by: Karen Burns, WDW Radio Team
My husband and I share a deep interest in military history—an interest that has only grown for me over the years, thanks in no small part to being married to a former British Army soldier. I’ve always been especially drawn to the human side of history and the personal stories of those who served. These weren’t just names, ranks, or service numbers—they were sons and daughters, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters. Ordinary people who did truly extraordinary things.
We noticed the Bomber Command Museum of Canada a few times whilst driving through the small town of Nanton in Alberta, Canada, and in March we stopped to take a look around and what an amazing afternoon we had! So many incredible stories, historical artifacts, and lovingly restored aircraft.
But one area I found particularly interesting was a small corner of a cavernous aircraft hangar. Here I found an exhibit of aircraft “nose art.” These decorative painted images on the fuselage of planes meant something to the crew who flew in them. Originally designed to help easily spot an ally, these images soon became more about boosting morale during dark times.
What I hadn’t expected to see in this exhibit were Disney characters and I was intrigued to find out more about the significance of these instantly recognizable animated creations.
As artist and author, David Bossert, explains, in 1941 before the U.S. even entered World War II, Lieutenant E.S Caldwell personally wrote to Walt Disney to ask if the Walt Disney Studios would design an emblem for their fleet of Patrol Torpedo boats. Walt was more than happy to oblige and gave the task to one of his artists, Hank Porter. Porter was born in New York and studied at the Chicago Academy of Fine Art. He was hired by Walt Disney in 1936 and relocated with his family to Los Angeles to begin working as an animator on Snow White.
Porter designed an insignia for Lieutenant Caldwell showing a mosquito on a torpedo. It was such a huge hit that it kickstarted a flood of requests to the Studio from other military units wanting their own insignia design. It soon became a full-time job for both Porter and fellow artist, Roy Williams, with some help from co-workers George Goepper and Van Kaufman.
In her article, “Artful Patriotism: DOD and Disney,” Shannon Collins explains how Porter would go on to design an insignia for the 334th Fighter Squadron of an Eagle with boxing gloves. Williams not only created the Flying Tiger for the 14th Air Force but also was the original designer and creator of the iconic mouse ears worn in the Mickey Mouse Club.
And the most requested Disney character for military insignias? Donald Duck—who appeared in over 216 different unit designs!
By the end of the war, Walt Disney Studios, which had become a war plant in 1942, had created an incredible 1200 designs, not just for the branches of the U.S. Air Force but also for its Allies which included the U.K., Canada, China, France, New Zealand, South Africa and Poland. The artwork appeared on everything from aircraft and flight jackets to pins, training manuals, and morale pamphlets.
David Lesjak in his book “Service with Character – The Disney Studio and World War II,” mentions that the Walt Disney Studios had a service flag with 165 blue stars and 5 gold stars. The blue stars represented each Disney employee serving in the military and the gold represented those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
For Walt, his and the Studio’s contribution to the war effort was given willingly and completely free of charge. He was a patriotic American and wanted to help in any way he could. In the First World War his brother Roy served in the Navy and Walt served as a Red Cross ambulance driver since he was too young to enlist.
Displayed at the National Museum of the US Air Force is a quote from Walt. He says, “The insignia meant a lot to the men who were fighting…I had to do it…I owed it to them.”
During our museum visit, it was very touching to see this powerful reminder of the human spirit, creativity, and the will to bring light—even during the darkest times.
All photos courtesy of the author’s personal collection.
