[Randy]

ummm . . . but there a lot of photos (more everyday it seems) taken by crew members of vehicles and aircraft that never reached the noteriety required to get the press' attention that exhibited kill marks. To suggest that these were solely for display to the press for propoganda purposes goes to far IMO. Whether kill markings were displayed, I would suggest, depends both on the personality of the crew and the unit as well as whether equipment was consistantly used by a crew or rotated as needed. Some US aircraft show kill markings carried over from the previous pilot, presumably the crew chief was displaying the kills of that aircraft (this appears to be more common in the Navy). I don't think advertising one's skill was as much a concern in the air (you'd have to be close therefore already commited to your tactic to spot them) though it may well have been on the ground.


just ramblin'