The term: Check Six!

[jayastout]

I'm researching the origins of the term, "Check six!" Excepting the title of Jim Curran's book of the same name, I've never come across contemporaneous accounts from World War II that used this term. In other words, no one I interviewed, no letter I've read, no diary, no unit after action report, etc., has ever used this term.

It makes sense that they would have used it as part of the clock code, but again, I've never seen it. I suspect that it came into use later, but I don't have any evidence upon which to base this.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Guinness

 

[GregP]

I've been hearing it since the mid-1960s, but I don't know when it first came into use.

 

[jayastout]

I've been hearing it since the mid-1960s, but I don't know when it first came into use.

Yes, I have a sneaking suspicion that it came into widespread use during the Vietnam War. But I have nothing to base that on. I was pretty well read on WW II aviation before I went into the service, and I'd never heard the term before then.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

I'm researching the origins of the term, "Check six!" Excepting the title of Jim Curran's book of the same name, I've never come across contemporaneous accounts from World War II that used this term. In other words, no one I interviewed, no letter I've read, no diary, no unit after action report, etc., has ever used this term.

It makes sense that they would have used it as part of the clock code, but again, I've never seen it. I suspect that it came into use later, but I don't have any evidence upon which to base this.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Guinness

I've flown with retired fighter jocks (Vietnam War era) and the term was commonly used, basically you're looking behind you.

 

[jayastout]

I've flown with retired fighter jocks (Vietnam War era) and the term was commonly used, basically you're looking behind you.

Yes, I've got plenty of fighter time with those same fellas. Am doing some collaboration on some writing...and folks are using "Check six," in the context of World War II...and I'm not sure it's accurate. That's why I'm checking with this very knowledgeable group to see if anyone knows of any solid examples of its use dating from World War.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Yes, I've got plenty of fighter time with those same fellas. Am doing some collaboration on some writing...and folks are using "Check six," in the context of World War II...and I'm not sure it's accurate. That's why I'm checking with this very knowledgeable group to see if anyone knows of any solid examples of its use dating from World War.

Well its so commonly used I'd bet dollars to donuts it was used during WW2. Unfortunately these days there aren't very many WW2 vets to verify this.

 

[jayastout]

Well its so commonly used I'd bet dollars to donuts it was used during WW2. Unfortunately these days there aren't very many WW2 vets to verify this.

I did ask a 352nd FG veteran several years ago and he had no recollection of using it. He also pointed out that it had been 70+ years and there was a lot he didn't remember.

 

[tyrodtom]

The movie 12 O'clock High came out in 1949, and it was adapted from a book published in 1948.
So either they invented the supposed system of using the clock code for locating where a threat was coming from just for the book and movie, or it was in actual use by bomber crews during WW2.

Helicopter crews used the clock code to ID where threats or whatever were located during the Vietnam era, but I don't remember if anyone filled us in on the history of the practice.

 

[Greg Boeser]

While the use of the clock code was certainly in use during WWII, the OP is asking if the phrase "check six" was.

 

[Greg Boeser]

I'm going to have to go through the books I have that were written during or shortly after the war. Even books written by veterans, if they were written many years after the war, may be contaminated by anachronisms.

 

[eagledad]

Gentlemen,

Wew can defintely confirm that the clock system was used in WW2, as the attached combat report shows. However, if the term "check six" was used, i agree with Greg.

Perhaps more encounter/combat reports need to be checked.

FWIW

Eagledad

 

[tyrodtom]

During combat debriefs you're just asked what you observed, or did, you're not asked for a exact word recollection of what you said.
Even written encounter/combat reports probably are not going to go into the exact language used during a event, they just want to know what you did and what you saw.

During missions when multiple people are on the airwaves, you want each transmission to be as brief and as descriptive as possible.
Multiple people talking at the same time on the same frequency can't be understood, so brief, abbreviated terms are used, and less likely to interfere with other transmissions from other aircraft.
During the Vietnam era we had out own verbal shorthand when transmitting anything on the airwaves, or between aircrew in the same aircraft.
I'm sure WW2 aircrew would have worked out a similar solution to the same problem.

If they were using the clock code, check your 6 , or the abbreviated check 6 , would surely have occurred at some point.

 

[msxyz]

The 'clock system' appears to be born sometime in the first half of the 20th as a more effective way to give an approximate direction. At the dawn of aviation, people still used terms traditionally associated with sea faring like 'port' 'starboard', but they're too vague. Also, numbers can be more easily broadcast using Morse code, an important consideration since this way of broadcasting could still be used effectively when voice could not for various reasons (not least being in an emergency/danger situation with a damaged or semi functional radio)

 

[jayastout]

Yes, thanks to all. I'm aware that the clock code was in use during World War II. As Greg indicated, I'm interested in whether or not the phrase "check six," was in use. I've been through...probably thousands of after action/encounter reports and never seen the phrase. Curran's book aside, I've never heard/seen a World War II vet use it during all the many interviews I've done. Have never seen documentation of it.

So, I want to say that it was not in use. But I just can't prove it.

Anyway, thanks for your help.

 

[tyrodtom]

It's like looking for documentation that someone uttered "shit " or anything similar, when something went wrong.
There may not be any documentation that you'd accept, but you know it happened.

 

[Deleted member 79357]

Would not be surprising to find Check-6 (or something similar) came from the British Navy from the days of sail. Having a 44-gun frigate crossing the T behind your ship was a great way of getting sunk

 

[pbehn]

Would not be surprising to find Check-6 (or something similar) came from the British Navy from the days of sail. Having a 44-gun frigate crossing the T behind your ship was a great way of getting sunk

In the days of sail it would be "permission to speak sir, after your game of darts, please divert your gaze from athwartships, aft".

 

[GrauGeist]

My Uncle Jimmy, P-38 pilot, PTO was known to say "watch your six" as a warning (post war) when someone was getting on his nerves...

Not sure if that helps, but alot of wartime terms became postwar colloqialisms.

Growing up around a large number of combat vets, I heard quite a few catchwords, but don't recall ever hearing "check six" until the later part of the 70's/early 80's.