Barracuda in RN service?

[klr]

"I'm seeing a bit of theme here."

Those blokes with the stiff upper lips who gave out names like "Aerocobra", or "Lightning" for the P-38, presumably thinking they'd be good for morale must've been nuts.

Spot on with the P-38: Lockheed wanted to name it Atlanta, but the RAF Lightning won out.

Airacrobra sounds like an American name though, although it was first used for the RAF-bound aircraft. Must check some more on that one.

[klr]

The Brits wanted to call it the Caribou. WTF?

[Svartalf]

Lysander. Named after a character from a play full of fairies! How the Germans must have laughed!

Wasn't it after the Spartan general?

[John_fi_Skye]

The Brits wanted to call it the Caribou. WTF?

Yep. I'd forgotten that. It's just what I mean. Mind you. it wasn't much good.

But "Defiant", when it was crap - I mean, really. The Gladiator (that's a German reacting to that name.)

[John_fi_Skye]

Lysander. Named after a character from a play full of fairies! How the Germans must have laughed!

Wasn't it after the Spartan general?

But who knew that, when everybody knew their Shakespeare?

[klr]

Hawker Hector
Hawker Audax
Hawker Hartebeeste
Hawker Hardy
Fairey Flycatcher
Gloster Grebe
Arstrong-Withworth Albermarle
Bristol Brigand
Miles Martinet
Blackburn Roc
Bristol Buckingham
Vickers Vildebeest
Vickers Valentia
Westland Welkin
Percival Proctor

... the list of crazy British names just goes on and on.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

This?

Sounds right maybe.

One event occurred about the middle of November 1940 of which I shall mention some points here. My flotilla was moving down the Coast during the early morning, and had one of our reconnaissance airplanes overhead. The aircraft reported to us that a similar enemy flotilla had been sighted. The NEWCASTLE and ______________were with us in the first flotilla. Soon after we cleared the harbor the Germans reported the same as we had. The were planes of the RAF were not trained to work with the Navy, and therefore we could not find the German destroyers. Our destroyers went through at any rate and established the enemy position and made contact. As soon as the German destroyers saw us they turned and made off at full speed. We opened fire at range of about 24,000 yards. Everybody went at the best possible speed. At the end of a three-hour chase no one was out of position more than a mile. When the range dropped to 9800 yards the Germans opened fire. The NEWCASTLE launched her walrus aircraft and they reported the German destroyers. Torpedoes were fired with great accuracy, at 19,300 yards. The only ship that was within gun range was the NEWCASTLE. She was firing at about 23,000 yards, and fired 750 6-gun salvos. Because she had air observations,she laid down six 6-gun and 4 12-gun straddles. There were great quantities of German aircraft bombing, but nothing happened. The pilot of the NEWCASTLE'S walrus came in, landed in the slick which she had made, hooked his plane on and then passed out cold, shot through the chest.

Amazing stuff to read. Brave men.

And that story has been essentially lost for 70 years.

[John_fi_Skye]

Naming bombers etc after place-names (Lancaster, Manchester, Sunderland, Hudson) was probably a bit safer.

And I know nicknames were given, like "Emil" for the Bf-109E. But some of the names the Brits gave the planes were downright laughable. If you were with the Luftwaffe, wouldn't you have been just slightly dismissive if a Walrus came at you?

[klr]

... and yes, the Defiant was crap.

EDIT:

This?

Sounds right maybe.

One event occurred about the middle of November 1940 of which I shall mention some points here. My flotilla was moving down the Coast during the early morning, and had one of our reconnaissance airplanes overhead. The aircraft reported to us that a similar enemy flotilla had been sighted. The NEWCASTLE and ______________were with us in the first flotilla. Soon after we cleared the harbor the Germans reported the same as we had. The were planes of the RAF were not trained to work with the Navy, and therefore we could not find the German destroyers. Our destroyers went through at any rate and established the enemy position and made contact. As soon as the German destroyers saw us they turned and made off at full speed. We opened fire at range of about 24,000 yards. Everybody went at the best possible speed. At the end of a three-hour chase no one was out of position more than a mile. When the range dropped to 9800 yards the Germans opened fire. The NEWCASTLE launched her walrus aircraft and they reported the German destroyers. Torpedoes were fired with great accuracy, at 19,300 yards. The only ship that was within gun range was the NEWCASTLE. She was firing at about 23,000 yards, and fired 750 6-gun salvos. Because she had air observations,she laid down six 6-gun and 4 12-gun straddles. There were great quantities of German aircraft bombing, but nothing happened. The pilot of the NEWCASTLE'S walrus came in, landed in the slick which she had made, hooked his plane on and then passed out cold, shot through the chest.

Amazing stuff to read. Brave men.

And that story has been essentially lost for 70 years.

I'd not heard of it before either.

[John_fi_Skye]

"..Oh fuck! I'm being attacked by a Gloster Grebe....."

[John_fi_Skye]

There was a long tradition of it, too: was Von Richthoven shiting his pants at the thought of being attacked by a flight of fucking Camels??!!

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I'd not heard of it before either.

That's the great thing about Hyperwar, my dear partner.

[klr]

Naming bombers etc after place-names (Lancaster, Manchester, Sunderland, Hudson) was probably a bit safer.

And I know nicknames were given, like "Emil" for the Bf-109E. But some of the names the Brits gave the planes were downright laughable. If you were with the Luftwaffe, wouldn't you have been just slightly dismissive if a Walrus came at you?

"Emil" was from the German equivalent of semaphore code - Anton, Bruno, Caesar, Dora, etc., although there might have been more than one list.

While lots of German aircraft had official names*, they're usually referred to by their manufacturer designations. Since any given number was used only once (they were assigned centrally), German aircraft designations are usually quite easy to remember.

*But not the Ju 87. "Stuka" is just an abbreviation for the German for "dive bomber aircraft".

As for those crazy British names, I struggle to remember lists of them. Maybe I don't want to.

There was a long tradition of it, too: was Von Richthoven shiting his pants at the thought of being attacked by a flight of fucking Camels??!!

Or a Sopwith Pup. Or a Sopwith Snipe, although that only entered service after he cashed his chips.

[John_fi_Skye]

Yep.

And yes, was it Sturtzkampfflugzeug? But generally a designation (like Me-262 or B-24) sounds to me more impressive than a daft name, like Sopwith Pup, as you say, or one that's clearly trying too hard and therefore riding for a fall, like Meteor, or Javelin, or Victor or Valiant or Vulcan.....one could go on.

[klr]

Yep.

And yes, was it Sturtzkampfflugzeug? But generally a designation (like Me-262 or B-24) sounds to me more impressive than a daft name, like Sopwith Pup, as you say, or one that's clearly trying too hard and therefore riding for a fall, like Meteor, or Javelin, or Victor or Valiant or Vulcan.....one could go on.

Actually, I like all of those aircraft - and their names.

There are plenty of other weird British names post-war though, like the Folland Gnat. And the original name for the de Havilland Vampire was ... wait for it ... the Spider Crab.

The US isn't blame-free either BTW ... the XB-70 Valkyrie for example.

BTW, there's a great site for Cold War British aircraft here: http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/