P-47... Origins of the nickname "The Jug"

[GrauGeist]

The F-105 was known as the "Thud"

 

[Admiral Beez]

The F-105 was known as the "Thud"

I wonder if some of these nicknames were marketing or aspirations of the manufacturer. For instance, Douglas called their A-1 the Skyraider, but the pilots and crew called it the Spad. Fairchild Republic called their A-10 the Thunderbolt, but to its users it was the Warthog or Hog. Republic's marketing folks may have wanted their F-105 Thunderchief to be referred to as the Thud, but the end user is the boss, so Lead Sled and other names were also common.

Interestingly, I can't find any instances of the British having nicknames, rather than abbreviations of their fighters. Spitfire was at best abbreviated to Spit, but Tempest was a tempest.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

I think "Thud" was also a less-than-flattering field appellation rather than a company nickname.

When I was stationed at Carswell, we had a static-display Thud in front of the 301st TFW(R) HQ.

 

[Snautzer01]

I wonder if some of these nicknames were marketing or aspirations of the manufacturer. For instance, Douglas called their A-1 the Skyraider, but the pilots and crew called it the Spad. Fairchild Republic called their A-10 the Thunderbolt, but to its users it was the Warthog or Hog. Republic's marketing folks may have wanted their F-105 Thunderchief to be referred to as the Thud, but the end user is the boss, so Lead Sled and other names were also common.

Interestingly, I can't find any instances of the British having nicknames, rather than abbreviations of their fighters. Spitfire was at best abbreviated to Spit, but Tempest was a tempest.

Tiffy, Stringbag, Wimpy

 

[SaparotRob]

I think it's an American thing to come up with nicknames and humanize our equipment. It's probably why American aircraft are so popular.
Don't we all think about Jugs every now and again? I love looking at pictures of Jugs. At aviation festivals, who doesn't look forward to seeing Jugs proudly displayed?

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

I think it's an American thing to come up with nicknames and humanize our equipment. It's probably why American aircraft are so popular.

I don't think this is an American trait, but rather, it's a human trait. Pilots name their planes, people name their cars ... Hell, my Grandma named her .25 semi-auto "John Henry." People have a way of anthropomorphizing things, and naming is part of it.

Throw in a dash of GI humor (no matter the country, military humor is its own breed of funny), and you get things like the Vultee Vibrator or the Russian pilots calling the P-39 the "britchik", which apparently means "little shaver" ("shaving" being VVS slang for strafing according to Warbird Alley.)

Don't we all think about Jugs every now and again? I love looking at pictures of Jugs. At aviation festivals, who doesn't look forward to seeing Jugs proudly displayed?

I heard tell there are weirdos who prefer Mustangs.

 

[Admiral Beez]

I don't think this is an American trait, but rather, it's a human trait. Pilots name their planes, people name their cars ... Hell, my Grandma named her .25 semi-auto "John Henry." People have a way of anthropomorphizing things, and naming is part of it.

Here in Canada we have a convenience store chain thusly named.

 

[SaparotRob]

I was only trying to set up a "low brow" joke.

 

[GrauGeist]

Tiffy, Stringbag, Wimpy

Add to the list:
Mossie, TseTse, Spit, Lanc, Hali, Chippie, Meatbox...

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

I was only trying to set up a "low brow" joke.

And a marvelous job you did!

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Here in Canada we have a convenience store chain thusly named.

View attachment 616524

That "More Than Milk" is a delightful touch, lol.

 

[SaparotRob]

Makes me proud of our Neighbour to the North!
Edited to correct spelling of neighbor.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Add to the list:
Mossie, TseTse, Spit, Lanc, Hali, Chippie, Meatbox...

Most British names for WW2 aircraft seem be be ambreviations of the original name, rather than Thunderbolt becoming Jug and Hog, Skyraider becoming Spad. There is the Stringbag for Swordfish.

 

[pbehn]

I know Spitfires were named Spits and Hurricanes named Hurris, but surely no one called a Gladiator a Gladys?

 

[Admiral Beez]

I know Spitfires were named Spits and Hurricanes named Hurris, but surely no one called a Gladiator a Gladys?

Albacore was called the Applecore, but that, like Stringbag is meant to be humorously disparaging rather than a reference to capability or performance, such as Hog, Jug or Thud.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Makes me proud of our Neighbour to the North!
Edited to correct spelling of neighbor.

That extraneous "u" will getcha every time!

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Most British names for WW2 aircraft seem be be ambreviations of the original name, rather than Thunderbolt becoming Jug and Hog, Skyraider becoming Spad. There is the Stringbag for Swordfish.

I'm not certain, but I thought "Spad" for the A-1 came out of call-signs rather than from the troops? Happy to be corrected if need be.

 

[WARSPITER]

Probably just as well the nickname wasn't left to the RAAF - more than likely would have ended being called a 'Thunderbox' (Australian slang for toilet).

 

[Redfellow]

Gavin Ewart (1916-95) served as an artillery officer. He was also responsible for this:

When a Beau goes in,
Into the drink,
It makes you think,
Because, you see, they always sink
But nobody says "Poor lad"
Or goes about looking sad
Because, you see, it's war,
It's the unalterable law.

Although it's perfectly certain
The pilot's gone for a Burton
And the observer too
It's nothing to do with you
And if they both should go
To a land where falls no rain nor hail nor driven snow —
Here, there, or anywhere,
Do you suppose they care?

You shouldn't cry
Or say a prayer or sigh.
In the cold sea, in the dark
It isn't a lark
But it isn't Original Sin —
It's just a Beau going in.

Beaufighters were not ideal aircraft for carrier operations.

 

[GreenKnight121]

The F-105 was known as the "Thud"

I wonder if some of these nicknames were marketing or aspirations of the manufacturer.
....
Republic's marketing folks may have wanted their F-105 Thunderchief to be referred to as the Thud, but the end user is the boss, so Lead Sled and other names were also common.

I think "Thud" was also a less-than-flattering field appellation rather than a company nickname.

Albacore was called the Applecore, but that, like Stringbag is meant to be humorously disparaging rather than a reference to capability or performance, such as Hog, Jug or Thud.

Everyone I have talked to who was in or around the USAF during Vietnam has agreed that the nickname "Thud" for the F-105 Thunderchief was NOT a desirable name... as it referred to the sound one makes as it impacts the ground! This is the commonly-accepted origin story for the name... Why Pilots Loved the F-105 'Thud' Despite its Vulnerability

Nobody knows for sure where the nickname comes from. Some claim it can be traced back to the Howdy Doody character Chief Thunderthud, but that's unlikely. The generally accepted explanation is that it's the sound the airplane made when it hit the ground, as it too often did.

Remember, the Thud was the only aircraft in Air Force history that had to be withdrawn from combat because nearly half the fleet had been shot down or crashed*, leaving too few to be tactically useful. It also quickly failed as a Thunderbird team aircraft, when one broke in half during practice for only its seventh show.





* 833 F-105s were manufactured between 1956 and 1965. During the Vietnam War, 395 were lost in-theatre - 47.4% of the total built!
In the course of the Thud's career, 612 were destroyed by various causes—73.5% of the entire production run. The F-105 had the highest noncombat accident rate of any USAF fighter.
By 1970, the Air Force had withdrawn the F-105D from combat, though the Wild Weasels soldiered on until the end of the war.
The above-linked site comments:

There's a myth that the Thud "would always get you home," and every pilot who made it back to base with a shot-up F-105 put another notch in that reputation. The airplane's sheer bulk and presumed strength made it seem obvious that the Thud was a survivor. The Air Force, however, did a study and found that in fact few badly damaged 105s successfully returned to base.

"The curse of the Thud was that she would go like a dingbat on the deck and she would haul a huge load," wrote Colonel Jack Broughton in Thud Ridge, "but she was prone to loss of control when the hydraulic system took even the smallest of hits." The stabilator would instantly move to a full nose-down position when hydraulic pressure was lost, and at low altitudes that was often unsurvivable.

As for aircraft nicknamed "Hog"... the same site linked above says this about the F-105:

It could have been worse. The airplane's original moniker was Ultra Hog. (The runway-eating Republic F-84 was the Hog, and the sweptwing F-84F became the Super Hog.) Some pilots called their F-105s Nickels, for the five designator. None called them Thunderchiefs.