The best thing about the Spitfire Mk XIV was that there were so few of them

[33k in the air]

Another fan fave; Whistling Death.

Well, if you watch this video, particularly from 1:15–1:23 and 1:56–2:04, you can at see there is some justification for the nickname.

 

[GrauGeist]

Well, if you watch this video, particularly from 1:15–1:23 and 1:56–2:04, you can at see there is some justification for the nickname.

There's no question about the nickname, just who used it.
Most of the colorful nicknames for Allied aircraft were coined by their pilots and crew.

 

[Juha3]

The book "Ultimate Spitfires" tells the story of the Griffin engined variants. The Spit XIV was not really better than the Spit IX, except at lower altitudes. I doubt the Luftwaffe would have noticed which model was kicking their arses.

Sqn. Ldr. T. S. Wade, a former OC of Flying at the Air Fighter Development Unit seems to disagree. See the attachment.

On the other hand, Belgium had to acquire Mk. XIVs because all available Mk. IXs had already been sold to other interested countries. The popularity of the IX may have been due to the fact that it was more of a pilot's plane and perhaps when peace came nations wanted an easier plane for their Air Forces than a brute like Mk XIV.

 

[Greyman]

This statement was supposedly made by German ace Adolf Galland. Well, I've read his autobiography and I've also watched every interview with him. Nowhere is such a quote from him to be found. I doubt that he even knew about the aircraft at all.

Is there a reliable source for this, or is this another attempt to make the Spitfire look better than it really was?

I could have sworn I read this quote in one of the post-war interviews/interrogations done by the US forces.

Spent some time and couldn't find it -- I could be misremembering.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Another fan fave; Whistling Death.

And it's cousin "Whispering Death".

I'm pretty they all got called "that little bastard" in one language or another.

 

[GrauGeist]

I believe the "Whispering Death" was the Beaufighter?

 

[WARSPITER]

This statement was supposedly made by German ace Adolf Galland. Well, I've read his autobiography and I've also watched every interview with him. Nowhere is such a quote from him to be found. I doubt that he even knew about the aircraft at all.

Is there a reliable source for this, or is this another attempt to make the Spitfire look better than it really was?

I don't think anyone needed to make the Spitfire look better than it already or really was. Have you seen one ?

 

[Shortround6]

I'm pretty they all got called "that little bastard" in one language or another.

I don't think anybody called the Beaufighter "little"

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

I believe the "Whispering Death" was the Beaufighter?

The point being that both of these alleged nicknames were likely Western press creations and not Japanese colloquialisms.

And while we're at it, why do we never hear their names for our not-so-sterling aircraft? I can hear the newsreel now: "The B-18 Bolo, which the Japs called the Pregnant Manatee ..."

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

I don't think anybody called the Beaufighter "little"

I think they substituted "ugly" in for that adjective.

 

[33k in the air]

The point being that both of these alleged nicknames were likely Western press creations and not Japanese colloquialisms.

And while we're at it, why do we never hear their names for our not-so-sterling aircraft? I can hear the newsreel now: "The B-18 Bolo, which the Japs called the Pregnant Manatee ..."

The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver purportedly had some unflattering nicknames bestowed upon it by its fliers.

 

[buffnut453]

I think they substituted "ugly" in for that adjective.

Steady on there, old chap. No need for name-calling. now!!!!

Purposeful? Yes!! Pugnacious? Absolutely!!!! Ugly? Perish the thought!!!!! (Except the Merlin-engined MkIIs....they were definitely ugly)

 

[Shortround6]

The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver purportedly had some unflattering nicknames bestowed upon it by its fliers.

yes but you aren't going to see those in the pilot's manuals.

Telling the student pilot he will being flying the "Forked-tailed Devil" in short order is ever so much more moral boosting than reading on page two of the manual that he will be flying the OADITB (One A Day In Tampa Bay)
The Ensign Eliminator (several US aircraft)
The Wind Indicator.

and others well known musical entertainers in the refreshment establishments located just outside the main gate.

 

[GrauGeist]

It might be of interest to know that in a letter to my Grandmother, her brother (my Uncle Jimmy) mentioned that he was excited to be transferred to train in the "Fork Tail Devil" because the "whirling dervish was a death trap".

The "whirling dervish" he mentioned in the letter, was the P-39...

This was in 1942.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver purportedly had some unflattering nicknames bestowed upon it by its fliers.

Right, but I'm talking about names allegedly bestowed by the enemy. It seems we only get to hear those names which imply the enemy is impressed by, or fearful of, a plane, never those indicating that they thought one of our planes was a little wanting.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Steady on there, old chap. No need for name-calling. now!!!!

Purposeful? Yes!! Pugnacious? Absolutely!!!! Ugly? Perish the thought!!!!! (Except the Merlin-engined MkIIs....they were definitely ugly)

Like the A-10, the Beaufighter is beautifully ugly. You can see at a glance that this airplane means business.

 

[SaparotRob]

American troops nicknamed enemy planes Washing Machine Charlie. Does that count or does it have to be a specific type?

 

[WARSPITER]

American troops nicknamed enemy planes Washing Machine Charlie. Does that count or does it have to be a specific type?

It depends how easily they went into a spin ?

One washing machine company had a design for a washing machine with an automatic spin mode and it was utilised in a plane at one stage.
It was guaranteed at so many spins per minute and the designation number reflected this as 39 Per minute but the Per was shortened to P.

 

[Shortround6]

American troops nicknamed enemy planes Washing Machine Charlie. Does that count or does it have to be a specific type?

Washing machine Charlie has a lot more bearing on the mission.

Make as much as possible to deny your opponents sleep, actual damage was secondary.

 

[SaparotRob]

Washing machine Charlie has a lot more bearing on the mission.

Make as much as possible to deny your opponents sleep, actual damage was secondary.

You brought up bearings. What about the beer?