What's in a name?

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

F 104 is the original German lawn Dart

The F-104 was actually an American aircraft. Yeah it was used by the Germans as well as many other nations but it was an American Aircraft and used by the USAF as well.

 

[pbfoot]

The F-104 was actually an American aircraft. Yeah it was used by the Germans as well as many other nations but it was an American Aircraft and used by the USAF as well.

The reason is that a majority of NATO countries were using 104's Denmark Netherlands Norway Canada and the fact they were stationed all over Germany i don't think the USAF ever had 104s in europe but with the mission profile that they mostly flew usually very low caused them to have high crash rate The German public called it Witwenmacher ("widowmaker"), fliegender Sarg ("flying coffin") or Erdnagel ("ground nail", the official military term for a tent peg). The Pakistani AF name was Badmash ("hooligan"), while among Italian pilots its spiky design earned it the nickname Spillone ("hatpin"). Canadian pilots sometimes referred to it as the flying lawn dart.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Yes the USAF had 104s based out of Spangdalem and Bitburg AFB in Germany. I like your rough translations of German though! Dont worry I butcher everyone elses languages as well including English which I learned the same time I learned German.

 

[pbfoot]

I copied that bit with the translation the limit for my german is "nicht schiessen posten "

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

 

[twobit01]

Was stationed at Bitburg and studied their squadron history...don't recall 104's mentioned in it. 100's, 101's, and 105's, but not 104's. I DO vividly recall the German 104's flying crazy low thru the hills as our F-15's circled overhead looking for them. The German pilots had some stones, no doubt.

 

[plan_D]

My dad and others reffered to the Chinook as the "Sh*t Cook" - I don't know why. And the EE Lightning - Frightening .

 

[Bf109_g]

Armstrong Whitworth Whitley - "Flying Barn Door"
Handley Page Hampden - "Flying Suitcase"
Handley Page Halifax - "Halibag"
Avro Lancaster - "Lanc"
Short Sunderland - "Queen Of The Boats"

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

Handley Page Hampden - "Flying Suitcase"

along with the "Flying Tadpole", "Flying Saucepan" and almost invariably the "Flying Sperm"