JF Ptak Science Books Post 2712
The outline are details from a notebook written as classroom notes (ca. 1944) by a naval student of the Naval Air Combat Information School at Quonset Point, Rhode Island. Generally the diagrams are relatively small for the amount of information conveyed. The printed text for the curriculum and classes are nearly all marked "RESTRICTED" in the typed original of the offset pages. The entire document is about 150pp long, and if there is interest in the contents I'd probably reproduce the entire thing--it is surprising how much can be learned and how much is revealed even in the multi-page lecture descriptions.
This is an extract “from Pilot's letter” describing the Japanese aircraft encountered and using the McCoy/Williams/Grattan shorthand-slang method for identifying the aircraft. Evidently using the Japanese names and designators was clumsy and complicated, so an alternative means was developed using common given names, trees, and birds to identify Japanese aircraft.
“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...
- boys' names to the fighters,
- names of girls to the others...
- training aircraft were named after trees.
- single engine reconnaissance aircraft were given men's names...
- multi-engine aircraft of the same type were given women's names.
- (t)ransports were given girls' names that all began with the letter "T"
- Gliders were given the names of birds.”--edited, from Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_Allied_names_for_Japanese_aircraft
Here are the “translations” of the U.S. Names for Japanese aircraft in this short report in order of appearance
- ZEKE: Mitsubishi A6M, Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighter. [This is the legendary “Zero” aircraft, so called as it was manufactured in the Imperial Year of 2600, or 1940, and adopting the final zero (or two) as a nickname in its Japanese designation. The “Zero” was “Zeke” for another six months or so before it was widely switched out. By the time of this report—November 1943—the “Zero”, which was recognized as the finest and most lethal carrier-launched fighter plane in then world, was decidely less so than, the Allies catching up by mid-1942 to make it roughly the equal of the best Alied fighter planes, and then increasingly less so until in 1944 it was considered outdated.
- HAP: Mitsubihi AGM3, Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighter Model 32
- OSCAR: Nakajima Ki-43, Army Type 1 Fighter
- TONY: Kawasaki Ki-61, Army Type 3 Fighter
RUFE: Nakajima A6M2-N, Navy Type 2 Interceptor/Fighter-Bomber - PETE: Mitsubishi F1M, Navy Type 0 Observation Seaplane
- DAVE: Aichi D3A
- VAL: Aichi D3A, Navy Type 99 Dive Bomber
DINAH: Mitsubishi Ki-46, Army Type 100 Command Reconnaissance Aircraft - LILY: Kawasaki Ki-48, Army Type 99 Twin-engined Light Bomber
- SALLY: Mitsubishi Ki-21Army Type 99 Dive Bomber
- NELL: Mitsubishi 3GM, Navy Type 96 Attack Bomber
- HELEN: Nakajima Ki-49, Army Type 100 Heavy Bomber
- BETTY: Mitsubishi G4M, Navy Type 1 Land-based Attack Aircraft
- TESS: Douglas DC2, Navy Transport
- EMILY: Kawanishi H8K, Navy Type 2 Large Flying Boat
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