GregP
Major
Well ... this thread should generate some comments.
I was at the Planes of Fame today and spent the morning covering the ailerons for our Mitsubishi Zero. It was my first fabric experience other than radio control airplanes ... it is about the same except for no heat gun. After lunch, I was taking a short break and a gentleman and his wife were looking around when I asked them if they had any questios. We sort of "hit it off" and I decided to show them the hanger where we keep our foreign planes myself.
He had a slight accent and she said nothing, but not much of an accent and not easily identifiable, and I wondered where they were from. We wandered around the hangars until we came to the P-38, and I told them about our plane and said that "the Germans are popularly believed to have called it "the forked tail devil but we now doubt that is true. We think it was a fabrication of Martin Caidin in an early book from the 1960's."
Well, I got floored.
He said he was from Germany and his father flew fighters in WWII and they DID call it the "Forked Tail Devil" ... only in German. He pronounced it but I can't spell it.
That sort of flies in the face of what I've heard in here, but this guy had NO axe to grind, did not say any other things that were unusual, and was merely a tourist from Germany. Perhaps we have been maligning Martin for no real reason in here ... I can't say for sure, but it would seem some investigation other than speculation may be needed before we can rule out the term.
His wife concurred (with a German accent) that the term was used as she had heard it and she was also from Germany and her father had also flown fighters and had used the term to her later.
Interesting ... not conclusive, but raises some doubt in MY mind about the so-called facts being stated in here about it. I would not say it is true at this time that the Germans DID call the P-38 "The Forked Tail Devil," but also would not rule it out after talking with these very nice people. Some investigation might be in order ... just from my viewpoint.
I have NO agenda here. Just passing this along as I heard it in person today. Never expected to hear that from anyone ... and have no real opinion on it as yet.
I was at the Planes of Fame today and spent the morning covering the ailerons for our Mitsubishi Zero. It was my first fabric experience other than radio control airplanes ... it is about the same except for no heat gun. After lunch, I was taking a short break and a gentleman and his wife were looking around when I asked them if they had any questios. We sort of "hit it off" and I decided to show them the hanger where we keep our foreign planes myself.
He had a slight accent and she said nothing, but not much of an accent and not easily identifiable, and I wondered where they were from. We wandered around the hangars until we came to the P-38, and I told them about our plane and said that "the Germans are popularly believed to have called it "the forked tail devil but we now doubt that is true. We think it was a fabrication of Martin Caidin in an early book from the 1960's."
Well, I got floored.
He said he was from Germany and his father flew fighters in WWII and they DID call it the "Forked Tail Devil" ... only in German. He pronounced it but I can't spell it.
That sort of flies in the face of what I've heard in here, but this guy had NO axe to grind, did not say any other things that were unusual, and was merely a tourist from Germany. Perhaps we have been maligning Martin for no real reason in here ... I can't say for sure, but it would seem some investigation other than speculation may be needed before we can rule out the term.
His wife concurred (with a German accent) that the term was used as she had heard it and she was also from Germany and her father had also flown fighters and had used the term to her later.
Interesting ... not conclusive, but raises some doubt in MY mind about the so-called facts being stated in here about it. I would not say it is true at this time that the Germans DID call the P-38 "The Forked Tail Devil," but also would not rule it out after talking with these very nice people. Some investigation might be in order ... just from my viewpoint.
I have NO agenda here. Just passing this along as I heard it in person today. Never expected to hear that from anyone ... and have no real opinion on it as yet.
