All planes seemed to be German so we took no chances. On our way we seemed to be the last troops left but 5 miles from St Nazaire we found we were not, for here we met the rear of the troops who ...

The spirals on the noses of German fighter planes in World War II weren't a fashion statement. They had some very practical reasons for being there.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer. A German WW2 plane flown by the world's deadliest pilot shows all 121 enemy kills stencilled onto the bullet-ridden tail-wing - and could be worth up to £20,000.

The Germans primarily painted spirals on the nosecones of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, two of the best German fighter planes of WW2.The spirals worked well to promote safety.