Jan 2013 FSO: Fei Hou, INTO THE TIGERS DEN

[CAP1]

does not sound correct......as far as I know....(I am no expert) but I am pretty sure the shark mouth comes from someone seeing it on a 110.....Yes I was surprised when I read that.......I don't remember where I read it, I read it when I was doing research for the P40 skins I did.

THAT'S how you knew!!  i was shocked as well. i'll see if i kept the page when i visited it. i found it doing research for this setup.  

 found it.....

AVG fighter aircraft were painted with a large shark face on the front of the aircraft. This was done after pilots saw a photograph of a P-40 of No. 112 Squadron RAF in North Africa,[11] which in turn had adopted the shark face from German pilots of the Luftwaffe's ZG 76 heavy fighter wing, flying Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighters in Crete. (The AVG nose-art is variously credited to Charles Bond[12] and Erik Shilling.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Tigers

scroll half way fdown left side.

 

[Stampf]

I believe the RAF in North Africa were the first Allied units to apply the mako shark mouth.  They were flying Warhawks.  JU87 and Bf110 units also used the design prior to the AVG in China.

Chennault saw a picture of a ZG76 Bf110 with the design, and used it saying. "I like it".



I have seen it on Bf109's as well.

[ink]

THAT'S how you knew!!  i was shocked as well. i'll see if i kept the page when i visited it. i found it doing research for this setup.  

 found it.....

AVG fighter aircraft were painted with a large shark face on the front of the aircraft. This was done after pilots saw a photograph of a P-40 of No. 112 Squadron RAF in North Africa,[11] which in turn had adopted the shark face from German pilots of the Luftwaffe's ZG 76 heavy fighter wing, flying Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighters in Crete. (The AVG nose-art is variously credited to Charles Bond[12] and Erik Shilling.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Tigers

scroll half way fdown left side.

 

ya I did one of the 112.....must be when I read it.....I thought it was quit funny them taking a design from the Germans....

I will say it is by far my favorite nose art on any plane....loved the Flying Tigers since I was a little kid.....

[Dantoo]

The shark's mouth motif also came to the Pacific in another direction with 457 RAAF.  This was through Clive Caldwell RAAF who had recently commanded 112Sqn RAF in the Middle East before being sent home to fly in the direct defence of Australia. Caldwell was the highest p40 scoring pilot of the war.  His total (including later kills in the Pacific with Spitfire) was 28.5 kills 6 probables and 15 damaged.  He resigned his commission before the end of the war in protest at the way Australian Squadrons were being "misused" when McArthur insisted that only U.S. combat formations should be used to liberate the Philippines.

http://www.starduststudios.com/shark.htm

[trap78]

Nevermind....

[mbailey]

I believe the RAF in North Africa were the first Allied units to apply the mako shark mouth.  They were flying Warhawks.  JU87 and Bf110 units also used the design prior to the AVG in China.

Chennault saw a picture of a ZG76 Bf110 with the design, and used it saying. "I like it".

(Image removed from quote.)

I have seen it on Bf109's as well.

I just bought an orig. picture of one of ZG76s BF110s for my collection....

[Stampf]

I just bought an orig. picture of one of ZG76s BF110s for my collection....

(Image removed from quote.)

Sweet.