WWII TATTOOS
From the markings of the Holocaust to the tattoos of sailors and soldiers.
“To those people that consider tattoos to be obscene things, let me say that I find nothing obscene in a man expressing love for his country, and I only wish there were more men with enough courage to feel and express their love for America.” Norman “Sailor” Jerry Collins. This article will examine some of the more popular tattoo designs to be worn by mainly British and North American soldiers and sailors from the WWII era as well as the tattooing of prisoners at concentration camps and their lasting legacy today.
Tattooing during the war
The Second World War did more for the world of tattooing than most people probably realize, particularly where the US military is concerned. In 1939 the US military went from 334,473 members to 12,209,238 members by 1945, and went from just 394 ships in their navy to 6,768. While there aren't exact numbers to show how many of these young men were tattooed, but according to US navy records 65% of the men serving during WWII had at least 1 tattoo, meaning roughly 2.6 million men were tattooed just in the navy alone during this time period.
What were many of these men getting as tattoos you might ask? Patriotic tattoos with eagles, ships, flags and script such as “America”, “ Remember Pearl Harbor”, “Happy Landings” for airmen, “Chutes and Boots” for paratroopers, portraits of girls back home or girls they wish were theirs were of course popular and names in hearts or roses for sweethearts, parents or children were and remain popular designs today.
Sailors and soldiers
While ships with sails were and are still today popular designs, often symbolizing a life spent at sea, or a safe return from a sea voyage, WWII saw more warship designs being tattooed as well, often featuring the name of the ship on the tattooed sailor. Names of places like Japan or China as well as coordinates were also common as tattoo designs and could be paired with many simple images. Chinese and Japanese dragons tattooed on European and American soldiers typically signified time spent in either country, with golden dragons specifically indicating the crossing of the international dateline into East Asia.
Anchors as tattoos initially meant that the wearer had crossed the Atlantic and could be done either alone or paired with names, hearts, swallows etc were of course popular for those in the navy, as were pig and rooster tattoos. Pig and roosters go back even further in history than WWII and are meant to be good luck because the wooden cages that held pigs and roosters would typically float if the ship were to sink. Skulls with helmets or rats often with the script “rats get fat while brave men die” showed the horrors of trench warfare in both WWI and WWII as soldiers watched their friends eaten, sometimes alive, by the rats in the trenches. Braided ropes usually placed on the left wrist indicated a deck division seamen, shellback turtles showed that a sailor had crossed the equator and swallows originally symbolized 5,000 nautical miles sailed, though now they are seen as simply related to sailing and a staple in American traditional tattooing whether you are a sailor or not.
Compass roses or nautical stars are fairly self explanatory, worn so that a sailor can find their way home. “Holdfast” or “shipmate” tattooed across the knuckles were meant to be good luck to the wearer, specifically so that one had an always firm grip on the rigging of the ship. Hula girls and palm trees were typically done in Hawaii by tattooers like Sailor Jerry and symbolized service in Hawaii. Another specifically Sailor Jerry design was the ships propellers done on each buttock to keep the wearer afloat or to propel them back home. While there were more designs tattooed during WWII, these were certainly some of the most popular motifs.
Tattooers of the era
Sailor Jerry has been mentioned already, tattooing out of Hawaii he worked on mainly navy and airforce men. Bert Grimm was another notable tattooer at this time, working out of his famous shop in St. Lous, Missouri during the majority of war and then in Long Beach, California. In London, England George Burchett was one of many well known tattooers working on servicemen before shipping out to Germany and other parts of Europe.
Forced markings at Auschwitz
While the numbers tattooed on certain prisoners during WWII have become infamous over the years, only one concentration camp was actually known for this practice. This was for the simple reason that the majority of concentration camps existed almost exclusively as large grounds for executing people. If they weren't going to be keeping anyone around for labour there was no reason to tattoo them. Auschwitz first tattooed only Soviet prisoners of war beginning in October 1941 for the purpose of tracking them for forced labour. In the spring of 1942 all Jewish prisoners would also be tattooed, on the lower left arm following the escape of a female prisoner in February. The only exceptions to this new tattoo rule were ethnic German inmates as well as police prisoners and “labor-education” prisoners who were forced to work for only up to 56 days for failing to adhere to the disciplines imposed on civilian labourers throughout Germany.
Because of the high number of people being kidnapped and detained by the Nazis, an alphabet and number system was quickly adopted so that they wouldn't be tattooing numbers as long as the inmates arms. The number began with an ‘A’ and went up to 20,000 where it would then start with a ‘B’ and so on. Many but not all Jewish prisoners also had a triangle tattooed beneath their number, and Romani prisoners were also assigned different tattoos, given the letter ‘Z’ for “zigeuner.”
Despite the first tattoo machine being patented in 1891, well before WWII, early inmates at Auschwitz were tattooed in quite a brutish manner. Before using machines or even a hand poked needle became more common in the camp and before everyone had their number tattooed on their lower left arm, they were done primarily on the chest by stamping metal numbers directly into the skin and then rubbing ink into the wounds. These often became infected. Later camp officials and even some prisoners were tattooing by hand using needles dipped into ink which, while still far from sanitary had a better chance at healing than their earlier versions.
A lasting legacy
For some survivors of Auschwitz keeping their tattoo covered was a constant chore, leading to the phrase “long sleeves in the summer.” Still others use(d) their tattoos as a way to prove their experiences to be true, especially as Holocaust denial started taking place mainly in the US. While these numbers were used to dehumanize mostly Jewish prisoners, some descendants of survivors today get their ancestors numbers tattooed on them as a reminder to never forget the horrors their families and friends endured.
The legacy of WWII tattoos can still be seen today whether it is through genocide and war memorials or in classic Americana tattoo flash that continues to stand the test of time.
Related guides
References(7)
- Archives.gov
- 100 Years of Traditional Tattoos from the Collection of Jonathan Shaw
- His Book - Sailor Jerry Written By Sailor Jerry Collins and Published by Kate Hellenbrand
- History of the Military Tattoo in World War II and Its Cultural Impact — Claire Lathrop
- Tattooing Among American Sailors and Maritime Communities from 1860 to 1945 — Scott Boersma
- The Tattoo Project: Commemorative Tattoos, Visual Culture, and the Digital Archive — Deborah Davidson
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Online Encyclopedia