"Shameful nicknames" Topic

The 3rd Australian AIF division was called the Neutrals by the other Australian divisons as they were in England training for so long, they were given another nickname to but I cant recall it at the moment without going to look at some books

I believe it was the Ninth Air Force that was called "the American Luftwaffe", since they did most of the tactical air support for the ground forces in Europe.

No Msaerafin has it right. The 8th was used for the inane carpet bombing raids that were intended to make the breakout easier. And well over 95% of their ordnance landed on target, but some fell short, largely due to improperly marked maps. As for the death of McNair, Chief of Army Ground Forces, first, he didn't belong at the fromt. Second, given his tendency to obstruct improvements in armament and organization, this was probably the shrewdest blow for Allied victory struck byt th Mighty 8th in the course of the war.

'Spoons' Butler and 'Commisary' Banks won't have used their nicknames at Public Functions.

This is a good thread. More please.

Pat

One of the more famous must be the Kaiser's "Contemptible Little Army" from WWI, (AKA the BEF) & adopted by them as a badge of honour – "the Old Contemptibles".

The 8th Georgia got a great nickname during their early deployment to the Shenandoah valley in 1861--the men saw plants that looked much the same as the peanut plants they were used to in Georgia; attempts to pick them revealed they were nothing more than clover.

Thereafter, the regiment was known by its compatriots as the "Goober Grabbers."

(cited in Woodworth's _Scythe of Fire_)

Worcester and Sherwood Foresters (official abbreviation to WFR) were known as We Flog Rockets because, allegedly, some in the stores was caught attempting to sell (flog) LAW 66 (rockets) to someone claiming to be from IRA. The purchaser was allegedly an undercover military policeman.

I was told this by a member of the regiment.

For many years the Australian Armored Corp were known as the 'koala bears' (both were never to be sent overseas or shot at).

There's a few here…

link

I once heard the Womens' Royal Army Corps [WRAC] described by a particularly obscene nickname by an ex-Scots Guard!

Great thread! Thanks for al the contributions.
Did the normal German soldier have nasty nicknames for the various SS units?

In the ACW the Advanced Union Zouaves were known as 'Advanced Union Zoos' for their dirty, unhygienic ways.

At Dunkirk RAF meant 'Rare As Fairies'

Sturmovik being known by the Gerries as 'Black Death' and their female night-mission pilots as the 'Night widows'

WW1 Portugeuse known as the 'Pork and Beans'

Oh and here in Leicestershire the 82nd Airborne are generally known as 'Grandad'

One brigade in the Union Army was called the "Harper's Ferry Cowards" because they were unfairly blamed for losing the fight on Maryland Heights when Gen. Barksdale's Brigade broke the Union line, which led to the surrender at Harper's Ferry during the Antietam Campaign. Interestingly they later got their revenge. At Gettysburg, under the command of Gen. Williard, during the 2nd day's fight they charged and drove back Barksdale's Brigade in the Union center, quite possibly killing Barksdale in the process.

I've read refrences to the british army in both WWI and WWII refer to themselves as 'Fred Karno's Army'. Fred Karno being a music hall comedian and credited with creating the Pie in the face gag.

Also in the RAF 617Sqn 'The Dambusters' are also known as 'The Dumb Bastards' (If that got bleeped it's someone without a father) or 'The Bum Dusters'

"We are Fred Karno's army, the ragtime infantry
We cannot fight, we cannot march, what bleedin' use are we?
But when we get to Berlin, the Kaiser he will say;
"Mein Gott, mein Gtt, what a bloody rotten lot are the ragtime infantry!"

>Did the normal German soldier have nasty nicknames for the >various SS units?

Probably not that they used in public. They did refer to the SA/Party officials as "Brown Pheasants" owing to their brown uniforms.

They did refer to German military police as "Kettenhunde" or "chained dogs," in reference to the metal gorgets they wore, which hung on small chains.

how could one forget general hooker and his name passed in time for ladies of the night.

Germans diss anything in uniform? Not very likely

A lawyer I know served in the Judge Advocate's officedoing paperwork. He referred to his out fit as "The Titless WAC's"

I've heard a Royal Marine say that the Army (i.e. Infantry Regiments) are called "pongoes" by the Marines (nothing to do with Chimpanzees, but because "where the Army goes, that's where the Pong goes"; in rather old-fashioned British slang, "pong" = "offensive smell")

and in the RN the seaman branch are known as "ringbolt kickers" or "deck apes". The RN itself is either "The Andrew" or "The Grey Funnel Line"

And the winner is …

In the US Navy we use "Deck Apes" too. What do you think "Turd Chasers" are?

We also call submariners "Bubble Heads", fighter pilots "Candle Jockeys" and Aircraft Carriers "Bird Farms".

What about the 2nd Vermont Brigade during the ACW being called "The Paper Collar Brigade" because of their new uniforms and green troops.

An argument could be made for the 14th Brooklyn being called those "Red Legged Devils" by the Confederate troops they fought.

Again for the RN, Seaman's Branch = "Fishheads" while the Fleet Air Arm = WAFU (pronounced Wafoo) (Wet and Flaming (or similar word!)Useless.

The RAF Regiment are known as 'Rock Apes' named after the rock apes of Gibralter. The reason why is lost in history. Aircrew are known as 'Growbags' because they are green and full of excrement (not the word I want to use but it would get bleeped).

As a whole the RAF are known as either 'Crabs' or 'Guins' (as in Penguins) by the other forces.

Not a nickname, but HMS Rodney got a reputation of sorts because, while anchored in Scapa Flow, one of her sailors allegedly had his "initiation into the mysteries" with a sheep.

After the Bismarck went down, Rodney docked next to the Repulse, which had had to break off the chase due to lack of fuel. Someone on Rodney yelled, "Who sank the Bismarck?" Every sailor on Repulse's deck shouted back, "Baa! Baaa!"

One of the funniest self assigned mottos I had ever heard was an official US Army history unit during Gulf War I, who's motto was "When the shooting starts, we're history".

Not really a unit name that stuck, but…

I still chuckle at my Father and Uncles' arguments over the superior airborne/air assault force. My father is retired 82nd and would refer to my Uncle as a "Puking Buzzard" whereas he, obviously of the 101st, would tell my father he belonged to "Alcoholics Anonymous". They'd not only get mad at each other, but family in general as we'd be laughing at them argue! Good times!

The Princess of Wales Regiment are known as 'Squidgy's Own'.

From the link given by Alastair in Surrey, I particularly liked the 20th Hussars ("Nobody's Own") and the 16th/5th Lancers ("the Vulgar Fraction").

Scottish forces serving in Ulster were collectively known as 'Redshanks' from the middle ages onwards, on account of their red legs from fording cold rivers. Not a shamefull nickname, but not exactly a compliment either.

What do you think "Turd Chasers" are?

I give up?

But that reminds me… one of the favourite jokes we used pass around before the Canadian Airborne Regiment was dissolved in the 90s was:

What's brown and comes out the back of a Buffalo?
AIRBORNE!

BTW, the Buffalo was/is the name of a two engined troop carrier that sort of looks like a cut back Hercules.
--
Tim

Some great ones here. Sane Max already shared my favorite, "Spoons" Butler. Not a man to invite to dinner parties!

101st I heard as "puking vultures".

Kings Royal Rifle Corps as Kings Rich Rude Club

I don't know if it's still available, but for th British army, Tim Carew's "How the Regiments Got Their Nicknames" is not only interesting, but amusing.

If we're getting into individual's, how about:

"Fighting Joe" Hooker?
"Fighting Joe" Wheeler?
and "Retreating Joe" Johnston?

ACW quote of the Germans of I (and later XI) Corps:

"You fights mit Siegel?"

"No, we runs mit Howard."

I once got a personal tour of a visiting RAF Vulcan from 44 Squadron and was told that amongst V-Force crews 617 Squadron went by the name "Hole in the Wall Gang" rather than the more formal and polite "Dambusters."

I've heard the King's Royal Rifle Corps called the "King's Rich Rude Rifles" instead.

"What do you think "Turd Chasers" are?

I give up?"

Their formal name was Hull Technician. They are the folks that do all the metal work on the ship. They're also the ship's plumbers, hence the nickname.

Hospital Corpsmen were called "Pecker Checker".

Many of us fortunate enough to get stuck in Vietnam when the Babykillers were disbanded in 1972 were assigned to the 196th Infantry Brigade, which had a particularly garish shoulder patch depicting what was supposed to be a musketeer's match burning at both ends, a purported reference to the unit's perpetual readiness for combat. I suspect I was one of maybe two enlisted men in the brigade who understood the significance of the emblem; it was usually referred to as "The Burning Worm", which was also used as the brigade's nickname.

LT

"Did the normal German soldier have nasty nicknames for the various SS units?"

Asphalt soldiers? only any good on parade.

Unit titles… the 11th Support Command (a logistics unit of 18th Airborne Corps) was refered to as "The Leaning house" based on the arrow in a circle pointing to 11 o'clock. 25th ID has been called the Electric Strawberry as well (unit patch).

Another old favorite of mine was for the 50th Foot during the Peninsula--they had black facings, the dye often running and getting on everything else. They were referred to as the "Dirty Half-hundred."

An AF recon competition brought a lot of units to the hanger where I used to work. One such unit was from the 18th Tactical Figter Wing known from their home base of Okinawa as the Shoguns. They had an RF-4C reconn squadron, which carried no ordnance as part of their F-15 Wing known appropriately enough as the "No Gun Shoguns." Then again since it tied into the AF botion of the unofficial recon motto of "alone, unarmed and unafraid? maybe that wasn't so bad though.

WWI Nova Scotia Highlanders – The ladies from Hades

Most US Navy bases have something called SIMA, Shore Intermediate Maintenance Activity. Due to the practice of assigning any woman who got pregnant while seving aboard ship to SIMA for the duration of her pregnancy, SIMA became known as Sailors In Maternity Attire.

Other US Navy nicknames…

USS Forrestal- The Forrest Fire
USS Kitty Hawk- The Sh***y Kitty
USS William H Bates- the bouncing billy bates- due to some "unexplained" underwater collision
USS Aubrey Fitch- The ornery bitch

Among the bubble heads (submariners) the Missile Technicians (MT) were known as monkey trainers and the Torpedomen (TM) were the trained monkeys.

New crewmen on subs were called NUB's Non-Useful Bodies

Electrician's Mates were called spark chasers.

Dental Technicians were tooth fairies.

ABF's Aviation Bosun's Mates (fueling) were called grapes because of their purple flight deck jerseys.

Martin Rapier

---Plenty of individual commanders got insulting nicknames, 'Butcher' Mangin and 'Panzer Killer' Lang are two which spring to mind.---

General Jacob 'Howling' Smith (US Army), the butcher of Samar in the Philippines, who told his men to kill anyone over 10 years of age. makes Calley look like a boyscout.

Cheers,

Pro …

Jim McDaniel

---Oh Americal Division was known after the My Lai massacre as the "Americalley Division" after the Lt who got scapegoated with that action.---

Scapegoated??? Wasn't he found guilty? Should have had done to him what he/his men did to the Viets.

Pro …

hos459

---For many years the Australian Armored Corp were known as the 'koala bears' (both were never to be sent overseas or shot at).---

I think you'll find that that was meant about the Militia units during WWII, as they were not supposed to be sent off Australian soil. The Militia blokes didn't do too badly on Kokoda though.

Cheers,

Pro …

Scapegoated??? Wasn't he found guilty? Should have had done to him what he/his men did to the Viets.

Pro …

Look, I don't want to spark any prolonged discussions here but "scapegoated" is precisely the term for what was done to William Calley. Of all the officers responsible for the My Lai massacre and the subsequent cover-up, Calley was the only one convicted of anything, even though his company commander later admitted to having lied to his superiors and the orders originally given by those superiors, which were largely along the lines of "go in there and kill everybody", contributed significantly to the actions of C Co, 1/20th. A "scapegoat" is a person or thing who assumes the collective guilt of a group and this is what Calley was forced to do.

LT

"Asphalt soldiers? only any good on parade."

Eh? The Waffen SS? About one of the most effective war machines the planet has seen? Yeah, complete poofs, of course they were.

>Eh? The Waffen SS? About one of the most effective war >machines the planet has seen? Yeah, complete poofs, of >course they were.

"Asphalt soldiers" referred do the black uniforms worn in full dress or by bodyguard units, etc. I don't think it was intended to be derogatory.

As for "most effective war machines," this sort of thing varied. Das Reich had its butt handed to them at Borodino in October of 41 but they were much more effective later in the war; similarly Leibstandarte did horribly in Flanders and took out their ire on British POWs.

All depends on the timing.