American code-names for Japanese fighters and bombers.

[učitel]

I can recognize quite well some American code names determined from first names of then celebrities.

So: FRANCES - F. FARMER (film star)

LILY - L. PALMER (film star) or L. MARLENE (cabaret hit song from 1916)?

JUDY - J. GARLAND (cabaret singer and film star)

LIZ - L. TAYLOR (child film star)

RITA - R. HAYWORTH (dancer and film star)

KATE - C. HEPBURN (film star)

SONIA - S. HENIE (figure skater and film star)

VAL - "VALENTINE" (musical hit song)

GLEN - G. MILLER (bandleader of swing orchestra)

REX - R. HARRISON (film star)

IRVING - I. BERLIN (swing-song composer)

FRANK - F. SINATRA (swing singer and film star)

OSCAR - O. HAMMERSTEIN (film and musical producent)

TOJO - Hideki Tódžó (Japanese First Minister and the main Japanese war villain)

HAMP - general "Hap" Arnold (significant American general in Pacific) - A6M3 (type 32)

ZERO - "RAISEN" = The figter for "0-year" (1940)

Can anybody correct me or add anything else?

[redbaron]

Quite nice job! I didn't know taht names were taken from celebrities!

But Zero was "Reisen" not "Raisen".

And you could add a plane to each code name, because I am not familiar with all of them.

[učitel]

Thanks for a minor correction. I can add Japanese types into American nicknames:

FRANCES - F. FARMER - Yokosuka P1Y Ginga

LILY - L. PALMER (or L. MARLENE?) - Kawasaki Ki-48 Sokei

JUDY - J. GARLAND - Yokosuka D4Y Suisei

LIZ - L. TAYLOR - Nakajima G5N Shinzan

RITA - R. HAYWORTH - Nakajima G8N

KATE - C. HEPBURN - Nakajima B5N

SONYA - S. HENIE - Mitsubishi Ki-51

VAL - "VALENTINE" - Aichi D3A

GLEN - G. MILLER - Yokosuka E14Y

REX - R. HARRISON - Kawanishi N1K Kyofu

IRVING - I. BERLIN - Nakajima J1N Gekko

FRANK - F. SINATRA - Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate

OSCAR - O. HAMMERSTEIN - Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa

TOJO - Hideki Tojo - Nakajima Ki-44 Shoki

HAMP - general "Hap" Arnold - Mitsubishi A6M3 type 32 Reisen (with reduced wings)

ZERO - "REISEN" = The figter for "0-year" (1940) - Mitsubishi A6M Reisen

[secesjonista]

Code names are used by Allied forces to designate Japanese aircraft. In order to make these code names more familiar, there is set forth below a list of the names used to designate some of the Japanese fighters, followed by a brief explanation of their significance.

1. Hap 5. Oscar

2. Rufe 6. Claude

3. Zeke 7. Dick

4. Nate 8. Perry

Hap , Rufe , and Zeke are all Type Zero aircraft. Zeke is designated by the Japanese as the Type Zero, Mark I, Carrier-borne Fighter, Model 2. The designation of Hap is the same, except that Hap is Mark II where Zeke is Mark I. Rufe is a float-plane fighter, and except for the substitution of the float to replace the wheeled landing gear, this aircraft is believed to be practically the same as Zeke structurally.

Nate is Type 97. It has seen service in various areas, but being an older model, its performance is not up to that of the more recent Hap and Zeke.

Oscar is Type 1, and is believed to be a modification of Nate.

Claude , Dick , and Perry have been less frequently encountered than the fighters above mentioned. They are, respectively, Type 96, Type 98, and Type Zero.

It is well to bear in mind that Japanese fighter aircraft appear to be used with minor alterations by both the Army and Navy Air Services. Zeke and Hap, although used prominently by the Navy, have been reported in operation with Army units also. Likewise, Nate and Oscar, which have been reported most frequently in use by the Army, have, upon occasions of emergency, been used by the Naval Air Service.

/text is taken from the US War Department publication "Tactical and Technical Trends" , No. 21, March 25, 1943./

[učitel]

To my previous sentences, I can say that I don't know surely which celebrity was as the inspiration for other CODE NAMES:

- Kyushu Q1W Tokai "LORNA": probably inspired by LORNA GRAY (film star).

- Kawanishi N1K1 Kyofu "REX": This first name comes more from REX INGRAM (film star) than from REX HARRISON because Harrison was a British actor in fact.

- Yokosuka P1Y Ginga "FRANCES" could be inspired either by FRANCES FARMER, or by FRANCES GIFFORD (film star).

- Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate "FRANK" will be probably inspired by SINATRA, but FRANK CONROY (film star)is also possible.

- Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien "TONY" could be inspired either by ANTHONY QUINN, or by ANTHONY CARUSO (both were film stars).

- Mitsubishu A7M Reppu "SAM" could be inspired either by SAM LEVENE (film star), or by SAM WOOD (film director).

- Kawanishi N1K2-J Shiden "GEORGE" - there are many celebrities which are taken into account: GEORGE MURPHY, GEORGE TOBIAS, GEORGE REEVES and GEORGE TYNE (all of them were film stars).

[Kadrinazi]

There is also another version of 'why' Americans did it that way

In mid-1942, Captain Frank T. McCoy, a United States Army Air Forces military intelligence officer from the 38th Bombardment Group assigned to the Allied Technical Air Intelligence Unit in Australia, set out to devise a simpler method for identifying Japanese aircraft. Together with Technical Sergeant Francis M. Williams and Corporal Joseph Grattan, McCoy divided the Japanese aircraft into two categories; fighters and everything else. He gave boys' names to the fighters, and the names of girls to the others. Later, training aircraft were named after trees, single engine reconnaissance aircraft were given men's names and multi-engine aircraft of the same type were given women's names. Transports were given girls' names that all began with the letter "T". Gliders were given the names of birds.

McCoy's system quickly caught on and spread to other US and Allied units throughout the Pacific theater. By the end of 1942, all American forces in the Pacific and east Asia had begun using McCoy's system, and British Commonwealth nations adopted the system shortly thereafter. The list eventually included 122 names and was used until the end of World War II. To this day, many Western historical accounts of the Pacific War still use McCoy's system to identify Japanese aircraft.

In an effort to make the names sound somewhat comical, McCoy gave many of the aircraft 'hillbilly' names, such as "Zeke" and "Rufe," that he had encountered while growing up in Tennessee. Others were given names of people the creators of the system knew personally; the Mitsubishi G4M bomber, with its large gun blisters was named "Betty" in homage to a busty female friend of Williams. The Aichi D3A "Val" got its name from an Australian Army sergeant.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_Allied_names_for_Japanese_aircraft]

[Kadrinazi]

HAMP - general "Hap" Arnold (significant American general in Pacific) - A6M3 (type 32)

Initially code for that plane was 'HAP' so just like general's nickname, but because he wasn't very happy about it, code was change to HAMP