I think this series are largely plausible although 1699-1701 contain darker and more deadly-serious elements than those generally present in Allied nose art, which tended to express more hopefulness and playfulness, and tended toward the secular. The series also diverges from history in that most historic nose-art photos were taken on the runway, not in the air; whereas here the ratio is flipped because of its sense of immediacy, especially with 1699. Any online search for “world war two aircraft nose art” should produce a vast universe of historical examples. Subject-matter-wise, attractive women and violence were among the most common themes in nose art. Nose art was more common on bombers than fighters, and perhaps most common on US and UK aircraft; but fighters, Axis, and USSR air forces also occasionally included it. By contrast, the use across combatant air forces and aircraft types of “kill marks” (especially by fighters), “mission marks” (bombers), and “victory marks” (a more general term), was widespread.
In Europe, American bombing units usually focused on precision bombing of targets with identifiable relevance to the war effort. In Japan they began as a propaganda effort (the Mitchell raid), then when bombing began in earnest, on precision bombing at first, which yielded disappointing results, turning to mass incendiary raids later on. Whether the difference between the carpet-firebombing in Japan and the precision bombing in Germany was a result of military requirements (postwar studies concluded firebombing in Japan was militarily effective as intended because Japanese war production was decentralized, including by workers in their own homes), US racism, or the fact they had UK counterparts in Europe, is a matter of debate.
RAF bombers were mainly active in Europe. The RAF quickly concluded precision bombing was ineffective, adopting an Air Bombing Directive on 14 February, 1942 deciding candidly “To focus attacks on the morale of the enemy civil population and in particular the industrial workers. In the case of Berlin harassing attacks to maintain fear of raids and to impose [Air Raid Precaution] measures.” Axis propaganda seems to make it clear the strategy encouraged rather than discouraged resistance, just as the German attacks during the blitz had done.
I hoped to capture in these images the darkness and evil of Channah; “Queen of Hell” seemed almost unavoidable and not far off historical examples. “Avenger of Blood” (Hebrew: גֹּאֵל הַדָּם, go’el ha-dam) appears in several Bible passages, including in Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua. The Avenger of Blood, usually the closest male relative of a person who has been killed, has the duty of searching for and killing the murderer in turn, in accordance with the principle of lex talionis (the law of retribution).
Literature Section “07-04-E Allied Strategic Bombing”—Accompanying Images: 1697-1701—Published 2025-07-13—©2025 The Remainderman. This is a work of fiction, not a book of suggestions. It’s filled with fantasies, idiots, and criminals. Don’t believe them or imitate them.
1697 07-04 Queen of Hell USAAF B-17: Precision-bombing over Wilhelmshaven 1943-01-27—2025-07-13. Channah; old private photo. The date referenced was the first B-17 bombing mission with American crews of the war. This image seemed too close to a B-17 to put it convincingly over Japan, but I liked the image.
1698 07-04 Queen of Hell USAAF B-29: Over Tokyo 1945-03-10 (Operating Meetinghouse)— 2025-07-13. Channah; old private photo. The date referenced was the first mass incendiary “area bombing” raid against Tokyo, and one of the deadliest. The resulting devastation and civilian loss of life have been compared to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
1699 07-04 Blood Avenger RAF Avro Lancaster: Underlit by Hamburg firestorm, 11:59 p.m. 1943-07-27 (Operation Gamorrah)— 2025-07-13; Channah; old private photo. Choosing to name one of the most-relentless and deadly incendiary raids of the war after a Biblical holocaust, smacks of an operation more focused on bloody revenge than on military efficacy. The Old Testament nature and origin of the Blood Avenger, and its association with Judaism, seemed like a perfect complement to the British bombing strategy, especially in respect to Nazi Germany, which was neck-deep in the capital-H Holocaust by mid-1943. The picture of the evil Channah grinning down, underlit by the glowing light of mass murder, chilled me to the bone the instant it popped up on the AI.
1700 07-04 Blood Avenger RAF Avro Lancaster: Kill marks in searchlight over Nuremburg 1945-01-02 before flak damage—2025-07-13; n/a; old private photo. I initially viewed this image as a failed request for nose art, but I liked the overall composition and it occurred to me although the kill marks are less interesting visually, they have a profound psychological dimension, more so even than the nose art. I therefore decided to include it. The raid on Nuremburg was also a big one, and had the added significance of being directed against a spiritual seat of the Nazi party.
1701 07-04 Blood Avenger RAF Avro Lancaster: Repaired repainted departing for Dresden 1945-02-14—2025-07-13; Channah; old private photo. For the Blood Avenger images, I blended the typical Channah prompts with terms alluding to the Biblical lady in white and something akin to justice; and in terms evocative of the Biblical story of Lot. As mentioned, 1699 absolutely gave me chills; I liked this one a lot, too, although it raises more questions than it answers about her nature (singular or dual? Human or monster? Female or androgenous? Sane or mad?)