Mark Allen M wrote:
Can someone educate me a bit as to the use of "names" the RAF and other Commonwealth countries gave American made aircraft.
Names weren't just given to US types, but to almost all military types. As a way of identifying an aircraft, IMHO, a name beats the he11 out of a designation, it's more memorable and easy to use. (See the discussion on the 'Zero' thread.) Note the UH-1 helicopter's known to everyone as a Huey, a corruption of its initial designation, easier to use than Iroquois, which it's meant to be known as. (And the 'Nancy Boats' for the USN's 1919 NC- flying boats...)
Quote:
Why such names as "Martlet", "Washington" etc? and why the need for such names?
There were various systems of names which changed and had exceptions, so much so that there's been books on them; it's about as streighforward as the US designation system, and would take as long to explain, but very briefly, for the bit we're interested in:
Bombers were named after cities.
Fighters changed systems frequently, but alliteration and aggression, as well as manufacturer themes (Hawker's 'winds') prevailed.
Naval types had maritime names; fish for bombers, birds for fighters, but sometimes better US choices overcame them...
Grumman's Tarpon and Martlet became the Grumman / US Avenger and Wildcat in due course. Otherwise Blackburn Skua and Roc, Fairey Swordfish, Albacore and Barracuda.
Why Dakota for the US transport remains an endless argument, but it beats trying to decide if it's a conscripted DC-3, R2D, C-47, Skytrain, C-49, Skytrooper, or stations west...
Flying Boats were named after ports or port cities (so 'London' was a SARO flying boat, not a bomber, London being a port...)
Supermarine Stranraer, Southampton, Short Sunderland, SARO Lerwick...
Trainers had educational names, US types US educational names: NAA Harvard, Yale etc. Airspeed Oxford. Miles Magister, Master, Percival Provost.
The Avro Anson was named after an Admiral as a maritime reconnaissance type - maritime heroes? Lockheed Hudson...
When you want to sell a jet bomber to someone, name it after their capital - English Electric Canberra. (Wonder who bought that?)
The winner, of course, and entrant for the world's ugliest aircraft, is the aircraft manufacturer who had a city they could use that did the alliteration 100% and delivered the Blackburn Blackburn. I kid you not.
And so on and so forth...
Mark Allen M wrote:
Here's a nice shot of a "Washington" in flight. What would you say is the camera plane here? Lanc.?
Avro Lincoln or Shackleton, I think.
Regards,
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