Did the Luftwaffe "invent" the shark's-mouth motif?

[Stephan Wilkinson]

I'm seeing photos of Ju-87 Stukas taken in July 1940, bearing shark's-mouth (and eye) paint on the nose and radiator. Which would mean they were first with the design and that the American Volunteer Group later copied it. Does anybody know of any earlier use of the design on U. S. aircraft?

[Richard W.]

I think it's generally accepted that the AVG copied the shark's mouth design from pictures in a magazine (Life?) article that showed it on RAF P-40s in North Africa.

[TOM WALSH]

From my recently released book "Remembering The Canadian Yanks";


The P-40K and M aircraft flown by "The Sharks" were powered by a V-1710-81 Allison (F20R), V-12 liquid-cooled, inline engine rated at 1,200 shaft horsepower. In 1942, the Curtiss-Wright Corporation of Buffalo, New York constructed a total of 616 of these two models. These variants were then supplied to several Commonwealth Air Forces and all were designated in service as Kittyhawk Mk. III's. RAF No. 112 FS was the first Allied unit to paint the "shark mouth" motiff on their aircraft. The fiercesome artwork first appeared on their P-40's in mid -1941. The idea was actually borrowered from the Luftwaffe after a 112 Squadron pilot had seen a picture in a popular weekly magazine of a twin-engined Messerschmitt Me 110 belonging to Zerstorergeschwader (ZG) 76 painted in a similar scheme.

Cheers,

Tom Walsh.

[Stephan Wilkinson]

Thanks, Tom.

Wonder which came first, the Ju-87 paint job or the Me-110's.

[The Inspector]

There were crudely done shark mouth designs used by the French during WW1, I recall seeing a photo of a NIEUPORT either 11 or BEBE' with a shark mouth on the cowling.-but generally the AVG is credited with 'borrowing' from the RAF in North Africa as Richard W. said.

[Dave Hadfield]

No, the shark's-mouth originated in WWI.



Then it was used by Bf-110s in Norway, and Greece/Crete.



Then copied by 112 RAF. Then a photo issue of the India Illustrated Times or some such name made it to Burma, where the AVG saw it, and copied it. The tiger is a very potent symbol in the East, and was more than just a "cool look". There was a perception of luck and power that went with it.

Dave

[JDK]

Some more here, and on the linked IPMS Uruguay website

http://vintageaeroplanewriter.blogspot. ... bites.html

I'd agree with Dave H's comments, as to sequence, but IIRC, the Zerstörer Bf 110s started with it pre-war, al did the Ju 87 units.

Regards,

[JFS61]

The Walfisch - One of my favorites of WWI.

Just a little bit too far ahead of its time for its own good, unfortunately.

[The Inspector]

Someone needs to crank out a decal sheet of that HURRICANE!!!

[Baldeagle]

Ralph O'Neal of the 147th Aero Squadron had a shark mouth on his Nieuport 28 in 1918, only one photo is known to exist showing the cowling, couldn't find it online, but here is a model based on that photo-




And there were some wild training schemes, Nieuport 24-





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[k5083]

It was inevitable that this motif started to be employed shortly after the birth of the fighter plane. When you consider the inherent predatory purpose, the ability to move freely in 3 dimensions, and even the physical resemblance, especially of the early monocoque fighters like the Albatros and Pfalz fighters, it doesn't take a lot of imagination to think "shark" and then it's only a matter of time until someone has the discretion to paint up a plane.

Like many buffs active in the 70s, I collected the Arco-Aircam publications and my favorites were the 2-volume sharkmouth set which I still have. What I learned from those books is that the list of fighter/attack aircraft that have NOT had a sharkmouth painted on them in service at some point is likely shorter than the list of those that have. And the same is almost true of bombers, trainers and L-birds. Every modeler who looked at those Arco books must have thought at least fleetingly, "Hey, what if I had a model collection just of planes with faces on them," and I'm sure some executed on that, though I don't know any personally.

August

[JDK]

Indeed. However a quick scan of what I have to hand comes up with a very unsharklike type as the oldest example I can think of:

"[One of the] ...earliest examples of “teeth” was Maurice Farman F.37 serial 9133, above, photographed while serving with No 2 Wing RNAS at Imbros in the Aegean during June 1916".

Regards,

[TROJANII]

Ralph O'Neal of the 147th Aero Squadron had a shark mouth on his Nieuport 28 in 1918, only one photo is known to exist showing the cowling, couldn't find it online, but here is a model based on that photo-




And there were some wild training schemes, Nieuport 24-





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Umm, I think the second one is a fish.

And since the AVG was known as the "Flying Tigers" wouldn't it be a tigers mouth?

[Stephan Wilkinson]

Actually, none of the supposed "tiger's mouth" designs, including the AVG's, the Messerschmitts and the Stukas, look the slightest bit like a tiger's mouth. Have you ever seen a big cat's teeth? Mainly four large fangs, a few other cutting teeth up front and very little if anything in the back of the mouth. (Cats don't have molars.) If anything, they are shark's-mouth designs and Chennault should have called his little air force "the Flying Sharks."

So Ralph O'Neal was in fact on to something with his fish...

[JDK]

Pilots of No. 457 Squadron receive final instructions at the airstrip for their flight back to Australia in October 1945. All of the squadron's aircraft were painted with a shark's mouth, earning the squadron the nickname the 'Grey Nurse Squadron'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._457_Squadron_RAAF