- Author Mike Brown has brought together a fascinating collection of vintage photos
- Thousands of cards were sent out to soldiers to 'boost morale'
- Charts history of the pin-up throughout the ages
By Ian Drury
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During the gloomiest hours of the Second World War, it was the secret weapon that boosted the morale of battle-weary troops.
An Army of deliciously curvy young women, often stripped to lacy underwear, were deployed to lift the spirits of the men fighting fascism.
And in the war against the Nazis, maintaining the inspiration of service personnel faced with death and destruction was often seen as vital as having enough ammunition.
Morale boost: Thousands of pictures such as these were sent out to troops during the Second World War. On the left is an image called 'Hit the Deck' and on the right American actress Betty Grable shows off her celebrated legs
Saucy: Author Mike Brown has brought together this fascinating collection of nostalgic pictures which celebrate feminine beauty. These cards were usually printed out from vending machines at amusement arcades
But the battalion of females were not living, breathing, flash and blood. Instead they were pin-ups that bolstered the morale of British troops wrenched from their homes and sent to barrack rooms to tackle the enemy.
The most famous was 'Jane', the cartoon heroine who boosted morale during the Blitz and other troubled times by removing her clothes.
The blonde bombshell, who was drawn in the Daily Mirror, became a national treasure and was reputedly painted on the first British armored vehicle ashore on D-Day in June 1944.
Long way from home: US Staff Sergeant John Ferris on his bunk at Nettuno, Italy, in April 1944, with a fine collection of pin ups
Winston Churchill jokingly dubbed Jane 'Britain's secret weapon'.
As well as illustrations of smiling, buxom beauties - often in uniform showing they supported the war effort - racy photographs and postcards of naked women also brightened up the mess halls of the Army, Royal Navy and RAF.
From pin-ups such as Blondie, to girlfriends and wives, images of so-called sex-bombs were also emblazoned on the sides of Allied aircraft flying on bombing runs into occupied Europe as a reminder of home.
Now the pin-up ? one of the most enduringly popular, but least credited, icons of war-time Britain and Europe - is being recognised in the latest vintage book from period author Mike Brown.
Called 'The Pin-up in World War II', the book is beautifully and abundantly illustrated by scores of pin-ups ? archetypal nude photos, cartoons and illustrations from dozens of sources.
Artwork: These pictures from 1942 are fine examples of the pin-up girls from an era when a glimpse of a stocking was considered highly erotic
Mr Brown's book charts the history of the pin-up which came of age by the end of the 19th century, with the advent of photography and the 'dirty French postcard'.
In the Second World War the pin-up became the darling of millions of young men suddenly torn from their families and plunged into the all-male environments of garrisons and the front line.
Images from the UK, U.S., France and Germany are included. Mr Brown said: 'Throughout the 1930s and '40s, there can?t have been a barrack room in Europe that wasn't filled with torn-out magazine pages, photos and postcards of pin-ups, either hidden in drawers and kitbags or boldly displayed on walls and notice boards.
'Pin-ups went to war just as much as sweetheart letters, uniforms and artillery and, as well as being a delight to the eye, were a bedrock of troop morale. Now, at last, they've been brought together in a single, fully illustrated history and celebration of the wartime pin-up.'
* 'The Pin-up in World War II' is published today (Dec04) by Sabrestorm at all good bookshops and online retailers priced ?6.99.
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