums. That in itself is 
a good reason for buying this book as if looks at the cartoons and 
pin-up girls inspiring the art.

What adds to the enjoyable and informative coverage is that the author 
has also looked at art and markings in WWI and in more recent 
conflicts. The text provides a comprehensive study of the topics, but 
the lavish illustration, mainly in full colour, is essential to the 
story. The reproduction is first class. It even includes some early 
war art with re-enactment photographs of Greek hoplites and Roman 
Legions.

Historically, military art was primarily employed as identification 
in the confusion of close quarter fighting. The painting of shields 
in distinctive patterns was an important form of communication and 
developed into the coats of arms that marked the Medieval warriors. 
What changed was that WWI saw the introduction of vehicles and, 
although the naming of vehicles, and their adornment with more 
colourful art, the new expression was more complex. The crews felt 
a level of ownership and home in their vehicles that was new. It 
coincided with the new forms of communication, comic books and films, 
that introduced cartoons and glamour. These images were readily 
adopted by vehicle crews and were employed on clothing as on vehicles. 
Aircrew of the period wore leather jackets and these were suitable 
for painting colourful art onto them. Often, the jackets featured 
copies of the artwork that appeared on the planes and identified the 
crews with their mounts.

This book is a fascinating study that explains the motivation behind 
the paintings and the enduring desire of soldiers, sailors and airmen 
to personalized their vehicles, even in the different environment of 
war 70 years on.