John_fi_Skye wrote: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.
John_fi_Skye wrote: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.
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