P-38 -- "The Forked-Tail Devil"

[Kaiser]

Yesterday during game play I was asked to translate the expression ‘Forked-Tailed Devil’ into German. I somewhat had a hard time with this since I can’t recall such an expression in German but I gave my best in a free translation.
The best I could come up with was ‘Gabelschwanz des Teufels’, but it somehow sounded very weird to me (and still does). But then German as a language was slightly different back then as it is today, I suppose.
Once I mentioned that such an expression might not exist in German someone accused me of talking nonsense and claimed that the P38 was called that way by Germans in WWII.
(Can you believe how someone could be so impolite and call me on country channel like that? The same guy who asked for a translation? Well there are weird dudes out there…)

As this was still bothering me I asked my wife’s great uncle if he has ever heard this expression which he hasn’t but then I have to take into consideration that he was engaged at the Eastern Front that time. So I continued and searched the internet for articles and found some here and there:

Looks like this term first appeared in a ‘Stars and Stripes’ article about P38 operations in Northern Africa. Some people believe that it probably was used for propaganda by a journalist.

Others argue that this term is a myth only as it was never called like that by German Luftwaffe pilots who did not talk about the P38 with fear like the name ‘Fork Tailed Devil’ sort of implies and who thought at most that the P38 was an average plane at best. They showed much bigger respect for other planes like the P47 and P51 and the Spit’s.

Martin Caidin, an aviation author claims that in late 1942, the P38 went into large-scale operations during the North African campaign where Rommel’s ground troops named it "Der Gabelschwanz Teufel"--"The Forked-Tail Devil."
The author Caidin called his book "The Fork Tailed Devil" so he could sell his book very well.
Several people find in many occasions that this author over-exaggerates.

Since the P38 was called a preferred target by German pilots, thanks to it's size and lack of maneuverability, it might be possible that only German ground forces called it like that.

Either way, I (Kaiser) have never heard such an expression in German but this doesn’t mean anything either…..

[lambo31]

Interesting read Kaiser.

Lambo

[Benny Moore]

Originally posted by Kaiser
German Luftwaffe pilots who did not talk about the P38 with fear like the name ‘Fork Tailed Devil’ sort of implies and who thought at most that the P38 was an average plane at best. They showed much bigger respect for other planes like the P47 and P51 and the Spit’s.

Since the P38 was called a preferred target by German pilots, thanks to it's size and lack of maneuverability, it might be possible that only German ground forces called it like that.

I think you mean "thanks to its size and recognizeability."  There are almost no Luftwaffe aces who thought little of the Lightning.  There is, of course, the famous quote by Galland, but he later admitted that it wasn't his true opinion of the airplane.  Moreover, a lot more aces had a lot of respect for it.  Franz Stigler considered it a better turning airplane than his Me-109, as did Steinhoff.  In fact, Steinhoff said that the P-38 was the airplane that was the most difficult to fight against when flown by a good pilot.

At high altitude, early and mid-war models had great difficulties because of the turbosuperchargers (which did not put out enough power to allow for effective maneuvering at high altitude, rendering the maneuver flap nearly useless), heavy ailerons, and notorious compressibilty problem.  However, below 20,000 feet the Lightning was quite evenly matched with the Me-109 for maneuverability, surpassing it in several areas (including sustained turn).

[Keiler]

I recall "Gabelschwanzteufel".

Regards,

Matt

[Stampf]

Put your self in the cockpit over Belgium in 1944.  Your on an interdiction mission in defense of transport network targets.  You spot the allied heavies, and then the fighter escorts.  Do you call out..."A flight of enemy Fork tailed devils"  ?    No.

They called them Lightnings and P-38's just like everyone else.  Of course I'm sure the ground pounders had alot of "colorful" names for the P 38, and we have all heard the term "Fork Tailed Devils" before.

Just as allied jocks wouldn't call out a staffel of "Butcherbirds" at 12:00, rather..."High 190's."

Good Post Kaiser.

[porkfrog]

I vaguely recall reading the term "Fork Tailed Devil" being attributed to the Japanese and not the Germans. In the Pacific, the 38 was an animal that really struck fear into the hearts of the Japanese who were flying Zekes and 43's.

I nothing the historian many of you here are, but I have always referenced that phrase to having been of Empire origin.


2 cents

[Soulyss]

I've heard the term countless times, but I've also heard that the hellcat was designed specifically to defeat the zero.   Stories like this have a way of becoming "fact" over the years.

[gbleck]

Pork you are probly thinking of the term wispering death.  I read an interesting memoir of a LW pilot that was stationed in Italy and what stuck out of his account was the massive fire power in a tight cone.  He called it a watering can or hose I think.

[Rino]

Originally posted by gbleck
Pork you are probly thinking of the term wispering death.  I read an interesting memoir of a LW pilot that was stationed in Italy and what stuck out of his account was the massive fire power in a tight cone.  He called it a watering can or hose I think.

     I thought whispering death was the nickname for the F4U.  Something
about the sound of the airflow through the coolers in the wing.

[soda72]

I've seen a few documentries that mentioned the Japanese used
"whispering death" for the f4u
and "Forked-Tailed Devil’" for the p38...


But I've also see other documenties that mentioned german pilots using the term "Forked-Tailed Devil’" for the p38...

If I had to guess I would say "Forked-Tailed Devil’" would be more of a Japanese term since two American top aces in the pacific flew p38's..

[straffo]

Pure myth.

[Clifra Jones]

The Corsair's where called the Whistling death by the Japanese.

The Corsair's distinctive sound, which earned it among the Japanese the nick-name of "Whistling Death", partly because of the engine sound, that was caused by the wing-root inlets for engine air.

On a side note, any book written by Martin Caidin should be read with a huge grain of salt. This guy is notorious for exaggerating the truth and in some cases writing outright falsehoods. One such complete fabrication is his book Mission which tells the absolutely bogus story of LBJs Silver Star.

LBJ’s Silver Star: The Mission That Never Was

[Oldman731]

Originally posted by Clifra Jones
On a side note, any book written by Martin Caidin should be read with a huge grain of salt. This guy is notorious for exaggerating the truth and in some cases writing outright falsehoods.  [/URL]

Agreed.  The books he co-authored at least had someone else acting as a check on Caiden's imaginative historical talents.  The others I have learned to treat as historical fiction, possibly accurate.

- oldman

[Ack-Ack]

Originally posted by soda72
I've seen a few documentries that mentioned the Japanese used
"whispering death" for the f4u
and "Forked-Tailed Devil’" for the p38...


But I've also see other documenties that mentioned german pilots using the term "Forked-Tailed Devil’" for the p38...

If I had to guess I would say "Forked-Tailed Devil’" would be more of a Japanese term since two American top aces in the pacific flew p38's..

Whistling Death was the nickname the Japanese supposedly gave the P-38.  Forked-Tail Devil was the nickname given by German ground troops after they first experienced its deadly attacks in North Africa.


ack-ack

[Bronk]

Originally posted by Ack-Ack
Whistling Death was the nickname the Japanese supposedly gave the P-38.  Forked-Tail Devil was the nickname given by German ground troops after they first experienced its deadly attacks in North Africa.


ack-ack

Ummm beg to diff on the whisltling death thing .

    
Whistling Death    
Boone T. Guyton

The Test Pilot's Story of the F4U Corsair

I have my copy do you ?



Bronk