Nearly 80,000 men were lost during the second world war missions by the U.S. Army Air Forces. Some 10,000 planes were shot down. It was the most dangerous of jobs and the tale is truly heartbreaking. One of the most amazing segments of recent documentary film making is found in the Ken Burns segment of his PBS series on the war which covered the Flying Fortress raids. The men (boys, actually) who went out were fighting the odds with every mission...and nearly as often as not, they didn't make it back. Shot down or run out of fuel...either way it was brutal for the squad doing it, the people on the ground and the folks back at the base waiting for them to come home.
Perhaps because of the overwhelming odds and the equally overwhelming bravery, the brass cut the boys some slack and let them decorate their planes lovingly. Many cartoonists and illustrators who returned home after the war painted similar scenes on duffel bags, helmets and such while over there. Seems to me these would make them a flying target, but then they already were.
As for "poontang" I will let you look up the meaning on your own...JFK was widely rumored to have said "I guess my poon days are over" when he was elected president. That gives you an idea.
I don't own these snapshots, but I could have. For some reason the fellow who had them listed on Ebay last week blocked my bid...some kind of snag and probably my fault. Consequently, though they had opening bids of virtually nothing, they didn't even sell. Maybe he will re-list them. A good collection lost, but nothing compared to the men.
Set of Amateur Snapshots of Flying Fortress Pin Up Girls Circa 1942-1945.
(A post on VINTAGE SLEAZE the BLOG as well)
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