Proper designations of WWII machines

The Bf and Me designations were both used. The aircraft was first designed by Willy while working for the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG, so early versions were simply Bf. When he set up his own company, the designation Me came into use but the Germans still used Bf on offical documents through out the war.

This may be of some interest.

http://109lair.hobbyvista.com/articles/bf-me/bf-me.htm

The tank was designated Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. B Tiger II. The Germans did not use the term Konigstiger in offical documents but at least one General made referance to it. So on that your both correct and incorrect.

Hello!

First - excuse me saying that - but being a little cooler could help you some, IMO. It's also worth noting that teaching people for free isn't good for anybody. If you offer your advice to somebody who doesn't want it then it's just wasted energy.

As for the designations - there are always mistakes and the likes, so usually the official designation has many variants, that get corrupted and we end up with multiple designations many times.

As for the fighters, it's Bf 109 and Fw 190. At lerast Wikipedia says it this way, but other books also. If you want to be so correct, please note that only the first letter is capital here, and there is a space adfter the letters.

Of course there were many people on both sides of the front who called the Bf 109 a "Messerschmitt" or Me 109. When the Fw 190 first appeared over Britain the allied flyers didn't know the name of the machine either.

As for the tank, the Wikipedia (I just love it, can't help it!) lists it as Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. B Tiger II (Sd.Kfz. 182). Of course no normal human being would use that name in a conversation, so the inoficial German term for it was Königstiger. Then you have the allies translating this in English. So which designation is "correct"? No designation ever is used by "everybody". With the exception of when you think "everybody is me"!

So I'd say do your research, keep on learning, and don't waste your time teaching people who don't want to learn. I hope it helps you, have a nice day

Paweł

I believe Konistiger is actually a Bengal tiger in German.  But transliterated into English konig means king, thus king tiger.  It's all good no matter the name, so long as you are having fun.  Don't argue - why so serious?

https://flic.kr/p/srR4kf][/url]Joker by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

"Referred to by everyone" is sort of subjective. I agree with both of your assertions. But in the larger context of actual participants, I've heard plenty who called every Japanese aircraft that strafed them a Zero, every tank that attacked them a Tiger, and every shell that screamed overhead an 88.

GMorrison

every Japanese aircraft that strafed them a Zero, every tank that attacked them a Tiger, and every shell that screamed overhead an 88.

And every British fighter was a Spitfire..

No I'm not serious, and it's not like him and I were about to come to blows. It's just I don't like the spread of misinformation which in turn spreads ignorance. I look at it like this, in this day and age with every kid having their face jammed into iPhones and ipads and video games and the like, we will eventually have a future where everyone thinks ALL tanks are called Tigers and all fighter planes called Zeros or Spitfires (I'm not serious but the way kids are nowadays, it sure seems plausible!). It's like when I heard another of my buddies telling a newbie atr the gun range that the AR in AR15 stands for assault rifle. I was like man, no it does not! It stands for Armalite Rifle, Armalite being the company that developed and designed it and the 15 standing for the 15th design they had produced. 

Going back to the original topic, I now see though that I too was in fact spreading misinformation, and I stand corrected with the proper knowledge from you folks!

Reaper420

It's like when I heard another of my buddies telling a newbie atr the gun range that the AR in AR15 stands for assault rifle. I was like man, no it does not! It stands for Armalite Rifle, Armalite being the company that developed and designed it and the 15 standing for the 15th design they had produced. 

Working behind a gun counter for awhile, I heard that far too often. I've also heard it from friends (mostly my wife's friends). It got so my standard response was to politely tell them to look up "AR7," or better yet, "AR5" and tell me if either is an assault rifle. The standard response is usually something like "Uhhhhh... Welllll... Uhmmmm... Huh..."

It also seems quicker and more effective than explaining the phrase "assault rifle" dates back to the Sturmgewehr 44, etc... and seeing their eyes glaze over.

And how the term Sturmgewehr was created after the subterfuge of the MP-43 designation for that weapon was found out by the Fuerer... 

National Socialist Germany was funny in how titles of equipment changed for primarily political reasons. How much difference is there between a Fw-190D and a Ta-152C? Not a great deal physically. 

I think too of the names for planes here in the states.  There are four names or identifications I can think of.

The manufacturers designation

The AF approved designation

The AF approved name

The popular name among the troops (BUFF, Aluminum Overcast, Hun, etc.)  A problem withe the last is that the name is not unique, it can vary by location, and the same name can be used for different aircraft.

Don Stauffer

I think too of the names for planes here in the states.  There are four names or identifications I can think of.

The manufacturers designation

The AF approved designation

The AF approved name

The popular name among the troops (BUFF, Aluminum Overcast, Hun, etc.)  A problem withe the last is that the name is not unique, it can vary by location, and the same name can be used for different aircraft.

 

 

Dont forget the name bestowed by foreign recipient operators. Example- Douglas Aircraft’s DC-3 upon joining the US military becomes the R4D/C-47, or Skytrain... to the aircrews it is the Gooney Bird... in British hands it becomes a Dakota.

Wildcat- Martlet

Consolidated PBY- Catalina (name originally made up by RAF

Don Stauffer

I think too of the names for planes here in the states.  There are four names or identifications I can think of.

The manufacturers designation

The AF approved designation

The AF approved name

The popular name among the troops (BUFF, Aluminum Overcast, Hun, etc.)  A problem withe the last is that the name is not unique, it can vary by location, and the same name can be used for different aircraft.

But if someone doesn't know what a Warthog is, I want nothing to do with them... 

stikpusher

 

Don Stauffer

I think too of the names for planes here in the states.  There are four names or identifications I can think of.

The manufacturers designation

The AF approved designation

The AF approved name

The popular name among the troops (BUFF, Aluminum Overcast, Hun, etc.)  A problem withe the last is that the name is not unique, it can vary by location, and the same name can be used for different aircraft.

 

 

 

 

 

Dont forget the name bestowed by foreign recipient operators. Example- Douglas Aircraft’s DC-3 upon joining the US military becomes the R4D/C-47, or Skytrain... to the aircrews it is the Gooney Bird... in British hands it becomes a Dakota.

 

And the AH-64 Apache becomes the Apache AH1 in British hands.

If i am not mistaken, the whole nameing of US tanks was started by us with the Stuart.

I think the PBY was the Canso in RAF hands...

and yes, Bish is correct, originally US tanks did not have names, only M series numbers and type in their nomenclature. The Brits started the habit of giving them names. All after civil war generals. Once the US Army got into the act, the  general namesakes were more recent.

Bish

If i am not mistaken, the whole nameing of US tanks was started by us with the Stuart.

I may be mistaken but you Brits had a large hand in naming some of our aircraft. Love the name "Mustang" BTW

You guys also came up with a lot of the cool toys of WWII. RADAR, SONAR, centrifugal flow jet engine etc.

stikpusher

I think the PBY was the Canso in RAF hands...

GMorrison

 

 

stikpusher

I think the PBY was the Canso in RAF hands...

 

 

 

That was the RCAF's name.

 

 

and the US crews called it???

Catalina after the Bristish named that plane. 

https://ww2aircraft.net/forum/threads/fw-190-d-9-13-vs-ta-152-c.21219/

stikpusher

 

 

GMorrison

 

 

stikpusher

I think the PBY was the Canso in RAF hands...

 

 

 

That was the RCAF's name.

 

 

 

 

 

and the US crews called it???

 

The PBY/Catalina also had a nickname

something related to a popular movie character of the time...

stikpusher

I think the PBY was the Canso in RAF hands...

 

and yes, Bish is correct, originally US tanks did not have names, only M series numbers and type in their nomenclature. The Brits started the habit of giving them names. All after civil war generals. Once the US Army got into the act, the  general namesakes were more recent.

 

Stick, where did Stuart come from. Was there an American general by that name or was it named after the British Royal House.

modelcrazy

 

 

Bish

If i am not mistaken, the whole nameing of US tanks was started by us with the Stuart.

 

 

I may be mistaken but you Brits had a large hand in naming some of our aircraft. Love the name "Mustang" BTW

You guys also came up with a lot of the cool toys of WWII. RADAR, SONAR, centrifugal flow jet engine etc.

 

I did think we had a hand in the name of the Mustang, which of course was originally designed for us. Though i do believe that un like armour, you guys were already naming your aircraft.

Bish

 Stick, where did Stuart come from. Was there an American general by that name or was it named after the British Royal House.

General J.E.B. Stuart, the Confederate cavalry general.

Doc Ward

 

 

Bish

 Stick, where did Stuart come from. Was there an American general by that name or was it named after the British Royal House.

 

 

 

General J.E.B. Stuart, the Confederate cavalry general.

 

Cheers Doc.

Bish

 

I did think we had a hand in the name of the Mustang, which of course was originally designed for us. Though i do believe that un like armour, you guys were already naming your aircraft.

 

See, and here I always thought that the Americans designed the airframe and the British just dropped that beautiful Merlin engine into it.

Bish

 

 

Doc Ward

 

 

Bish

 Stick, where did Stuart come from. Was there an American general by that name or was it named after the British Royal House.

 

 

 

General J.E.B. Stuart, the Confederate cavalry general.

 

 

 

 

Cheers Doc.

 

Glad to be of help!

laskdjn

 

 

Bish

 

I did think we had a hand in the name of the Mustang, which of course was originally designed for us. Though i do believe that un like armour, you guys were already naming your aircraft.

 

 

 

 

 

See, and here I always thought that the Americans designed the airframe and the British just dropped that beautiful Merlin engine into it.

 

O ye, the Americans designed and built it, it was just done to meet a British request. Originally we had asked North American to build the P-40 under license. But they were not to keen in building some one elses old designed, so they designed and built the Mustang instead.

Gotcha, guess I need to brush up on my history!

The P51B was good at lower altitudes with its Allison, however it was subjected to ground fire damage because of the inline engine and radiator. The Brits didn't like it because they wanted a high lever fighter and had outstanding ground attack aircraft already. They dropped the Merlin in and turned a mule into a mustang in the form of the C and D models. The only difference between the C and D by the way is the C was built in Dallas, they were identical airframes.

The original airframe was the A-36 Apache...dive bomber no less.