Why are there Kates, Vals, Sallys and Bettys, but also Nates, Rufes, Oscars, etc? Females for bombers, male for fighters? I suppose that would make sense, a female creating more hell and havoc all at once in one spot instead of a little here, a little there ; ) As an aside, what are the manufacturer/number designations for Kates, Vals and Oscars? I've done a search and found a couple marginal pictures, but no numbers. I had found a link for "Japanese Aircraft/WWII", but it wouldn't open, so....
Japanese a/c names--why both genders?
Dec 17, 2006
6 Replies
Just about everything you'd want to know about Japanese aircraft and ships is here:
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And if they don't, "Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War" by Rene J.Francillon, and published by Putnam, will.
ships is here:
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And if they don't, "Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War" by Rene J.Francillon, and published by Putnam, will.
Outstanding!! Thank you gentlemen.
If you can find the book Japanese Aircraft Code Names and Designations by Robert C. Milkesh by all means grab it. It list all Japanese planes both operational and experimental starting with Adam and going through Zeke. There is also a section of non code named planes. I was particularly amused by the code name Bettyfor the Mitsubishi Navy Type 1 Attack Bomber (G4M) The story goes that owing to the very large and bulging blisters on the fuselage it was named after a very well stacked nurse from Bridgewater, PA. There are photos of virtually all of the planes in the book. Great reading. Pete
PS you are right. Female for bombers and male for fighters. P.
Or, dealing more specifically with Japanese aircraft designations and allied code names,
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Cheers,
Bill this is a most amazing article. The links go on and on and on. Many thanks for sharing. Pete
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