Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This is a fantastic hand painted WWII 1944 Dated New Guinea "trench art" AN Mark 4 Aircraft Night Signal Float Light. It was hand painted as a memento of this airman's time in the Pacific Theater during World War Two. One can visualize an American Soldier sitting on the beach at sunset painting this float light after it washed to ashore during the closing days of WW2. In addition to 1944 and New Guinea it features full color sunset or sunrise over an ocean horizon with a a pair of palm trees in silhouette. The rest of the body is painted ocean blue. It's quite well done. 

The float light was a smoke-producing flare designed to be dropped by an aircraft over open water for drift sighting during the day or night. This type would have been used from the late 1930s through World War II.

lights were were constructed of adhesive, aluminum, brass, and wood, around the smoke charge. Dimensions: 13” × 3” x 3”

Offered in very good/excellent condition these are exceptionally rare with an example currently on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space museum as seen here: https://airandspace.si.edu/multimedia-gallery/4486hjpg

Ready to display!

AN-Mk 4 Specifications
Length: 13 inches
Diameter: 3 inches
Weight: 2 pounds

Burning time: 3 to 3.5 minutes
Time from impact to ignition: 8 to 12 seconds
Release altitude: Under 500 feet
Visibility: Night - 6 to 7 miles

The New Guinea campaign of the Pacific War lasted from January 1942 until the end of the war in August 1945. During the initial phase in early 1942, the Empire of Japan invaded the Australian-administered territories of the New Guinea Mandate (23 January) and Papua (8 March) and overran western New Guinea (beginning 29/30 March), which was a part of the Netherlands East Indies. During the second phase, lasting from late 1942 until the Japanese surrender, the Allies—consisting primarily of Australian and US forces—cleared the Japanese first from Papua, then the Mandate and finally from the Dutch colony.

The campaign resulted in a crushing defeat and heavy losses for the Empire of Japan. As in most Pacific War campaigns, disease and starvation claimed more Japanese lives than enemy action. Most Japanese troops never even came into contact with Allied forces, and were instead simply cut off and subjected to an effective blockade by the US Navy. Garrisons were effectively besieged and denied shipments of food and medical supplies, and as a result, some claim that 97% of Japanese deaths in this campaign were from non-combat causes.

According to John Laffin, the campaign "was arguably the most arduous fought by any Allied troops during World War II"